Sling Blade’s main theme is the recovery of Karl’s lost childhood. Karl’s overly religious parents believed he was a punishment from God. They severely abused him, treated him like an animal, and forced him to live in a shed in solitude. Everyone in town picked on him and called him names. He was seen as a “retard” or slower than others. He had little to call his own.
His only possessions were a Bible and several books on Christmas and carpentry. Karl was taught the Bible as a child, but it wasn’t really the Bible. The stories they told him were not in the Bible. His parents had made up their own stories and had led him lost on the rights and wrongs of life. When Karl was 12 years old interrupted what he believed to be the raping of his mother. He took charge and killed the man with a “sling blade.” He than found out his mother had wanted it so he killed her too.
When he killed his mother and her lover he thought he was doing the right thing. Karl believed that if you have to sacrifice to do the right thing than you should do it. Karl was locked away in a “nut house” for the next 25 years for rehabilitation and correction. When the student newspaper reporter asked Karl if he would kill again, Karl stated, “I reckon I got no reason to kill nobody.” While Karl was staying in the hospital he discovers his own faith.
It took Karl four years to read the bible but then goes on state, “it wasn’t what I expected in some places.” After his release from the hospital the hospital director gets Karl a job fixing small machinery (lawn mowers) for his friend from his church. Karl was like a genius working on these machines. After Karl’s release he quickly made a new friend, Frank. The young boy accepted Karl with out question because he seemed to be more childlike than man.
The Essay on Mrs Jackson Dumas Mother Years
Margaret Ann Martin was born in Greenfield, Nelson County, Virginia on January 20 th, 1834. Her parents were Hudson Martin and Nancy Thorpe. Hudson Marton was born in Virginia in 1765. At the close of the Revolutionary War, Giddeon Martin, his after moved to Kentucky. Giddeon Martin had fought for seven years in the Revolution under General George Washington. Hudson Martin and Nancy Thorpe were ...
The two become soul mates. Karl related to Frank through his uncomplicated manner as well as his parental setup. Frank’s mother was dating an alcoholic, abusive man, Doyle. Karl saw himself in Frank and decided to watch over him. The parallelism between the two characters was shown throughout the movie.
The love they shared will save them. Karl had read the Bible and believed he knew the difference between right and wrong, but was faced with the problem of protecting Frank from a painful future with Doyle. Karl knew that Doyle would manage to poison Frank’s life, or worse, just as Karl’s parents did to him. He tried to reconcile his own simple moral code with everything he had been taught about right and wrong, and must decide whether to stand by and watch, or step in to protect the child. He decided to rescue his best friend, Frank, from his destiny. He attacked Doyle with two chops of his switchblade.
One acting scene that affected the salvation theme was when the boys said, ” I love you” to each other. The love Frank gave Karl renewed what he missed out on his childhood. He believed that message was better and worth more than anything he’d ever had. They hugged each other to end the scene. Through a deadly crime, Karl freed his young friend from a life of pain and despair, only to end up back where he began at the “nut house.” The choice of right or wrong seemed to make good and evil equal. The main point of Sling Blade was to express the message that sometimes wrong can be right.
Symbolically, killing with the switchblade represents for cutting away the troubles that get in the way Karl adopted a new dialect. He picked up a backwoods, disturbed, monotone, punctuated by a throaty “um-hmmm.” Karl’s dialogue showed that he spoke in a simple way. He avoided complicated, fancy language. He spoke like a child, slow and easy, while the others in the movie indicated more education through their speaking. Karl explained the way he was treated as a child, his love for Frank, and his fear of Doyle. His moments of silence revealed his reflection, his caged up behavior, and his childlike manner.
The Term Paper on Sling Blade Karl Frank Thornton
Sometimes a hero comes from the most unlikely place (Fhaner, 485). In the mid to late 1990 s, Hollywood and America witnessed the surprising rise of a new genre of films that would pave the way for a crop of cutting edge filmmakers, script writers, and actors. Free from the tight control and bureaucratic nonsense dealt from the big Hollywood studios, these independent films followed only the ...
Karl’s words shaped him as gentle and to the point. Karl told Frank’s mamma she’s good for Frank. He let people know their worth. At the end Karl stated, “the world was too big.” He couldn’t deal with the world on his own. He needed the support and love of a family.
Karl’s uneducated speech showed his uneducated self. Uncertainty around strangers was displayed by his weird behaviors. He rubbed his hands repetitively, looked down, had a curved posture, and repeated “um-hmmm” frequently. Sling Blade effected me mentally as well as emotionally. Mentally the film raised questions of right and wrong that were never resolved.
In the case of an abusive parent or significant other is it right to take their life to prevent danger of losing your life? I don’t understand why Linda stuck around. Doyle doesn’t provide anything for her family. All he does is endanger Frank mentally and physically. It shouldn’t have taken a “retard” to get rid of Doyle.
She should have gotten rid of him in a calmer fashion. That way Karl would be a free man enjoying life on the outside with Frank. The scene that affected me the most emotionally was where Karl and the little boy tell each other “I love you” and than hugged their goodbyes. I was also touched by the way Karl protected Frank and Linda. He made sure they were safe before he killed Doyle.
