Masculinity Dissolves in the American Dream and the Melting Pot: Falling Down (1993)

Authors : Zühre Canay Güven

Pages : 1-23

Doi:10.18094/josc.1676499

View : 136 | Download : 368

Publication Date : 2025-12-25

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Falling Down (1993), directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Michael Douglas, follows a white, middle-class man whose attempt to regain control over his life leads to escalating violence and collapse. The protagonist, Foster embodies the crisis of hegemonic masculinity and the dismantling of traditional male identity. Each encounter he has with characters from different ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds descends him into chaos. In this context, his violent journey across Los Angeles is a symbolic repudiation of the Melting Pot and a stark indictment of the unfulfilled promises of the American Dream. This study discusses white masculinity within the ideological frameworks of the American Dream and the Melting Pot ideal by intertwining Connell’s insights on hegemonic masculinity, Arthur Miller’s essay on tragic hero, and Bourdieu’s masculine dominance. With ideological and formal film analysis, this essay argues how Falling Down (1993) depicts a crisis of masculinity through its use of space, visual composition, and character encounters. While the film has often been discussed in terms of masculinity in crisis, this study argues that the crisis extends beyond personal or psychological dimensions which is rooted in the spatial and symbolic structure of the film. The analysis concludes that these illusory promises collapse under social and cultural fragmentation.
Keywords : Amerikan Rüyası, Hegemonik Erkeklik, Erime Potası, Sonun Başlangıcı (1993), Trajik kahraman

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