Reaction to Movie (Jeremiah Johnson)

While watching the movie I noticed a lot of things that I take for granted in life. For example, little things such as gloves. I noticed in the film, Johnson never really wears a proper glove. When it was winter, he was shown tearing off a piece of a sleeve to wrap his hands for some warmth. He sleeps outside underneath a tree; he wakes up and blows on and rubs his hands together. This is unimaginable to me. I feel as if I need gloves walking to and from class around Iowa City in the winter. I guess this shows how life styles over generations have changed so much. Also another side note on gloves, anyone who has chopped wood knows the wear and tear on your hands is inevitable and agitating. Johnson build one heck of a cabin by hand with out any type of glove as well. Johnson is a true, rugged country man. This is just a small example of what I take for granted, not really including all the tedious material possessions I very so much as a twenty year old male in this century.

Next, I also wanted to make a note on how this dysfunctional family of Johnson, Swan and Caleb really find a way to bond. This family was not right from the start. Caleb was thrown onto him by a suicidal mother. At first I thought this kid was just shy or in shock after seeing basically his whole family slaughtered in front of him. But as the movie progressed I was just waiting for the boy to say something, anything, but he did not. I do not know if he could not speak well or at all, but I have to imagine he could being how old he looked. He could clearly understand English, as his mother spoke it and he understands Johnson perfectly. He just does not say anything. I do not understand, I believe it would be harder not to say anything for so long, rather than to non-stop talk for that long. Then this Indian, Flathead, wife gets thrown into the mix. Swan does not speak a word of English, not even "yes" as we saw. Swan is a diligent worker. She, I assume, is the typical Indian women, or so portrayed in the film. She eagerly makes food for the family, even though Johnson's taste buds would argue the flavor. Also Swan was very good for Johnson as clothe maker. She could prepare a hide into a nice, luxurious coat, as fast as Johnson could supply them. After a little while Johnson and Swan seemed to me like they were getting or starting to get intimate and actually connect on a personal level more so than on the basic survival level. The director of the film sure made it apparent that the family was beginning to bond and actually become family. The director did this in what I thought was a corny, but loosely funny way of showing a smiling face glimmering across at the others accompanied by an even cornier music.


I thought it was kind of ironic how the story has unfolded for all three of them along the way. For the boy, Caleb, I think it is kind of ironic because he actually died the same death as the rest of his family had already experienced, and he witnessed. For the Indians it was kind of a "fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice shame on you." Next, it was a little ironic for Swan, being an Indian things like raids we easy to be desensitized to. It is ironic because I assume her tribe has done similar raids and killed people just like her. It to me feels like karma. Lastly, the irony for Johnson is a bit different. Johnson did not want to leave his family to travel with the group, but the leader of the group guilt tripped him into it by saying, "Those people, young children and women, will die if your don't help." Johnson did reluctantly. However the irony or through my eyes stupidity was that he saw first hand the aftermath of an Indian raid, in result he took in Caleb. He knows the Indians are vicious and will do those kids of things, and yet he still left his family alone, unprotected to these savages.


Overall this movie has been entertaining and enjoyable, I will make my final opinion after the movie is completely done with.