Lee Daniels' the Butler

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify different life stages of three main characters. These characters are from the movie titled Lee Daniels' The Butler. Each character experiences different challenges in each life stage. Identifying the individual challenges in each life stage is important in this paper. The way the characters function as a family unit, their wellness, and resilience will be discussed. Each character has different personality traits and react differently to similar challenges. In the conclusion key components of the paper will be discussed.

Each character should be moving through a different life stage from school age through middle adulthood, for a minimum of three different life stages. As you study each character, focus on details that will make your analysis applicable to your specialization.

Introduction

This paper analyses the stages of three main characters in the movie "The Butler". The first character is Cecil Gaines. He is the father and husband of the other two characters. The second character analyzed is Gloria Gaines. Gloria is the mother and wife of the other two characters in this paper. The third character analyzed is Louis Gaines. He is the son of both other characters analyzed. All three characters experienced critical events in different life stages. These stages range from early childhood to later adulthood and elderhood.

Character #1 – Identified Life Stage

The first character is Cecil Gaines the father and main character in the movie. The year is 1926 and Cecil is 7 years old. He is in the school age but does not attend school. Cecil lives in Macon, Georgia and is being raised on a cotton field. Both of his parents are sharecropper in a very racist era. Cecil witnessed many different events that would reflect his views in life. He is in middle childhood stage of his life. “In the middle childhood stage children gain confidence in their ability to master new skills and perform valued work”, (Newman & Newman, 2015).

At the young age of 8 Cecil saw his father being violently murdered trying to protect his mother. His mother was raped by the owner of the farm where they worked. His father confronts the the owner, and is beaten and shot to death. Cecil is taken in by the owners grandmother and trained to serve the family responsible for his father’s death. He learns the skills needed to serve a white family inside their homes. Based on the the psychological crisis of industry versus inferiority, “a person’s fundamental attitude toward work is established during middle childhood”,( Newman & Newman, 2012). At this age he realized what his contribution would need to be in order to survive.

In this stage of development there is a psychological crisis of industry versus inferiority. Erikson’s psychosocial theory explains that as a result of resolution of the psychosocial crisis of the industry versus inferiority, in the middle childhood stage a person’s attitude towards work is established (Newman & Newman, 2015). The only work that Cecil was exposed to involved serving white people. He watched his parents work on the farm serving white people, then he was trained to serve. The social environment at the time promoted feelings of inferiority. During this time blacks and whites were not treated equally and slavery existed. Cecil was subjected to learned helplessness because inspite of his efforts certain opportunities weren’t given to black people.

Developmental tasks in the middle childhood stage include friendship, concrete operations, skill learning, and self-evaluation. Cecil’s developmental tasks deferred to children of today. He didn’t develop friendships freely and many activities were restricted. Cecil didn’t have the chance to make friends or enjoy the the benefits of close peer relations like some of his white counterparts. His family influences on social competences taught Cecil valuable lessons. As he gets older he understands more about the world around him and tries to learn as much as he can. Inspite of his traumatic experiences as a child Cecil maintained social competence when dealing with people. He began to see the world from both sides because he dealt with whites on a professional level.

Throughout middle childhood and adolescence, Cecil moved through a developmental progression in learning the skills of serving. As his skills progress, he is able to get another job away from the farm his father was murdered on. Cecil breaks into a shop and ends up with an unexpected opportunity. A master servant teaches Cecil the advanced skills to become a great servant. Cecil becomes addicted to working and serving others. After several years the master servant recommends Cecil for a higher position in Washington, DC.

Cecil’s experiences as a childs tuck with him throughout his life. His mother being raped and his father being shot by the farmer destroyed the only family he knew. These horrible events could have destroyed cecil mentally or emotionally. Exposure to violence has been proven to have potential damaging effects on young children (Newman & Newman, 2015). These effects can included damage to the development of emotions, cognitive development, physical, and social development Newman, and Newman, 2012) However, these events made Cecil an even stronger man for the future and his own family. He valued the pride and courage that his father had to stand up for his family. He also honored the fact that his father died with his suit on keeping his dignity.

Because Cecil was taught to serve and obey he was always respectable to white people. Even though it was the same white people that killed his father and muted his mother, he still followed their rules. His attitude, hard work, and dedication helps him acquire the position in the white house working beside the president of the United States. To some Cecil may seem like he is brainwashed by his abusers. However Cecil is happy with his self-evaluation and self-efficacy of his life. the culture that Cecil was subjected to played a huge part in sculpting his views and controlling his actions. At times Cecil seems to show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder throughout his life. These symptoms frequently caused flashbacks of his fathers death and mothers abuse. Cecil married and had two sons with his wife Gloria. As a father Cecil tried to carry over his same beliefs in serving people. As a husband he was somewhat distant, working at the White house more than he stayed home. It was clear that he was addicted to serving and pleasing others. His post traumatic stress disorder did not prevent Cecil from serving several