Throughout history, the United States film industry has brought many films forward that have proven to stand the test of time. Films like The Godfather, King Kong, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Jaws have become American classics in our society today. What makes these movies so relevant to our society, even after fifty years for some? I would argue that the reason these movies are still watched and distributed today comes down to the fact that they teach us something about society. The study of this same society is defined as sociology (Henslin, 2017:1.2). Sociological concepts could be pulled out of any one of those films, but I think there is something special about the themes in The Sound of Music. From the lovable family of seven children to the wonderful scenery of Austria, this film is rich with societal relevance. The Sound of Music displays many facets that reflect a diverse array of sociological concepts and theories. These concepts will be explored further in Nonnberg Abbey and in the von Trapp home, and the film as a whole will be viewed with the functionalist perspective to wrap up its analysis.
To begin, we will discuss the sociological concepts found in the halls of the abbey where the protagonist, Maria, resides with her fellow nuns. Maria does not exactly get along with all of the other women there. Her large social network in the abbey is filled with some women that she really enjoys, and some women that dislike her because they feel she is too flighty. Sister Berthe, Sister Sophia, and Sister Margaretta create a clique and bond over their dislike of Maria. A clique is a smaller group of people that have something in common within a social network, which is a large, branching organization of people who know each other starting with one person (Henslin 2017:6.2.5). The nuns even go so far as to sing a song complaining to the Mother Abbess about how she wears curlers underneath her wimple and how she sings in the abbey. Maria’s social network allows others who don’t necessarily know her to hear of her through mutual friends through the web-like structure of it all. While Maria might not know all of the nuns in the abbey, they have all heard of her. The clique is very indicative of our culture because so many are formed today over a dislike for someone or something. These nuns disliking Maria is a classic example of a shared quality that they all possess. While wearing curlers and singing aloud outside of an abbey would normally not be seen negatively in our society, in their world, it was very wrong. Respecting the reverence of the abbey and not disrespecting the garments were both norms that she violated. A norm is an action that is expected in a certain society (Henslin 2017:2.2.4).
Another major theme that was present in the abbey was Maria’s struggle to fit in with her fellow nuns. She wanted so badly to become a nun but knew that her personality would not be best suited for that vocation. This is a great example of strain theory. Strain theory is a concept that predicts the path one will take if their expected goals and their means of getting there align or do not align (Henslin 2017:8.3.2). Maria’s goal was to become a nun, but the means of getting there would be stifling her personality and taming her spirit, creating strain. She had a big issue with this and sought the help of the Mother Abbess, who suggested that she leave the abbey and pursue another vocation. Maria would technically fall into the rebellion category here because she rejected her goal and means and created new ones. While Maria may not be the most rebellious movie character we can think of, according to Emile Durkheim’s theory, she is still considered a rebel. In the end, this turned out working for her good.
After this turn of events, Maria finds herself as a governess for a retired naval captain and his seven children. The nuclear von Trapp family consists of Georg and his five daughters and two sons. A family is a group of people who are related and a nuclear family consists of the members of an immediate family, or more simply put, the parents and children (Henslin 2017:16.1.1). The household, which is a group of people living together, consists of their housekeeper Frau Schmidt and their butler, Franz in addition to the nuclear family (Henslin 2017:16.1.1). With a total of eleven people living in the von Trapp home including Maria as a guest, this brings a lot of ups and downs. For the most part, their family has positive relations with one another and love each other dearly. However, the siblings do bicker on occasion and their father does not show a large amount of affection towards the children, leading them to act out to seek attention. This just goes to show that the von Trapp family, just like any other, has their good days and bad days, but the love they share holds them together. Each member of the household contributes to the wellbeing of the family.
Another thing that holds the family together is their strong and well-defined set of values, which are beliefs that are important to them (Henslin 2017:2.2.4). The von Trapp family values order, respect, modesty, reputation, and towards the end of the movie, love. Captain von Trapp keeps his home in tip-top shape and does not allow his children to play or goof off. They are to stand at attention and wear matching uniforms when they go to dinner. When Maria makes them play clothes out of some old drapes and takes them into town to play, the Captain is furious. He cares a lot about the reputation of his family and does not tolerate silliness. However, Maria softens him throughout the movie and shows him how much more fun life is when you enjoy it, and love becomes a core value of theirs. This love for the children brings Maria and Georg together until they start to experience romantic love, which is an attraction that is beyond emotional, diving into physical love (Henslin 2017:16.3.1). At the grand party that the Captain throws, the two end up dancing a traditional waltz, and you can see the physical chemistry that the two possess. This eventually leads to marriage. Marriage is a formal union of two people who love each other (Henslin 2017:16.1.2). Maria and Georg’s marriage in the abbey is a large affair with all of the nuns present, and the family is all there as well.
Two other major themes that are present in the von Trapp family home are gender and the presence of patriarchy. Gender is the expression of masculinity, femininity, both, or neither (Henslin 2017:11.1). The children are all distinctively defined as male or female and their gender matches the predicted patterns with the boys acting more masculine and the girls acting more feminine. The gender roles in the von Trapp home are very traditional. The girls are always in skirts or a dress and the boys are always in pants or shorts. If one of the children were to prefer the opposite gender’s clothing, their father and mother would most likely be very upset. Their father is probably the person who perpetuates these standards the most, especially when you consider his high views of his own patriarchy. Patriarchy is the concept of male dominance (Henslin 2017:11.2.1). The Captain makes most of the decisions in the household and Maria does what she is told.
Out of all of the theoretical perspectives we learned about, my favorite was functional analysis. Functional analysis is the theory that society can be thought of as a large unit with many working parts, all working together for the function or dysfunction of the whole (Henslin 2017:1.7.2). This theory is a good way to observe a broad variety of concepts on a macroscopic level. By looking at the whole unit first, we are able to see what specific attributes each smaller portion has that benefits or hurts society as a whole.
A functional analysis of the family theme throughout The Sound of Music would observe each family member and their contributions to the family. The Captain is a great leader for the family who brings organization and order. When Maria joins the family, she brings along fun, love, and care for the Captain and his children. The children all contribute different things individually, but Liesel specifically is a great role model for the younger kids. She respects her parents and takes care of her siblings, especially Gretl. All of the family members contribute their individual strengths to promote the well-being of the group. This explains where the family’s values come from.
Another concept that can be analyzed in the functionalist perspective is that of the church in which Maria once lived. A functionalist could look at the church and see that each member has a specific role. The Mother Abbess acts as the leader with grace, while the other nuns have other functions they bring to the whole. Some of the nuns sing in the choir, and some recruit new nuns. Each person has a purpose and a specific thing that they bring to the wellbeing of the church. When Maria leaves the abbey, she continues to add to the church as a whole by serving as a wife, which is also considered a vocation in the church.
While The Sound of Music may not be up for any Academy Awards ever again, its themes still have great societal and sociological relevance. The Sound of Music displays many facets that reflect a diverse array of sociological concepts and theories. We explored these concepts in both the abbey and in the Von Trapp home and analyzed the film as a whole through the functionalist perspective. Maria von Trapp and her wonderful family will always take a special place in my heart, and I truly believe that I’ve always loved this film because of the amazing sociological themes it possesses.