The Struggle with Adversity in 'Billy Eliot' and 'The Handmaids Tale'

Introduction

The conflict between pursuing personal desire or choosing to conform is a common human experience that is explored in both Stephen Daldry’s film “Billy Elliot” and Margaret Atwood’s best-selling novel “A Handmaids Tale”. Both composers present the protagonists with situations of heightened adversity to test character, perseverance and resilience.

Individuals are often compelled to overcome adversity in order to experience growth. “Billy Elliot” is no exception, throughout the movie Billy is constantly reminded of the gender roles, societal expectations and poverty that characterised the financially stricken and economically weakened era of the 1980’s. His father facilitates gender stereotypes and breeds toxic masculinity as he pushes his son into the masculine sport of boxing. As exemplified through the choice of costuming, the boxing gloves which hang around Billy’s neck accompanied with his facial expression of complete bluntness reveal to the audience that boxing is not of his interest but rather a burden.. Frustrated by Billy’s inability to conform and meet expectations George expresses his disappointment “you’re a disgrace to them gloves, your father, and the traditions of this boxing hall”. Billy’s feelings of confusion and desperation culminate into the simple yet affective line “I don’t wanna do boxing, I wanna be a ballet dancer”. A close up of Billy’s face along with an uplifting use of lighting captures his passion and his secret longing to express it. As a consequence of billy’s expression, Jacky shows his discontent when he yells: “Boys do boxing, football, wrestling, not bloody ballet” the use of profanities mirror, and highlights societies attitude toward those who challenge the gender based stereotypes of the time. Billy ignores the stigma surrounding male dancing and replaces his gloves for ballet shoes. This final act concludes his journey for enlightenment and results in his growth as a dancer and an individual. His transformation is evident through the close-up shots on Billy’s feet at the beginning and end of the film contrasting his dancing abilities and depicting his evolvement as a dancer. His journey is further highlighted through the reoccurring theme of Swan Lake which symbolises his transformation from a naïve young boy into a refined and world-renowned ballet dancer. Furthermore, Daldry utilises the pirouette to symbolise the beginning of Billy’s journey, depicting his initial struggle of both becoming a ballet dancer as well as receiving his family’s acknowledgement. The juxtaposition between his pirouette at the beginning and end of the film signify not only his growth as a dancer but also the overcome obstacle of the acceptance from family and society.

Offred, the main protagonist in Margaret Atwood’s bestselling novel, “The Handmaids Tale”, showcases the process of achieving identity against the most extreme adversity. She is faced with great oppression living as a fertile handmaid in the newly established republic of Gilead. Throughout the novel, Offred displays her resilience as she is able to adapt to and overcome every obstacle placed in her path.

A struggle with adversity increases an individual’s maturity and has the potential to change their perceptions of the world around them. In “Billy Elliot” Daldry provides the audience with background context on Billy’s family through the use of panning shots and symbolism of the piano. The piano serves as a reflection of Billy’s connection to his deceased mother, highlighting the impact of her loss of life. At the beginning of the film, Billy’s piano playing is out of tune and somewhat annoying which is reflective of Billy’s dysfunctional family and his inability to express himself, as per societal expectations and stereotyped gender roles. However as the film progresses. His musical abilities improve, mirroring his transformation as a dancer and his family’s (who are representative of society) gradual acceptance of his newly formed identity as a ballet dancer. As a result, it can be concluded that it his connection to his late mother that is the facilitators for his passion for the arts and dancing which results in him overcoming his struggle with adversity.

Conclusion

The common human experience of adversity is evident within “Billy Elliot” and “The Handmaids Tale””. The film “Billy Elliot” follows the journey of Billy who attempts to challenge social norms and gender stereotypes during 1988-85. He overcomes his struggle with adversity to forge a life in the gender stereotyped world of ballet. Although different in nature to Billy Elliot’s, the challenges that arise in “The Handmaids Tale” still create a struggle with adversity for the protagonist, Offred. She is oppressed by the establishment of the Gilead regime, and faces adversity throughout her everyday life. Offred successfully overcomes her struggle with adversity and ultimately salvages a life with intimacy, happiness and purpose despite being deprived of basic human rights.