No Deliverance

 Last week's essay pertaining to  sadistic violence was one of the themes found in the movie Deliverance.  This movie had four city folks  Lewis, Ed, Bobby and Drew  going on a canoe trip in  an untamed  Cahulawassee River, in Georgia, that was about  to be damned.The  4  men encountered  2  mountain men with rifles.  One  mountain men sadistically raped  Bobby and the other was about to sexually rape Ed  . However, Lewis killed  the man while  the other fled.  A moral crisis occurred . Should the incident be reported to the police or should the body be buried ?  Later, Drew was shot and Lewis broke his leg traversing through the rough rapids.  Ed ,Lewis and Bobby become trapped  knowing that the  escaped mountain man was motivated to kill all three, Ed made a difficult rock climb and killed that mountain man . They sank the body of Drew and the body of the mountain man and proceeded on their journey.  Ed, Lewis and Bobby covered up their crime  . This essay  Illustrates principles of group identification under conditions of external danger  .

Situations of external danger demonstrate increased  group solidarity.  Individuals become willing( transference) to engage in hazardous situations that depend largely on group identification especially in dangerous circumstances.  For example, group solidarity comes from strong emotional bonds established( a transference,) between  members and the leader.  Lewis ,based on his characteristics of physique, knowledge and macho  behavior , became the leader. The other three are non-muscular, not knowledgeable about canoeing and have limited survival skills at the onset.  When Lewis killed the mountain man after the  rape of Bobby,   the group  had to decide what to do .  Drew  knew right from wrong and morally wanted to obey the law by going to the police to report what happened.  However, his sense of morality was put in abeyance . Lewis , exhibited no moral quandary, no remorse and told them that they would not get a fair jury trial because of the inbreeding in Appalachia.  Bobby shamed and humiliated ( narcissistic injury) does not want his personal traumatic  incident revealed .  His feelings of hate trumped morality and he wanted revenge. Ed’s sense of morality was held in abeyance . He wanted Lewis’ approval and went along with the plan.  However, his feelings of shame and guilt remained with him.  With group cohesiveness, the entire group buried the body per Lewis’ idea .

The  reality of  white water rapids  and  the sexual abuse by the mountain man, resulted in a transference reaction to the leader .They become dependent on Lewis for what to do during each of the dangerous situations that confronted them. One example was observing how Lewis navigated the white water rapids. When Lewis broke his leg, Bobby’s  transference goes to Ed to climb and  kill the threat.  At that point, Ed became leader as Lewis was immobilized.  Ed takes over the leadership role , was  anxious, somewhat fearless, and put aside moral principles in killing that mountain man. He also  lied to the sheriff at the end of their trip.

Lewis was  the  most delinquent among the four.  He didn't fear anyone.  He negotiated  with the people from  Appalachia;  cut them off while driving to the river to be first and  killed.  His actions had contagious effects.  He had no trouble killing, he was fearless and guiltless in covering up the murder.  He was business like- matter of fact.  Actually, the other three also went along with Lewis and  also engaged in delinquent behavior. Ed and Drew ' moral code became non-existent.   Bobby  was more overt .He had his revenge working for him.  He wanted to commit sadistic brutality to that dead man for what he had done to him.

Furthermore, group identification results in mutual support for a behavior that’s not likely to be committed when alone.  It's  the obedience to the leader that  results in their  conscience  surrendering and being put out of action .  It's almost like the creation of a different conscience or superego.  Drew is firmly against the cover-up.  However, he goes along with the other three comrades.  During the digging of the grave, his guilt was expressed  by  aggressively digging  the grave  in order for it to be over , accomplished quickly and  out of sight.  Drew was the gentle musician that engaged in Duelling Banjos with the young mountain boy and was the most gentile man in the group.  However, he went along with the  cover up.  Bobby was sadistically  raped ,made to squeal like a pig, and was mounted by the mountain man.  Bobby was totally subservient  ,helpless and at the whim of the other.  He wanted revenge and had no trouble going after that  dead  mountain man's body.

Within a psychodynamic framework,  transference results from strong emotional dependency needs.  In one scene, Ed with his bow and arrow went into the forest.  He was excellent with the bow and arrow  when practicing at a shooting range. However, in the forest, he encountered a deer.  He took aim and had difficulty letting go as his arm shaked from fear and anxiety.  He was not able  to slay that deer.  His arrow clearly missed  the mark and the deer got away.  Previously, Lewis, excellent with the bow and arrow, killed fish for  their dinner and talked about the difference between practice and actually killing. After the missed shot, Ed returned to camp.  He doesn't dare tell Lewis that he choked and couldn't kill the deer.  He lied and said he didn't come across any game.  Clearly Ed was fearful that Lewis would withdraw and change his attitude from liking and respecting to putting him down as a loser , incompetent , a failure and worthless .  He didn't dare admit his inadequacies to the macho leader  Lewis. He feared disapproval and rejection.  Unconsciously, separation anxiety from the past becomes significant. Early in life, children fear of being abandoned by their parents .This common unconscious dynamic becomes  exacerbated specially with  the unexpected, not being in control and with   obstacles of nature as well as man. Separation anxiety surfaced for Ed . He was anxious and fearful of losing Lewis.

Reassurance is another dependency that surfaces with  danger.  At the end of the film, Ed ,the new leader, created  a different  story than   Lewis’ to tell to the authorities.  Ed didn't want them to  look upstream because of the  2  drowned bodies.  The new story was that Drew drowned in the rapids and Lewis got injured in the rapids with no mention of the mountain man.  Yes, they had 4 life vests but Drew didn't wear his.  When asked why, Ed said he didn't know.  He was  fearful that the rock tied  bodies would be found .  Ed demanded that Bobby stick to the story and Bobby did as agreed.  Bobby was fearful but was strongly dependent on Ed.  He therefore suppressed any idea that went against Ed.  Even Lewis, when told that story was changed by Ed, agreed and told the sheriff he didn't remember anything.

At the end of the film, Ed visits Drew's family. He was remorseful  and experienced guilt when he lied about Drew’s death. He was the only one that demonstrated  overt guilt. He sobbed, placed his head against his wife;s breast,  rationalized his actions, but was unable to tell his wife the truth  This trip ,by the four ,was not a deliverance from evil but conflictual .    Bobby was sadistically raped,  Drew  was murdered , Lewis seriously injured  and Ed  murdered , experienced guilt and could not admit the cover up.  Bobby was ashamed , humiliated and could not admit  his experience to anyone .  There was no deliverance from evil . On the positive, there was  group cohesiveness, bonding, teamwork, physical prowess and survival.  On the negative,there was sadism ,rape, amorality , guilt and murder .