This film is not funny in the way that most of the other
movies we have seen in class were funny. Sure, there were some situations that
could be funny, such as when Maude escapes the cop, but I found them to be a
statement of Maude’s character rather than an attempt at situational humor.
Maude’s character is the character that was the most complex
in this film. She is so full of life that she can be mistaken for a cute, eccentric
old lady in the beginning. However, she is not a perfectly happy character. She
alludes to past problems, such as being beaten by thugs for protesting for her
rights. She lives for the moment, not forgetting her past. Her very identity is
being unique and living- not wasting time on trivial things or getting caught
up in all the drama of everyday life. She is influenced by the senses- smell,
touch, hearing, seeing, tasting, etc. She has an olfactory machine in order to
smell different scents of the “real world” such as snow, not the perfume-like odors.
She acts as a model and hangs paintings
of herself in order to connect with sight. She plays piano to hear the music,
and makes Harold sing in order to hear his voice. She has the wooden carving
that she uses for its tactile properties. She drinks and eats a variety of
things that she likes in order to connect with the taste of the world. She is surrounded
by these senses in her home in order to feel connected with the world around
her, to escape a cage.
Harold’s character is very interesting and tough to
decipher. At first, he seemed to “commit suicide” in order to get his mother’s
attention. This may be part of his identity- his mother never seems to care
about him or ask him about himself. However, I think he just does not have
anything that he deems worthy to live for. He does not seem to find happiness
in anything at all. When he meets Maude, he finally finds a purpose to life.
She lives all the time, each day. He learns to see life from her eyes. He does
not have to worry about what his mother thinks or what is proper. He learns how
to break out of his cage when he’s around Maude. I think that while growing up in
the house with his mother, Harold has to follow certain rules. He tries to break
free of these rules by committing acts that his mother does not approve of,
unhealthy acts. Maude teaches him how to rebel in life, but how to do so with
humor and vivacity.
This is not an Oedipus complex. Harold does not fall in love
with Maude because he is attracted to his mother, or his grandmother. He likes
her vivacity and sass. He falls in love with her spirit- her willingness to
live life the way she wants to. She, likewise, does not fall in love with him
at all, I believe. She plans on dying soon and wants to do something special.
She likes all of his attentions, sure, but I believe she truly wants to help
him, to save him from his depression. She is protesting for the last time by
not allowing him to succumb to death, but rather to rejoice in life. This is
the last gift she can give to the world, and she chooses to bring joy and
happiness to a misguided young man, Harold.
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