The Revenant
Character Key Developments and Relationship to the Three Acts.
The word “revenant” means the dead that came back to life crawling out from the grave. I wasn't interested in this movie, seriously, by not knowing what this word means and also knowing about the story. So, I did a little research on the title and also the movie before watching it.;)
The Revenant is a story based on real events happened back in 1823 Montana and South Dakota, experiences of frontiersman and fur trapper, Hugh Glass. This man’s story on his strong will to survive after having himself heavily injured and watching his own son’s dead in front of him, he seek for revenge.
Glass holding his son when his son was still young.
In the First Act, it established the world of the main character lives in and a little something about him in his mind. The scene started with Glass sleeping soundly with his family and his son and wife playing together. He speaks to his son that he will always be with him, pain will fade off soon and ask his son not to give up, keep living. It also tells us a little that his wife seems to have died in a fight and left his son.
The scene then changes to the main events where it portrays the life of the frontiersmen and fur trappers. It is one of the works for the people to do during that time. They use their lives to earn money. A battle between the frontiersmen and the Arikara Natives Americans has happened when the native attacks them suddenly. In the battle, many of the fur trappers were killed and so does the natives. As the natives kept coming with more people, the rest had no choice but to flee on a boat. It can be seen that the frontiersmen and the natives has already a deep bloody past behind them and hatred for each other. It turns out that the Arikara has attacked them to seek for the chief’s missing daughter, Powaqa.
Fitzgerald provoking Glass, trying start and fight with him. He disagrees the decision of going back to the outpost by foot.
The story continued as Glass decided to abandon the boat and retreat back to their outpost by foot. The decision has bothered some of the members, especially John Fitzgerald. It seems that he holds a deep dislike towards Glass and his half native son, Hawk and wanted to start a fight with Glass but was stopped by their commander, Captain Andrew Henry. Glass asked his son, Hawk to never speak and be invisible. It shows that Glass really wanted to keep him safe from the other white people as none of them would have like his half native son. It touches my heart in this scene when I thought Glass might dislike his son as he hit him to shut up when Fitzgerald trying to start a fight with them. He scolded him and told him to listen to him with his sad voice, shows how deeply Glass wanted to keep his son safe and alive.
In the Second Act, it became even more dramatic when Glass was ambushed by a grizzly bear after disturbing her cubs. Glass managed to kill the bear but also got himself badly mauled. The party found him closed to death and decided to leave him behind with some people with him till he dies. Three men volunteered, including Fitzgerald and Hawk. Fitzgerald tries to kill Glass but was discovered by Hawk. He then killed Hawk instead in front of Glass. Glass helplessly watched his son being killed and could not do anything. When the other volunteer, Jim Bridger came back, Fitzgerald told him Hawk went missing and Glass was just too weak to protest. It torn me apart to watch this. How sad and angry could I be if my love one is killed in front of me and I can do nothing to stop any of it but to watch it with my own eyes. Fitzgerald then lied about the Arikara is near and to leave Glass behind and flee for safety. He drags Glass into a shallow grave and left with Bridger. With the anger to revenge, Glass crawled out from the grave and walk through the woods for days.
Glass being attacked by a grizzly bear.
Glass's strong will to revenge his son's murder made him crawl back from the grave.
Glass determination on his revenge was great to the extent that he survived the winter with his fatal wounds. He then met the friendly Pawnee, Hikuc, who has also lost his family. However, Hikuc told Glass that “revenge is in the Creator’s hands.” Sadly, Hikuc was later killed by a group of French pelt hunters and Glass woke up from his sleep. Glass infiltrates the camp and found Powaqa is being raped by the leader. He frees her and kills two hunters and got Hikuc’s horse. The story became more drama when Glass galloped off a cliff in order to escape the Arikara and got himself further injured. His will to revenge his son’s dead doesn’t stop here, he then fit himself inside the horse’s carcass to survive the night.
Glass dreamt of seeing his son in an abandon cemetery. He thought he finally hugged him but he was just hugging a tree.
In the Third Act, finally come the climax and resolution, Fitzgerald found out that Glass is still alive and fled with the fort’s money. Glass then tracked him down and ambushed him. He shot Fitzgerald in his shoulder and chased him into the woods. They fought badly on a river bank. When Glass is about to kill Fitzgerald, he suddenly remembers Hikuc’s words: Revenge is in the Creator’s hands.” He pushes him downstream and into the Arikara. The natives then scalp and kill Fitzgerald.
Everything was over, like what he told his son in the beginning of the movie. His revenge for his son’s murder was resolved when Fitzgerald has finally died even though not by his own hands. Glass then has a vision of his wife, smiling to him and turn away. He watches it and walks into the woods, he is still BREATHING.
Fitzgerald trying to kill Commander Henry.
The story really flows well with a very good establishment made at the beginning of the story. NEVER despite the love of a parent to their children. Glass risked his all to revenge for his son and the Arikara chief also tracked down all hunters in the frontier to search for his daughter. The development of Glass was really well explored throughout the movie where it started with he lost his wife and left with their only son, Hawk. He loved him with all his life. In the scene before he walk into the woods to search for way to retreat back to their outpost, he told his son: “You are my son. You are my son.” I can really imagine the sadness and the anger that Glass carries to witness his beloved son’s death and for being so helpless to save him. His purpose to live has then changed. It is only to seek for revenge for the murder of his son. He will not stop until the murderer dies in front of his very own eyes. The struggles he went through to survive the whole journey during the winter really impressed me. I can really feel the determination of him to survive no matter what. He eats the animals' corpes and hide inside the horse carcass to stay alive despites his serious wounds.
Fitzgerald was a character that portrays selfishness and greedy since the beginning of the movie. It started with his dislike towards Glass and his half native son, Hawk and slowly develop to decide to kill Glass when Glass was badly mauled. He then killed Hawk and buried Glass alive in a grave. He had shown his greed towards the reward to guard Glass but also hatred toward Glass and wants to kill him. He was so confident that Glass would be dead and move on to his journey to the outpost and lied about Glass’s death and Hawk’s missing. He took the reward shamelessly and even fleed with the fort’s money when he found out Glass is still alive.
Glass and his wife.
The movie flows well and explained the society during the 1800s well too. We can see that the white people treated the natives badly and took their lives as nothing by claiming all things in the forest theirs. They do not respect the natives during the time. In the movie, the French hunters kidnaped Powaqa and raped her,treating her like a sex toy, causing the attacks of the Arikara on all hunters to search for the Chief’s daughter. It also shown that the society during that time, willing to risk their lives to earn a living in the frontier and leaving their family behind.
Most of the issues was addressed in the end of the story but it makes me question on Glass’s feelings about not killing Fitzgerald with his own hands. How does it feel to leave his enemy to die on other’s hands but not his? He came so far for revenge but he gave up to slaughter his own enemy in the end. He then saw the vision of his wife, how does it feel to keep the promise of keep breathing when all your loved ones has passed? Yes, Glass is still breathing……
