On Golden Pond
...is 80th Birthday, which he claims is his “last birthday” (On Golden Pond). An example of long-term memory loss is portrayed when Bill Sr. asks Norman what Ethel’s maiden name was and Norman replies, “I can’t remember” (On Golden Pond). Ethel reveals non-verbal signs of sadness in regards to Norman’s health, but continues to be positive and enthusiastic. One incident that occurred during their stay on Golden Pond unveils the connection to Norman and Ethel’s relationship. Norman walked into the woods to pick strawberries and found himself in an unfamiliar environment, leading him into an anxiety and panic attack. He ran back to Ethel and explained, “I got to the end of our lane…I couldn’t remember where the old town road was. When I was away in the woods there was nothing familiar, not one damn tree. Scared me half to death. That’s why I came running back here to you, to see your pretty face, and I feel safe. I was still me” (On Golden Pond). Ethel is supportive as she tells Norman they’ll walk there together and he’ll remember it all over again. This defines a certain level of intimacy in Norman and Ethel’s relationship. “Intimacy includes mutual trust, support, understanding, and sharing confidences” (Nussbaum, p. 44). Chelsea and Norman suffer consequences due to their lack of the father-daughter dyad relationship. Throughout Chelsea’s childhood she has been bitter towards her father, in which he responded by reflecting the bitterness back to Chelsea. “The style a person employs during conversation is extremely important, not only because it provides the context within which messages are interpreted, but also because the style helps define the relationship between communicants” (Nussbaum, p. 247). The communication style of Norman and Chelsea differ so much that they are each interpreting the other’s communication in the wrong perspective. This leads to the hateful, cold relationship between father and daughter in this film. Chelsea feels that Norman is selfish and does not care about her. Subconsciously, she wants to be her father’s friend and have that special father-daughter bond. However, Chelsea is too bitter and stationary in regards to the years past to attempt a relationship with Norman. Norman was overbearing towards Chelsea throughout her adult life, treating her as though she were incompetent. Even though Chelsea lives 3,000 miles away, she feels that she is still answering to him and becoming upset about their present interactions. Chelsea’s anger towards her father is obvious in her statement, “My father is a God damn bastard” (On Golden Pond). Towards the end of the film, Chelsea becomes extremely jealous over the bond between Norman and Billy Jr. She strives to understand why he could never have that type of friendship with his own daughter. Chelsea realizes that she needs to speak to him about her feelings, but she is apprehensive, explaining to Ethel, “I don’t even know him. I’m afraid of him” (On Golden Pond). Chelsea finally finds the courage to tell Norman that she wants to be his friend. It is at this point in the film in which both Chelsea and Norman change their relationship towards one another. They both realized they’ve been miscommunicating with each other and have been feeding off accumulated anger throughout the years. Chelsea was never capable to perform dives when she was younger due to her obesity. The symbolism of importance to this action lies within Norman and his high school diving achievements. After Chelsea talks to Norman she proves to him that she can do a back dive. Chelsea overcame her fear of the back dive, which symbolizes the surpassing of the fear towards her father. When Chelsea leaves, Norman gives her his Second Place Diving Award for Diving Finals that he received when he was younger. She says, “Good-bye, Norman…dad” (On Golden Pond) and Norman embraces her in his arms with love and affection. The relationship between Norman and Billy Jr. starts off with the rude comment of Billy saying, “I hear you turned 80 today. Man, that’s really old” (On Golden Pond). This triggers a reaction out of Norman to be more cynical and bitter about his birthday and his aging. According to our text “…researchers do know that younger people frequently try to avoid interaction with elderly people” (Nussbaum, p. 55). After Billy Jr. is “dumped” on Golden Pond with Norman and Ethel, he brings out his attitude towards the elderly couple by stating, “I just want you guys to know that I’m not going to take any shit from you” (On Golden Pond) as he storms off to pout. According to the classroom text, “Difficulties are more likely to arise when people of different generations have conversations” (Nussbaum, p. 250). It is obvious that the transition of these events will be difficult for both Billy Jr. and the Thayer’s. The barriers of conversation exist and increase from generation to generation. There are two generations between Norman and Billy, in which they gradually overcome and create a friendship...