From Nerds to Napoleons: Thwarting Archetypical Expectations in High School Films
2006; Routledge; Volume: 22; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1057-896X
Autores Tópico(s)Child Development and Digital Technology
ResumoAnd the number one sign that you're not the most popular guy in school? #1? How the heck would I know? I'm like the coolest kid in school. Gosh! --Jon Heder, appearing as Napoleon Dynamite on The Late Show with David Letterman In the past twenty years of teenage angst movies, perhaps the most memorable message is delivered by the nerd archetype at the end of John Hughes' The Breakfast Club. Asked to write a 1000-word essay explaining what they have learned after spending a Saturday locked in a library for detention, the other students, a jock, the prom queen, the rebel, and the basketcase characters all convince the brain to write their essays for them. In his essay, he summarizes the rosy lesson each of them learned after the eight hours spent together, thereby emphasizing the function of social groups on identity formation in high school which not only determine who sits where but who can occupy what role in this space (Brian, incidentally, occupies the lowest level in this space). Twenty-four years later after numerous high school films depict the ability of the nerds to overcome their geekiness and become just like everybody else, the film Napoleon Dynamite challenges this notion and offers a new role model for the high school nerd. (1) Napoleon's Story Napoleon Dynamite opens with a brief nod to previous high school films, especially those by John Hughes, with the protagonist and a school bus. Napoleon, a tall, lanky, teenager with tight curly red hair and glasses, boards the telltale yellow bus and bee-lines for the coveted back seat typically reserved for the cool kids. However, the only other kids on this bus are late elementary/ early middle school students and Napoleon's claim to the popular space is unchallenged and unnoticed (perhaps because he is older than the other passengers). Napoleon maintains his confident aloofness, usually claimed by the rebellious teenagers (as in Heathers, Some Kind of Wonderful, etc) throughout the remainder of the film. Napoleon lives with his rambunctious, fun-loving, grandma and his unemployed, 32-year-old brother, Kip, who spends much of his time in an online chat room. At school, in between being bullied, Napoleon is a member of his school's Future Farmers' of America organization and the Happy Hands Club, a group which performs sign language to pop music lyrics. His friends are the new Hispanic student, Pedro, and Deb, who tries to raise money for college by running a Glamour Shots type studio in her garage and selling woven key chains. When Napoleon's grandmother breaks her coccyx in an accident, his Uncle Rico moves in with him and Kip and proceeds to interfere in Napoleon's life. In the first half of the film, Napoleon and Pedro find dates for the upcoming school dance, and in the second half, the three friends work together to get Pedro elected as class president. Napoleon Dynamite doesn't resist, reject, or oppose the traditional roles reserved for the nerdy teenager. Early in the movie, Napoleon and his brother visit the local dojo run by a sensei nearly as eccentric as they are. During the sales pitch for his eight week course, Rex (of Rex Kwon Do) lays out his three- step plan to success: One, find a buddy; Two, discipline your image; and Three, possess self-respect. From this point on, Napoleon, albeit unconsciously, illustrates how he already lives by this mantra. In this way, Napoleon subverts what it means to be a nerd as he, Uncle Rico, Kip, and Pedro grapple within a cinematic world that offers only limited and prefabricated niches for each individual. Napoleon Dynamite's characters challenge the expectations the audience usually has for the outsiders in school films by continuing to remain in their self-designated and peer designated roles. The message for those watching is multi-layered and multi-faceted, but obviously Jared Hess's film champions those who are able to negotiate high school without eternally questioning their niche. …
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