Essay About Absurdist Plot Develop And Roger Thornhill

How Does the Absurdist Plot Develop in the Opening Sequences of North by Northwest?
How does the absurdist plot develop in the opening sequences of North By Northwest?Absurdity is defined as “The quality or state of being wildly unreasonable or ridiculous and the idea of Absurdism has developed from this to be the “belief that human beings exist in a purposeless, chaotic universe. Furthermore, Alfred Camus, a French philosopher often being regarded as an absurdist, has said that our existence is full of chaos that it is not to be controlled by humans and therefore we should act as we normally would in an everyday situation. In the opening scenes of North by Northwest it becomes clear that absurdity plays an integral role in the plot. Alfred Hitchcock shows this in his movie through witty dialogue. The Kidnapping scene in which Roger Thornhill is mistaken for George Kaplan is a perfect example of how Hitchcock develops his absurdist plot through dialogue as Thornhill says “Not that I mind a slight case of abduction now and then, but I do have tickets to the theatre tonight and it was a show I was looking forward to and I get, well, kind of unreasonable about things like that.” All the while throughout this scene Thornhill speaks in a tone of voice that he may use in an everyday joking situation and is rather sarcastic. After being taken into the car he still acts in a way that is perceived by a viewer of someone who is mildly discomforted but has no real reaction of being angered about the unfolding situation no matter the serious danger he may be in. This scene is linked to an absurdist plot as he acts parallel to the way that Camus believes when he talks about not being able to control the chaos and instead just accept it. A second example of when the absurdist theme is shown through dialogue is when Thornhill meets Eve Kendall on the train. When Eve reveals that she knows who Thornhill is and has seen through his disguise alias Roger does not react in the way you would expect of a man who has realized his freedom is in jeopardy. Instead Roger responds with a sarcastic “Oops” and reacts as though all that has happened were just a fun prank that has been foiled. This example shows how Roger accepts chaos and uncontrollable events and moves on, further developing the notion of an absurdist plot. Overall, the way that Hitchcock uses dialogue in the opening scenes aids in the spread of an absurdist plot that then last and grows throughout the rest of the film.In the opening sequences of North By Northwest the absurdist plot begins to develop through the dialogue. Grant’s character: Thornhill, has ludicrous lines of dialogue that seem to suggest a level of irony and satire to the audience. It is clear that Hitchcock wants the audience to pick up on the absurdity of the situations, and Thornhill’s reaction to them. This is illustrated just after Thornhill has been kidnapped at the restaurant, and, as the dialogue below suggests, Grant’s character is casually negotiating with his captors as he would with someone acquainted to him. Vandamm: Games? Must we? Thornhill: Not that I mind a slight case of abduction now and then, but I do have tickets to the theatre tonight and it was a show I was looking forward to and I get, well, kind of unreasonable about things like that. Vandamm: With such expert play-acting, you make this very room a theatre.In the opening sequences of the film the absurdist plot sets the scene, as the audience follows a series of seemingly connected events, but are not given any information as to why they are taking placing, It would seem that all these events are taking place for no good reason at all and the audience feels that the whole opening is a nonsensical joke. Moreover, the absurdist plot is shown through the title of the film, North by Northwest, an improbable compass direction. This hints towards the content of the film, suggesting that it may be confusing and somewhat of a farcical. The title also suggests that the film itself may involve some sort of a detour on the way to something greater- perhaps that may be the absurd bits that the film may contain. In the opening sequence of the play, much of the ‘absurdity’ that takes place conforms to Camus’ viewpoints. Specifically, that life is full of things we cannot control and things happen that we cannot prevent, so we may as well act normally in unforeseen circumstances.