Essays on "Raging Bull"

The Cost of Individuality: The Falsities of American Individualism in Raging Bull

In what ways are Jake's (Robert De Niro) attitude toward his profession and his treatment of his wife similar? How do both exemplify what his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) describes as Jake's "hard-headedness"? In what ways is his "hardheadedness" a version of the idea of individualism which is so highly prized in our society?

Jake LaMotta’s attitude towards boxing and his relationship with his wife, in Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull, are comparable in that he feels the need to exert his perception of masculinity onto both of these parts of his life due to his insecurity and that if he doesn’t conquer his fears it will slip away. In the case of his boxing profession, Jake exudes aggression in the ring, and refuses help from the local mafia to get him into the middleweight championship because he wants to do it by himself. In his mind he must be the best and being beaten down is not an option: even after being brutally beaten by Sugar Ray, Jake makes it clear that “[he] never went down.” In the case of his treatment of his wife, Jake is paranoid that she is interested and having sex with other men, which angers him immensely: in his mind that threatens his masculinity. This paranoia is so acute that when Vickie even mentions that Jake’s boxing opponent is “good looking,” Jake reacts fiercely and violently, and doesn’t acknowledge Vickie’s assurance that she didn’t mean anything by saying it– Jake only acknowledges his own warped perception. This “hardheadedness” is rooted in Jake’s individualist ideals as he believes that it is he alone that got him to where he is and, more broadly, that he is alone in this world. This results in paranoia that the people closest to him are actually his greatest enemies, which ruins his relationships and leaves him truly alone.

How do Jake's fight sequences, and the toll they take on his face and emotions, illustrate the costs of this individualism? How does the evolving relationship with his brother illustrate the same costs?

Scorsese was never very interested in making a film about sports, so the fight sequences are not driven by technical boxing tactics or even the fighting itself, but the boxing ring is where Jake’s emotions, specifically his rage, come out. Jake, being the child of Italian immigrants and thus a first generation American undoubtedly was implanted a very hyper-individualistic idea of what it means to be man. The "American Dream" makes Jake extremely determined to succeed– he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. This pressure he puts on himself makes him ferocious inside and outside of the ring, but his fighting is a pure representation of his need and desperation to succeed no matter the physical or emotional toll. Jake’s tenacity when it comes to his profession seeps into all aspects of his life, particularly with his wife and his brother. The situation with his wife seems slightly more convoluted because his jealousy and anger with her are intertwined with his warped ideas on female sexuality (his madonna-whore complex), but the deterioration of Jake and his brother Joey’s relationship is more surprising. Throughout the film, Joey is Jake’s number one supporter and seems like the only one who understands him, but Jake’s inability to be introspective and his fervent commitment to his individualism and pride result in the deterioration of their brotherly relationship.

Why does Jake's discovery that he is part of a system -- no title unless he cooperates with Tommy Como (Nicholas Colasanto) -- break Jake, and destroy his dream?

For the first part of the film, Jake has a lot of confidence in himself and truly believes that if he works hard enough he can be the middleweight champion without the mafia connections, so when he discovers that this isn’t the truth, his whole perception of how the world (or America) works crumbles. What he wanted so badly and was willing to stop at nothing to achieve would never be possible. Jake is a product of the intersection of a fundamental American paradox: individuality is the most important, but it is realistically impossible to be very successful without help within the system. Jake isn’t in a fight where it's him against the world like he believes, but it’s him against himself, as depicted in the opening credits of the film, where Jake is alone in the ring. The music, hazy atmosphere, and slow motion make Jake look dignified and even graceful, but another inspection of the scene tells a different story. He is shadow boxing alone in the ring which can be seen as an expression of his strength and masculinity, but in reality he is battling himself, and blind to this reality as his hood over his face could represent. Additionally, the composition of the shot makes the ring itself look like a cage, which makes sense as LaMotta's mentality and fallacious sense of individuality is what is caging him in and preventing him from evolving and being as great as he wants to be.