Character and Scene Analysis for Melvin Udall in As Good As
Character and Scene Analysis for Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets Melvin is the ever popular cranky, old man that is constantly seen in numerous movies, plays and books. With the superior attitude that wants no one to bother him, the audience notices as he nitpicks any flaw or even just a difference in every character he encounters. For instance, he feels the need to mention to Roger the art dealer that he's black and one immediately notes his bigotry unfold as he becomes increasingly more nervous just being around him; this is because he thinks Roger will rob him and beat him senseless. This is a ridiculous notion, since Roger is more extravagantly dressed than Melvin is. It is obvious through this action that he has had little contact with black people, so he must carry misconceptions about them, only learned from television and the news. He is so trapped in such a little bubble of ignorance and stubbornness, that he doesn't want to learn how people different from him, actually share common interests. He doesn't make an effort towards this enlightenment, because he is not open to making new friends, or even acquaintances. He actually has no positive relationships in life, besides the one with himself. But even that
I will examine this relationship through many of the restaurant scenes. This fact is not clearly obvious from first viewing of the scenes, but one must notice ever minute vocal intonation, eye movement, physical gesture and any difference in relationship, to fully understand a character and the purpose of each scene. The point of detailing these four pivotal scenes, is to show that Melvin's character does a internal 180 through the way he falls in love with Carol, with more and more exposure to her. relationship is somewhat weak, as he can't trust himself to step on cracks or have civil conversations with a stranger. For him to accept Carol's criticism and then come back to eat there again is important to note. The very fact that he becomes attached to anything is amazing, especially a dog, since it cannot reason with him and converse in intellectual conversations that one would think Melvin would enjoy. This action gives Carol the impression that Melvin can be sincere and actually care for something. When she arrives to his table, the agitation and stress from his body subsides, and one can notice a younger, lighter air to his quality. She goes as far as to say that if her supervisor is not around, he can bring the dog inside the restaurant. In the third restaurant scene, Melvin brings the dog he is babysitting. One sees that his mistrust and his OCD prevails throughout this scene, as he must have the same table and same waitress and use his own plastic utensils. Unfortunately, he ignores her in the middle of her depressing story to retrieve bacon for his dog, showing that Melvin is still overly concerned with himself. " This is not meant to insult her, but his look of seriousness, and clueless bewilderment to the question, relays that he meant to inquire about her health status; his way of saying "How are you?" She begins on another melancholic, yet matter of factish story and Melvin is genuinely listening without looking totally uncomfortable like in the prior restaurant scene.
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Acceptance Essays
