Paste your essay in here…When told about this assignment, I was excited to have the opportunity to analyze a film and establish connections between what we have learned in class and what happens on the screen. I have always enjoyed being able to exercise my classroom knowledge in interesting ways that have applications beyond preparing for an exam. I believe that applying lecture material to a film is a great way to see ethics at work through stories and characters on screen. When the film began, I immediately realized that there were going to be ethical challenges for both the main characters, Gavin Banek and Doyale Gipson. Throughout the film, Doyale and Gavin repeatedly attempt to outdo each other and exact revenge on one another. These actions create enormous ethical dilemmas for the characters.
The first place in the film that provided insight into the ethical natures of Gavin and Doyale was the accident scene. Gavin caused the accident with Doyale by running into him on the highway. It was not the fact that he caused the accident that struck me as unethical, it was his attitude and the way in which he handled the situation. It was obvious that Gavin only cared about himself and how he would be affected by the events. Gavin was in a rush and was reluctant to exchange insurance information with Doyale. Instead, he wanted to write a blank check and sweep everything away with a payoff. However, Doyale wanted to follow the rules and do things the right way. Another example of Gavin only caring about himself is when he refused to give Doyale a ride and instead flippantly said, “better luck next time.” It was clear in that scene that Doyale was trying to turn his life around and do things the right way. His desire to turn his life around was hinted at when, prior to the accident, the movie shows him attending AA meetings. In this instance, it was evident that Doyale had more ethical tendencies than Gavin. Doyale wanted to handle things according to the law and the rules of society and Gavin only cared about himself and his destination, the next thing on his own personal agenda. Gavin did not care about how the accident that he caused was impacting Doyale, the victim of the accident.
Some of Gavin’s most obvious flaws were introduced at the beginning of the film. When we meet Gavin, it is apparent his primary concerns are himself, money, and what he gets out of every situation. He was incapable of seeing past his own wants and desires and this compromised Gavin’s ability to make sound ethical decisions. Gavin’s environment also contributed to his inability to make ethical choices. Gavin worked as a lawyer on Wall Street and was surrounded by people whose primary concerns was more – how much they had, how they could get more, and how much more they could get than someone else. Gavin’s contemporaries did not care if they were ethical as long as their choices resulted in financial and personal gain, more money and career advancement. As stated by Gavin’s father-in-law, they operated on the premise that they did more good than harm. It was evident that the senior partners only cared about money when they convinced Gavin that it would be in everyone’s best interest for him to use his personal relationship with Simon Dunne and persuade him to sign the agreement that turned over control of his foundation to Banek’s law firm. The partners did not care that the old man really did not know what he was signing and all Gavin was concerned with was delivering the signed agreement back to the law firm. I think that Gavin’s actions were very questionable, unethical, and possibly criminal. Gavin knew that what he was doing was wrong. This was apparent when he talked to Michelle about how Simon Dunne did not know what he was signing. Gavin knew that his actions were wrong, but he chose to have the papers signed.
Though Gavin had many ethical shortcomings, he also had positive attributes that eventually helped him to make better, more ethical choices. Gavin was always aware when he was making poor, unethical choices. He began to grow uncomfortable when his conscious did not agree with the decisions that he made and he attempted to make better choices. Throughout the movie, Gavin walked a line between ethical and unethical, between right and wrong, between himself and the welfare of others. One clear example of when Gavin makes right and ethical choices occurs after he bankrupt’s Doyale and realizes the severity and consequences of his actions. At this point, Gavin intervenes on Doyale’s behalf with Ron, who works with the loan office, and works to remedy the situation. Gavin also convinces Doyale’s wife to stay when she was going to leave Doyale and take the kids. I believe that Gavin began to reassess his situation and relationships when he saw Doyale getting taken out of the children’s school in handcuffs. Gavin was able to see the suffering that he caused to Doyale’s wife and children by telling the school that Doyale was coming to take the children and leave town. I believe the God’s consciousness entered into Gavin since he was able to make better, more compassionate, empathetic choice about the events of the day. God’s consciousness came into play for Gavin after he talked to the priest in the confessional. I think that Gavin started to employ reflective self-criticism after his conversation with the priest.
Gavin began to transform himself into a more moral and upright person. He began to realize that what he was doing and how he was living his life were wrong. He wanted to make better choices for himself and for those around him. Desiring to change was the first step for Gavin, but it was not without struggles. This is clear when Gavin tries to find another way to get his file back, a way that does not involve bankrupting Doyale. He was faced with a dilemma and knew that the decision to bankrupt Doyale was not right, but he felt trapped and did not know how to get the file back without causing harm to Doyale. I believe that, were the film to have continued that Gavin would continue to grow in his compassion for others and more worthiness. I believe that Gavin wanted to be a good person and that he would not have struggled so much to do the right thing if he just planned on reverting back to being a jerk like he was at the beginning of the film. I think that Gavin changed because of the things that happened with Doyale. Gavin was able to see how their feud was affecting and ruining the lives of Doyale and his family. When Doyale was being taken away in a police car with his family watching, Gavin realized that his behavior could not continue.
Though Doyale started out with higher character and ethics than Gavin, he allowed himself to be impacted negatively by his situations. Vices, such as anger, that he may have been normally able to control, spiraled out of control and compromised his ability to make sound ethical decisions. This was evident when he beat up the men outside the bar and when he taunted Gavin about having the file by sending a copy of a page with a note that said, “better luck next time.” Doyale’s drinking problem also compromised his ability to make good, ethical choices. Overall, however, Doyale’s relationship with his family and with his sponsor contributed to his desire to make good decisions and his overall moral character. When he fell short, he tried to follow rules and conventions and to make sound decisions that would have the best outcome for everyone involved. The actions that were most indicative of morally egregious behaviors that bordered on being irreversible were the behaviors that he displayed when angry and seeking revenge against Gavin. This was very apparent when he loosened the lug nuts on the care tire, almost resulting Gavin’s death. I think that Doyale reached his rock bottom, the lowest point in his life, prior to where the film began and that he never wanted to go back to that place. Therefore, Doyale wanted to do everything according to the rules and even after everything that happened with Gavin, he gave the file back to him. These positive attributes enabled him to more clearly evaluate his situation and make more ethical choices in almost all instances. I think the factors that led him to reassess his relationship and situation with Gavin was his wife refusing to let him see his sons and her planning to move away without him getting to say good-bye. I think this made him reevaluate the situation with Gavin. At that moment in time, his life could not get any worse, but he was able to see that he still had a choice to try and make things better. It was almost as if it was the first step to transform himself into the kind of father his sons needed.
Overall, the film helped me see the ethical implications of the choices we make in our everyday interactions with others. There are consequences to every choice that we make. We do not know always know what the ethical implications will be from the choices we make. As long as we try and make the best decisions in every situation, we will likely make ethical choices. This though is something we talked about in lecture when we talked about the greatest good, for the greatest number. I think that the film helped me to better appreciate the resources and perspective that moral philosophy and ethics bring to enhancing or deepening our interactions with other people. I believe that being ethical is part of who we are and results from how we view the world, our capacity for compassion and empathy for others, and also reflects our values and the things that are important to us. While being ethical does not completely define the type of person we are, I believe that having a high standard of ethics helps people to make decisions for the good of themselves and those around them. People who are ethical try, and most often succeed, in doing what is right. Unethical people, on the other hand, tend to think more of themselves and look for opportunities to advance their own interests with little or no regard for the good of those around them. I think that unethical people relate best to the Gavin (at the beginning of the film) and the senior partners at the law firm. Ethical people more closely resemble Doyale, flawed, but trying to do the best that they can for everyone around them including themselves.