Symbolism in Days Of Heaven (1978) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Symbolism in Days Of Heaven (1978) - Essay Example The characters were enticed to do wrong in many symbolic acts that carried significant meaning. They were subsequently deprived of the Lord’s blessing and suffered tragedies. This movie was a love story, full of tragedies and disasters. The protagonist, Bill, and his two friends, Blackie and Steve were dragging away a safe they had stolen when a group of policemen stopped them. Steve was shot by a policeman and died in Bill’s arms. It was a parody of a story from Genesis 4:8; ‘Now Cain said to his brother Abel, â€Å"Lets go out to the field.† And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.’ (Zondervan 8). Only in Days Of Heaven, Bill didn’t directly kill Steve but maybe their crime of theft indirectly killed him. Bill broke a commandment and became a fugitive from the law. When Abby got married to Chuck Shepard, Chuck paid Bill more wages than he deserved although he suspected that Bill wasn’t Abby†™s brother but her boyfriend. Chuck gave extra money to Bill in a gesture that was symbolic of a peace offering to compensate Bill for giving up Abby and letting him (Chuck) have her as his wife. Bill recognized this as a symbolic act of reconciliation and he refused to accept it because of his pride. When Benson voiced his suspicions to Chuck about the validity of Bill and Abby’s sibling relationship, Chuck would rather not hear although he indicated he saw through the masquerade. Chuck’s refusal to hear or investigate the truth is symbolic. He was blinded by love for Abby.