Analysis Of The Movie Misery English Literature Essay

What would you do if your neighbour kidnapped you, and wouldnt let you out again. You would be surprised about what methods you take in use to escape. Misery gives us an insight to the reality and gets you mentally affected to be a little more careful? Or to scare us away from the neighbours? That’s your decision after watching Misery….

Misery is a psychological thriller from 1990 and is directed by Rob Reiner and starring Kathy Bates, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth and Frances Sternhagen. Kathy Bates performance as the psychopathic Annie Wilkes won the Academy Awards For Best Actress for her role. The movie was ranked #12 on Bravos 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

The following assignment deals with a summary of the movie “Misery”. Then a thorough analysis that consist an insight of the characterization and setting. That follows us to the theme/themes and the message of the movie. Finally a conclusion.

Paul Sheldon is a famous author and he has written a serious of books called Misery. The series is about a girl called Misery and in his latest Misery-book, she dies eventually. Paul wants to end the Misery series and write something else and newer. Maybe he wants to develop as an author and need some changes. He wants to show the world something new and become a greater author.

Annie Wilkes is a nurse, and she lives in a big house alone far from anyone. She is a major Paul Sheldon fan and she makes sure to get the first copy of the latest Misery book at the local grocery shop. She is obsessed with Paul Sheldon and his Misery series. We don’t know that much about her past, but what we do know is that her husband left her and she has just living on her on for a very long time. Her life has been all about the Misery series and she is very passionate about the books.

Paul Sheldon was in an accident and luckily got found by Annie. She takes care of him and she gives him supplies and pills. She tells him that the roads aren’t clear yet due to the snowstorm and the phones aren’t working. Annie feels like it’s a dream come true, to have him in her house, and she keeps saying, “I am your number one fan”.

Paul Sheldon start to recover and some day passes by. Suddenly Annie bursts the door, and she is furious. Paul Sheldon gets surprised because he hasn’t seen her in that mode yet. She goes berserk, after finding out that in the latest Misery book, Misery dies and she wants him to rewrite the book, so that she don’t die. She is very mean to him.

It gets worse through the movie and she is getting more insane and acting rude to him. Paul Sheldon wont take his pills and hides them under the sheets. Paul Sheldon looks in an old album of hers, while she isn’t home and he finds old memorial of her past. She was a nurse and she has killed newborns at the hospital she worked at.

She finds out that Paul Sheldon tried to leave, so she beats up his feet with a hammer, so he can’t recover. She tells him that she lied to him about the road wasn’t clear and the phones wasn’t working. Meanwhile the local police are looking for him and they fear that he has passed away.

One day, while having diner, Paul tries to drug her, so he can escape but it didn’t work and days passed and he lies in the bed all day with no ability or strength to get up. Then one day, he burns the Misery book and she gets furious. She shoots his shoulder but he has enough strength to fight with her. Then she falls down and her head hits the typing machine and she eventually dies.

Annie Wilkes seems like a motherly and kind person. She lives alone in a big house and she seems very happy in the beginning. She is a fan of Paul Sheldon and she admires him.

She is Christian and she doesn’t like that Paul Sheldon swears in his book. She acts very friendly in the beginning.

She saves Paul from the accident and she is very caring towards him. She shows him empathy and she provides him. After a couple of days, she acts sinister and a little too fanatic. That moment when she hits him with a hammer is that moment, when you know that she is a psychopathic. She is mentally disturbed. It was unpredictable and came as a shock. The movie gets more exciting, because you don’t know what happens next.

Paul Sheldon is a famous writer. He has written the Misery series, and he is a middle-aged man.

He is the main character and you get a lot of sympathy with him because he is in a lot of pain, especially when Annie beats him.

He seems to be happy in the beginning because Annie saved his life and he appreciates it, but that chances when she changed. He has much patience in the beginning but after a while, he has to find a way to escape. Paul sees her as a motherly figure in the beginning because she takes care of him and she radiates love. Paul also changes and he becomes more mature. He wants to write something else than Misery, even though the Misery series made him famous, because he wants to face new challenges and be himself.

The movie takes place in a small town. There is the local grocery and the police. Everybody knows each other. Annie lives in a big house all by herself, and she doesn’t have any needs and she takes care of herself. It is clearly that the movie is from the 90’s, because of the different elements in the movie as her car and how she has decorated her house.

The themes in this movie are hostage, forced actions, friends becoming enemies, being to fanatic and unfairness. The message is even a famous successful person

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misery_(film)