After watched the whole movie, I keep thinking about a question: what is loneliness? As far as I am concerned, The Station Agent’s theme is loneliness. But it didn’t tell the audience what is loneliness .It may be a feeling, a status , or a character. Just because of the three form of loneliness, we are never far away from the loneliness. On the other hand, It exists in our whole life .
Theme:Loneliness
(1) Loneliness is a character
Finbar McBride is dwarf. Short body often makes him get sneer from the people around him. For example , When he shopped in the convenience stores, the clerk, an old woman took a photo of him as if Fin was an interesting animal. Fin lived in a so close world where there was himself and his beloved trains that he dislike talking with other people more because of Inferiority.
Fin’s loneliness based on his inferiority. Inferiority existed in his life all the time and it caused loneliness character. He had never leaved New Jersey and just had a black friend who was on the social fringe like him before he went to the agent station. He was still lonely even if he met Joe and Olivia Harris. He was always the one who sitted on the edge and said the least words among the three .
In my opinion, when loneliness becomes a character, nothing can’t change it. But it doesn’t mean loneliness is so bad that we must overcome it. Lonely people still can be happy like Fin in the end.
(2) Loneliness is a feeling
Maybe many people will think Joe is a enthusiastic and optimistic person who is very different from Fin. But he is still lonely and his loneliness is a feeling in my opinion.
Joe took his sick father place to manage a food truck. Before Fin came to the agent station, Joe did’t have real friend: he often met Olivia but didn’t know her address and Olivia didn’t say more things to him although he had a weak spot for her. His two friend who laughed at Fin didn’t care him. He tried to say and meet different people but he didn’t know about his surroundings in fact. Or his surroundings ignored him.
Joe was scared at loneliness. When Fin came to his life, Joe looked him as his comfort at first.
When Fin told Joe his own name, Joe played a trick on Fin’s name: Is it fin(鱼翅)？In front of Fin and Olivia, he always said the most words and play triacks. He hope that everyone can pay attention to him and he didn’t need to face to loneliness by himself. After met Fin , Joe often followed with him ,walking on the rail. But in the end of the movie, Joe learned to read book himself according to Fin. It means Joe accepted the loneliness and dare to face to it.
In fact, Joe’s life wasn’t smooth, he had to take care of his sick father. His loneliness based on his helpless in the heart.
(3) Loneliness is a status
Olivia was a woman whose son died because of an accident and husband left her. She was going through the sorrowest time in her life when Fin came . Olivia tried to escaped the sorrow experience in her life. She didn’t answer any phone from his friend and refused to meet her past friend. As she said to Fin:David bought this house to escape the life. Now I live here .
In fact, Olivia wasn’t a introverted and lonely. When she met Fin who is disadvantaged, she wanted to help him out of mercy. But sorrow experience make her lose the confidence for life. Although Fin tried comforting her, it didn’t make any sense. Olivia was still sad when she thought her children and husband. Fortunately, there are two real friends who can share her sadness and loneliness around her
Our life trauma is only cured by ourselves. We can’t escape the loneliness because we are living a life where there is sadess and pity although we don’t want like Olivia. It’s a status in our life.
Details: Silent images
(1) Train
The train is an important comfort for Fin’s life. Or the train is the reflect of Fin’s mentality . First, the train’s somatotype is very so big that Fin’s short body can get comfortable. We can look it as the worship to the power from the weak in the society. In the movie, there are many scenes where there is Fin and the train in the meanwhile.
Second, the train and rail mean the unknown future and travel which is like Fin’s life. Nobody would care where he would go and what he would do. World and life are uncontrollable for Fin although he look calm. It’s just loneliness and fear.
Third, there are all kinds of strangers in a train. People don’t need to talk with others because of strangeness. Compared with life, the train is more silent for Fin.
(2) Fin’s suit
In the movie, Fin always wears his suit no matter what he would do. A short body in the suit is very funny for others. But for Fin, the suit means he want to get the respect from the society and he wanted to live a formal life. When he wears the suit, there would be some distance between him and others. Depend on the distance, Fin get a little of comfort and prevent himself from the hurt.
