Critical Theory in The Good Shepherd
Marxism, New Historicism, and Orientalism in the De Niro Film
Jul 7, 2009
Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) and the other characters in this 2006 film appear to be trapped in three modernist critical traditions: Marxism, New Historicism, and Orientalism.
Marxism
While watching this film with Marxism and Cultural Criticism in mind, it is clear that, although there were many moments that personally reflected Edward Wilson’s journey, the whole movie seemed to be focused on the fact that outside forces in the world can easily take over a life. The idea that the individual should be sacrificed or lost in the bigger cause of society is a Marxist concept.
This Marxist attitude can also be seen through Edward’s relationship with Clover (Angelina Jolie). He is expected, almost forced, into marrying her after she gets pregnant. If he wanted to keep his social position, he simply had to. And Clover had to be his faithful (well, supposedly) companion who went to all the right events and parties. And even though she was unhappy, she stayed with him for 22 years for duty’s sake.
New Historicism
This movie could also be taken from a New Historicist perspective. According to the New Historicist Geertz, “man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun, I take culture to be those webs…[the analysis of it is] an interpretative one in search of meaning.”
This concept was very prominent in the movie. Just in the way the scenes were set up, flashing to the past, the present (for the characters), and even points in between. This shows the web of Edward’s life. But there was also the webs of others lives: Fredericks, Clover, Edward Jr., and Arch Cummings. These people’s webs overlapped Edward’s and had a profound influence.
Then there were the webs of the larger events: the creation of the CIA, the treason about the Bay of Pigs, and Fidel Castro’s rise to power. All of these factors were the forces behind the shape that the webs of the individuals took.
Said and Orientalism
Edward Said proposed that the Eastern cultures were divided from the West by boundaries placed by Western thinkers, which resulted in peoples of the East painted as inferior. In his piece “Orientalism,” he states that “One ought never to assume that the structure of Orientalism is nothing more than a structure of lies or myths which, were the truth about them to be told, would simply blow away” (1802).
There are two aspects to this statement that can be explored through this movie. The first is through something Valentin Mironov (the real one) after his torture when the CIA used LSD as a truth serum. He said that Soviet Power was a lie, a myth. This seems to be reiterating the belief that Orientalism is a myth. But it also reflects the second idea that is prominent to this concept: propaganda and misinformation.
Who can know, in this movie or anywhere else, what is true or not in regards to cultural integration and international affairs? Applying this theme to the movie really puts the truth into perspective.
Cold War World
All in all, the world painted in this film is a cold, heartless, bureaucratic one. Edward Wilson is hardened, and cannot find love or peace in a world where he has to oversee tortures and murders. This film can be seen as a reflection of the development of Marxism in America during the Cold War and how close it came to mimicking its enemy.
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