Cliques in the Breakfast Club
... screen in practically all the scenes that he partakes in. The right side is mostly known as the dominant side in Hollywood, and it is no wonder why Bender is constantly placed there. Even in the most pivotal scene in the movie, Thomes 3 where the five characters are sitting around in a circle, Bender is placed on the right side of the screen. Hughes makes Bender the most noticeable person in screen in each scene because it is through Bender’s antagonistic actions towards the other characters that the other characters are able to open up, and come together. Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald) can also be considered another important character in the film. She is sort of the opposite of what Bender plays in the film. She is not the one doing the antagonizing, but she is the one who is antagonized the most. Claire is portrayed as the popular girl who always gets her way, and this is probably the reason why she is ridiculed the most in the film. As her facade is lowered, the “real” Claire is shown, and it is easier to understand the reason for the way she is. She is put under extreme pressure from her family and friends, and Hughes shows everyone through Claire that even the people who are at the top and are considered leaders by many, are not all that different from the rest of the crowd. From the beginning of the movie to the end, Claire goes from a confident, pristine girl, to a girl who completely breaks down. Bender is able to see right through Claire, and the other characters eventually are able to see through her too. In one of the scenes in the movie, Bender and Allison (Ally Sheedy) team up to force Claire to admit to being a virgin. Allison lies about having sexual relationships with her psychiatrist. Claire then begins to berate Allison for it. Bender then steps in, and begins to antagonize Claire. Bender is then able to twist Claire’s words around until she admits that she is in fact a virgin. There are also many other examples of Claire being antagonized in the movie. Once her barriers are broken however, she is able to open up, bringing her closer to the other characters. The way Claire is positioned in her scenes is also significant too. Out of all the characters in the film, she is considered the most popular, yet she is positioned on the left side, which is considered the least dominant side in Hollywood. For example, in the scene were all five Thomes 4 characters are sitting around in a circle, she is positioned on the far left. In reality, the popular kids are perceived by their peers as the more dominant kids and the most noticeable, but in this film, she is put on the least dominant and noticeable side in most of her scenes. However, Claire is the one often being ridiculed, and throughout the movie, she is shown in a weaker state than the rest of the characters. Another example of how antagonism brings the characters together is shown through the characters of Andy (Emilio Estevez) and Brian. Brian is represents the nerd of the group, and Andy is represetns the jock. The athlete and nerd are considered by many to be the ultimate contrast in high school groups. One of them puts most of their concentration towards grades, while the other puts most of their concentrations toward sports. The athlete even often likes to exert power over the nerd by threatening him or playing practical jokes on him. This is shown in the beginning of the film. When the two are walking in the hallways, Brian begins to start asking questions about why they are breaking the rules, and Andy quickly puts Brian in his place by telling him, “You ask me one more question, and I’m beating the shit out of you.” There are also many other instances of Andy making derogatory comments toward Brian in the beginning of the film too. However, towards the end of the film, Brian and Andy’s antagonism towards each other and the other characters begins to display the many similarities that they share. They both reveal the extreme pressure that their parents put on them. Andy’s dad puts an enormous amount of pressure on Andy to perform in wrestling, and Brian’s parents put the same amount of pressure on him to perform well in school. It is even because of the pressure their parents put on the both of them that they are in the Saturday detention in the first place. Andy is there because he totally snapped on another kid at school, and played a harsh joke on him. Andy’s reason for doing this was because of the stories he heard from his dad of how he played practical jokes on other kids during his days at high school, and how his dad is putting so much pressure on Andy to mold Thomes 5 Andy into another version of himself. Brian was in detention because of a flare gun that was found in his locker. Brian was going to get a failing grade in shop class, and he could not live with telling his parents about his failing grade. So he thought about maybe committing suicide. However, he obviously did not go through with it. They act more friendly towards each other near the film’s end, and in many scenes near the end, they are seen sitting next to each other. The antagonism between Andy and Brian was able to bring those characters to open up. Once they opened up to each other, they were able to realize that they shared many similarities, and they were able to form a special bond because of it. The relationships that form between Andy and Allison, and Bender and Claire at the film’s end are also worth noting. Most people would think of them as odd, as athletes do not really associate with “basket cases,” and the popular crowd does not really associate with criminals. However, during the detention period their true selves are exposed and Andy and Allison, and Bender and Claire are able to come together. Allison and Andy are two totally different people. In the beginning of the movie, whenever someone looks at Allison, they often look at her like she’s crazy. She makes weird noises, and uses her dandruff to add a snowy effect to her picture. However, when Andy and Allison are walking in the hallway together, they begin to find things out about each other. Allison begins to sort of dissect Andy, and sort of make fun of the way he is. It is through Allison that the “real” Andy is shown. It is also works in the opposite case too. Andy begins to learn more about Allison, as he begins to make fun of the way she is, and is able to get her to open up a little more. Andy learns about how she is totally ignored by her parents, and how she is a compulsive liar. By the end of the movie, they are able to provide each other with something they both need, which is someone to confide in. Bender and Claire are also two completely different people, brought up in two completely different ways. Bender is on the poor side of the spectrum, and Claire is on the rich side of the Thomes 6 spectrum. Bender was able to expose Claire to reality, and was literally able to rip off her façade, and reveal the confused girl underneath. Claire becomes fascinated by Bender, because he is honest and does not sugarcoat anything. When Bender begins to see the “real” Claire, he begins to fall for her in return. They, like Andy and Allison, are able to confide in each other by the films end. Through these two relationships that formed between supposedly two different people, Hughes again shows how antagonism was able to bring the characters together. There are also a few scenes in the movie that are very pivotal. One of them is where the five characters are sitting in a circle. It is in this sc...