Who is the master of my youth

Winona 2022-03-23 09:01:48

The confusion of youth

Many film critics interpret Jenny's choice as a choice between her own struggle and pleasure. Therefore, some people say that this is the British version of a dwelling. However, for Jenny, the real situation is much more complicated: on the one hand, it is immutable, Monotonous and depressing learning; on the one hand a surging desire for freshness and romance. At this time, the appearance of David just made up for the lack of Jenny, making her vague needs a reality; in fact, in the process of falling into it, she also hesitated (after the Oxford house inspection knew the truth of David and Danny's business) ), but in the end she didn’t get away due to lack of experience and lack of discernment, a mistake every young person is prone to make.
Therefore, I prefer to interpret this film as the unique confusion and the search for value in a situation where self-consciousness bursts out in youth but is not deeply involved in the world. Jenny's sense of independence is very strong, she dares to break with tradition, and before the truth is revealed, she seems to be about to succeed; but the true logic of the development of things makes us find that blind rebellion and blind obedience are just as immature.
At the time of Jenny's decision, neither her parents nor the school teachers did what they should do: her father's utilitarianism and short-sightedness contributed to Jenny's final engagement, and the school's principal was just the same as before. People with authority are lecturing and warning, without considering the feelings of children at all. From this point, we can think that Jenny's rebellion is caused by the environment, and it goes further and further because of the environment. The absence of education in our upbringing is evident from this.
In fact, each of us may have such an experience of Jenny in our own growth: because our calf is not afraid of tigers, we say no to the way of life that our parents admire, but we bump into bumps because of our immaturity, if we are strong enough We will be back again. This is the color of youth. In fact, everyone finds their ideal life in this adventure again and again.

The Dilemma of Education

From Jenny's father asking her to go to Oxford to her willingness to agree to Jenny's marriage, it can be seen that parents all view education utilitarian; and the school principal's warning to Jenny just wanted to impose his own ideas on Jenny, and did not stand Looking at the problem from Jenny's point of view, the final rejection of Jenny's help illustrates this point. Education (Britain in the 1960s) was from the very beginning a tool that adults wanted to control their children, and aren't we seeing the same thing now?
The only thing worth mentioning is Ms. Stubbs, Jenny's language teacher. She has been paying attention to Jenny's behavior, and she is trying to get her back to a normal life trajectory: looking for the principal to try to prevent her from going to Paris, rejecting Jenny's perfume and trying to persuade her. However, this is unconvincing in Jenny's view: the Cambridge graduate presented in front of Jenny has black-framed eyes, criticizing "those empty articles" all day long, living a seemingly very boring life, so Does it seem like going to a good university makes sense? However, in the end, when Jenny saw the truth of the life she was obsessed with, she turned to Teacher Stubbs again and walked into her room to see the teacher's world: the warm room was filled with her books and paintings, and There are works by Burne Jones that Jenny likes. In Jenny's view, the relatively boring external life, the teacher did not degenerate into a nihilistic and philistine person, her life can still be wonderful, and the arrangement of her room shows this. Isn't this the life we ​​should have?
The movie tells us not to delusionally think about what kind of life ideals public education can really give children, but it also reminds us not to despair about it. The ideal life can be found by our own rationality, not to mention that there is actually no shortage of teaching us how to people living.

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Extended Reading

An Education quotes

  • Jenny: [Reading from envelopes she found in David's car] Mr. and Mrs. David Goldman. Mr. and Mrs. David Goldman. Mr. and Mrs. David- you're married!

    David: Legally yes, but...

    Jenny: When were you going to tell me?

    David: Soon, it just never seemed like the right time. You seemed so happy, and I was happy...

    Jenny: You were living with your wife all this time, around the corner! Byron Avenue. It's no wonder we kept bumping into each other, is it? What number?

    David: 34. Don't be like this, come on.

    Jenny: I have nothing. I didn't take my exams. I... I left school. Where's it all gone now?

  • Jack: We have to have this out. Well, if you won't do it, I will. I'm still your father.

    Jenny: You're my father again now, are you? And what were you when you encouraged me to throw my life away? Silly schoolgirls are always getting seduced by glamorous older men, but what about you two?