breaking away Essay -- essays research papers

The movie Breaking Away presents the story of a young man from working class origins who seeks to better himself by creating a icon through which he almost, but not quite, wins the girl. The rivalry between the townies and the college students sets the scene for the story of four friends who learn to accept themselves as they "break away" from puerility and from their underdog self-images.Dave Stoller, the main character, is a young man completely obsessed with cycling and Italy. His fantasies are so well fabricated that he drives his family crazy by behaving and public speaking as if he were an Italian cyclist. Dave aspires to be one of the best cyclists yet the best racers are Italian. He feels that in order to be the best, he essential be Italian. Dave carries his fantasy one step too far when he pretends to be an Italian exchange student in order to impress an captivating female college student. When he discovers that he actually likes her and confesses his charade, she ends the romance. This single act reveals to the audience that Dave is ashamed and embarrassed to tell Kat that the truth about his background he obviously did not like who he was a cutter. Dave felt that in order to win Kat he needed to pretend to be mortal who he was not. However, his plan did not go over well causing him to lose Kat.Daves father is a used-car salesman who disapproves of his sons Italian fantasies. Daves father thinks his son is crazy, lazy, and that acting as if he were an ...