The world depicted in the film George Washington is one of poverty, trial, and a lack of
education—a world different from the all-white, middle class communities that
dominate Hollywood film. The railroad is a rough place to work and the manual
labor obviously takes its toll on the men there. The children don’t play at
school or at a playground, but around the railroad tracks an in abandoned
buildings—there’s no other place for them to go. The current rules of poverty
and race have kept these characters from pursuing anything more—in fact, one of
the most significant reasons the other children find George strange is that he dares to dream of more. However, more
important than the large-scale elements of diversity—race and poverty—are the
small-scale differences between each child. These small differences are the
ones that affect everyone and most immediately impact understanding and
kindness in communities. Buddy’s family situation, Sonya’s hard lack of
emotions, and George’s condition and heroism are the differences that make the
most impact on the lives of this small community.
For Buddy, his family makes him diverse and
different form the other children. Buddy’s family situation is the issue
brought up earliest in the film. His mother is ill somehow—though Buddy insists
that she just doesn’t sleep well. The children discuss Buddy’s mother with
apprehension and confusion—they find her behavior strange and uncomfortable.
The fact that Buddy has to sing his mother to sleep polarizes him from the
other children. However, after Buddy has died, the children remember Buddy’s
mother not for her strangeness, but for her kindness. Vernon shares a story of
how she fed him, even though it meant she would go hungry herself. The strange
stigma surrounding Buddy and his family has released, and they see each other
in a more humanized light.
Sonya is
also strange to the other children, particularly Vernon. Sonya is a little
waif with an ethereal element
surrounding her. She’s old beyond her years which makes the wisdom she
sometimes imparts strange coming out of her young mouth. Sonya’s biggest
struggle is her lack of real emotion. The other children are disturbed when
Sonya doesn’t cry following Buddy’s death—of course, Sonya doesn’t immediately
seem bothered by that either. However, Sonya later tells Vernon that her lack
of emotion—most likely due to a life too full of trails—scares her and
consequently she believes she is a bad person. Vernon is able to understand
Sonya’s difference after this conversation, and takes her under his wing.
Lastly, George is the most obvious “other” throughout
the story. He is strange, has a rough family life, introverted, and is
differently able than the other children. His problem with his skull most
obviously separates him from the other children—he can’t swim or play around
and he often feels ill. The children aren’t sure how to treat him because of
it. However, he is more strange because of his personality. He is introverted
and thoughtful, compared to the extroverted others, and most of all he believes
that he can achieve more in life than what is already written for him. He very
literally tries to achieve his dreams of becoming a hero. However, the other
children don’t really understand
George in the end—but they do admire him and accept him for his differences.
And because the film is completely told from Nasia’s perspective, we do as
well.
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