"Splendor in the Grass"
is a movie that describes sexual repression in puppy love in the 1920s.
Back then, the sexual revolution had not happened yet, people dared
not talk about sex, not to mention actually "doing" it. Many
youngsters, therefore, had to repress their sexual drive, and it made
many couples suffer. Bud and Deanie were typical examples.
Bud was the leader of the basketball team and he
was also very good-looking and very popular. Many girls were proud of
dating him if possible. However, Deanie was more plain, compared with
Bud, and she came from a not so well-to-do family. But Deanie won Bud's
heart. They became the most enviable couple in high school. When they
were together, Bud wanted to have sex with her, but neither of
them dared to go too far. Parental teaching, social convention, and
self-denial trapped their desires. Keeping one's virginity until
marriage was the highest priority for girls back then. Many girls tried
to be "good" girls and Bud always regarded Deanie as a pure and innocent
girl. Yet, Bud's dad was an obstacle in their way to marriage for he
looked down upon Deanie's social status and he was much afraid that Bud
wouldn't go to college because of Deanie. In actuality, what Bud wanted
was merely to be a rancher and to lead a simple life. Yet, Bud's dad
always wanted Bud to live up to his expectations and it became a tragedy
for Bud's family.
After watching the movie, I thought parents
shouldn't set too many rules for their children to follow. Parents
tended to think of their children as inferior to and not as
sophisticated as them, even though their kids are already grown-ups.
The parents' intentions may be good as they try to create a promising
future for their children, but they rarely examine their good
intentions. And sometimes they even make their kids suffer and feel
unhappy. Parents throughout the world wanted their children to carry
out their goals, which they themselves weren't able to attain--such was
the case of Bud's father. And parents often claim to be doing
everything for their children』s sake. This invisible pressure often
leaves the kids unable to rebel. Bud knew his father's intentions and
he had to give up Deanie and choose a career that did not fit his own
ideal. And Bud's sister, Ginny, also suffered the same pressure. She
ignored her dad's anger and behaved like a slut. This overreaction was
the result of her father's discipline and her long-term sexual
repression. And Bud's sister's behavior left a great impact on Bud,
making it impossible for him to accept Deanie』s effort to express her
sexuality.
Bud avoided Deanie for fear that he might "want"
Deanie. And after Bud's refusal, Deanie was totally out of control.
Because she could neither be a good girl nor a bad girl. Therefore, she
went crazy and was sent to hospital. After years of treatment, she
recovered. She seemed to have understood what the poem meant in her
high school days. She realized that when we were young, everything
seemed to be perfect; as we grew older, we were forced to give up our
ideals because of the larger environment. And that's the logic of how
the world works.