Resilience Story Analysis: Maudie Film Tsun Yuen Wong Wri

Resilience Story Analysis: Maudie Film Tsun Yuen Wong Wri

Resilience Story Analysis: Maudie Film

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of the resilience depicted in the film Maudie, a 2016 biographical drama that portrays the life and struggles of the renowned artist Maud Lewis. The film delves into the various facets of resilience demonstrated by Maud, including physical, emotional, social, and mental resilience. It aims to illustrate how her perseverance in the face of adversity contributed to her success as an artist and her ability to overcome societal stereotypes, physical ailments, and personal rejection.

Paper For Above instruction

The film Maudie offers a compelling narrative of resilience through the life of Maud Lewis, a woman who faced significant hardships yet persisted to achieve her artistic aspirations. The movie's focus on Maud’s personal journey encompasses her struggles with rheumatoid arthritis, societal rejection, physical abuse, and personal limitations. By framing her story within these challenges, the film emphasizes the multifaceted nature of resilience essential for overcoming adversity.

Maud’s resilience is most visibly embodied in her ability to persevere despite her health condition. Her rheumatoid arthritis inflicted severe pain and deformity, yet she continued to paint, using her hands and fingers despite considerable discomfort. This physical resilience is exemplified in scenes where Maud draws and paints despite her joint pain, demonstrating her determination and strength of character. The film captures a scene where Maud is painting on the walls of her home, showcasing her resourcefulness and unyielding spirit to express herself through art despite physical limitations.

Social resilience is vividly depicted through Maud’s capacity to withstand societal rejection and stereotypes. Throughout the film, she faces condescension and prejudice from community members who view her as incapable or “stupid” because of her appearance and health status. An illustrative scene involves her attempting to secure a job as a housekeeper. The employer's rejection, based on her disability, highlights societal barriers that Maud confronts. Despite this, her decision to persist and seek alternative means of independence reflect her social resilience.

What further exemplifies her resilience is her emotional fortitude in confronting personal rejection and physical abuse. Maud endures physical abuse from her employer, yet she does not return to her family or give up her pursuits. Instead, she channels her experiences into her art, which becomes a source of healing and recognition. Her decision to paint her emotional experiences onto her walls and canvases illustrates her mental resilience, turning suffering into creative expression.

Maud’s resilience is not static; it evolves through specific moments that highlight her ability to recover and adapt. For example, after experiencing physical abuse, she shifts her coping mechanism from smoking, which was initially used to cope with pain, towards painting as a healthier, more empowering outlet. This transition signifies her learning from her hardships and developing more effective ways to cope with her challenges. The film captures her resilience in moments where she chooses her creative pursuits over despair, showcasing her capacity for self-empowerment.

In addition to her personal resilience, the film underscores the importance of community and support networks in fostering resilience. Despite societal prejudices, Maud finds a supportive partner in Everett Lewis, who recognizes her talent and independence. Their relationship exemplifies social resilience, where mutual understanding and support help Maud continue her artistic journey. Her ability to navigate societal rejection and forge meaningful relationships demonstrates resilience’s social dimension.

The film also portrays how adversity shaped Maud’s artistic style and perseverance. Her illness and societal rejection motivated her to create art that was authentic and inspired by her experiences. Scenes showing her painting in her modest home, often with limited resources, highlight her resilience in making the best of her circumstances. Her art becomes a symbol of resistance—resisting societal stereotypes and personal limitations—embodying resilience’s transformative power.

Overall, Maudie captures resilience as a dynamic and multidimensional process. Through Maud Lewis’s story, viewers understand that resilience involves enduring physical pain, confronting social rejection, overcoming personal limitations, and transforming suffering into strength and creativity. Her story affirms that resilience is not merely survival, but an active process of growth and adaptation amid adversity.

References

• Bryan, C., O'Shea, D., & MacIntyre, T. (2019). Stressing the relevance of resilience: A systematic review of resilience across the domains of sport and work. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 12(1), 70-111.
• Hadfield, K., & Ungar, M. (2018). Family resilience: Emerging trends in theory and practice.
• Movieclips. (2017, February). Maudie international trailer #1 [Video file].
• Van Breda, A. D. (2018). A critical review of resilience theory and its relevance for social work. Social Work, 54(1), 1-18.
• Ungar, M. (2011). The social ecology of resilience: Addressing contextual and cultural ambiguity of a nascent construct. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 81(1), 1–17.
• Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., & Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71(3), 543–562.
• Southwick, S. M., Bonanno, G. A., Masten, A. S., Panter-Brick, C., & Yehuda, R. (2014). Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: interdisciplinary perspectives. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 5, 1.
• Werner, E. E. (1995). Resilience in development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 4(3), 81-85.
• Gillham, B., & Reivich, K. (2005). Promotion of resilience in children. Journal of School Psychology, 43(4), 247-259.
• Rutter, M. (1987). Resilience and adversity in childhood. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 589-595.