The Pursuit of Truth: the Moral Occult

Most fields of study have existed throughout the centuries in pursuit of truth in order to make sense of the world that thousands of creatures and plants, most notably humans, have inhabited. It seems, though, that humans are as complex as the planet they live on, and in order to make sense of where we are, we must make sense of what we are and why. Many scholars do not consider the humanities as a mode of research, as numbers and formulas are easier to understand than feelings, expressions, and nuances in our lives and minds that we are unable to name or classify. In the first chapter of the book "The Melodramatic Imagination," Peter Brooks argues that melodrama is not, in fact, overly dramatic, but shows an "alternate," true reality as, "if [melodrama is] not in the domain of reality, [it is] in that of truth," (9). This truth is embodied in the moral occult, which the melodramatic mode strives to "locate and articulate," (5). Through "intense, excessive representations of life," "stark ethical conflicts," charged gestures, metaphors and symbols, the melodrama aims to uncover and show our most basic and unconscious desires, conflicts, and social culture, giving meaning to the surface of reality that is deeper than what we see with the unaided and naked eye (5,6). In the melodramatic movie" All That Heaven Allows," the symbolic environment of the two main characters Carrie and Ron manifest their opposing mental and emotional states. Carrie's home is in a small, cluttered with a lot of furniture and decorations and no truly open spaces or uncovered windows. On the other hand Ron lives in the countryside with plenty of open spaces in and outside of his home, minimal furniture, and many large, open windows. This indirectly shows the viewer that Carrie lives in an oppressive, suffocating environment, where she and her neighbors have small and closed minds. Ron's environment, both social and mental, is contrastingly very open and free, with no social obligations and expectations to conform to or abide by. By showing how and where both of them live the viewer has an inside look into both of the characters' minds, conscious and unconscious. As no one would consciously like to think that they are being oppressed or controlled by society, yet unconsciously they know and submit to society, which becomes the underlying moral conflict between being accepted and being yourself. This societal pressure, which in this movie is a part of the melodrama's moral occult, is "both indicated within and masked by the surface of reality," (5). The moral occult is explored more deeply through the intense and excessive characteristic elements, like gestures, music, metaphors and symbols, of the melodrama as it breaks through the surface and delves into the unconscious of the characters and viewers in pursuit of the truth of the situation, conflict, and the characters' own faults and desires.

All That Heaven Allows

In melodramas, the use of props and mis-en-scene is what helps the viewer understand what is happening in the scene without the characters blatantly saying how they feel or what the situation entails. The movie All That Heaven Allows is no exception. The movie takes place in the 1950s when not everyone had a television set, and throughout the narrative this object is used as the symbol of loneliness, the giving up on human interaction by becoming a "substitute for companionship" (Mercer & Singler, 63), and the conformity to societal expectations. Cary is a widow who has not tried to remarry, and in the beginning of the movie her friend Sara suggests that she buys a television set so that she has something to do because she is alone in her home. Cary is against this, as she does not want to use this last resort and accept the fact that she is alone without a partner to share her life with. When the movie progresses and Cary is happily a couple with Ron, the television salesman comes to Cary's house, but she is so happy in her relationship (and in a hurry to meet with Ron) that she dismisses him completely. This encounter symbolizes that Ron is her "true alternative to loneliness," and not the television (Mercer & Singler, 64). Towards the end of the movie when she is alone again, broken up with Ron, her children who are both leaving her life more permanently buy her a television. As they are telling her how great the t.v. will be, the camera shows Cary's reflection on the screen, alone, with the reflection cluttered with objects. This angle symbolizes that if she embraces this life-style of conforming to what is popular or accepted, like the television, in society she will be alone, and the cluttered reflection symbolizes this oppression (Mercer & Singler, 63). Without these symbols it would be impossible for the audience to understand the societal constraints and expectations that, naturally, are not spoken about in conversations during the movie.