FREE ESSAY ON BOYS DON'T CRY

BOYS DON'T CRY

During ones existence, new discoveries about one's self tend to occur. One of these
discoveries is identity: who we are and what we really want to be. Teena Brandon, a.k.a.
Brandon Teena, goes through this tough time in the movie Boys Don't Cry. As you will see,
self-identity is not an easy thing to figure out.
In the movie Boys Don't Cry, Teena Brandon was born a girl. As she grew older she
changed. She felt as if she was really to be a guy. She proceeded to make herself look
like a male by cutting her hair shorter, wrapping an ace bandage tightly around her
breasts, and putting a sock in her groin area. 
Everyone she met saw and believed she was a guy. No one knew the truth. She then got
mixed in with a new group of people and fell in love with a female named Lana. She gets
very close to Lana. During this John and Tom, who are friends of Lana and her mother
discover who Brandon really was. They proceeded to rape and beat her. Then they later
killed her after they found out she reported the rape to the police.
The movie does a very good job of exploring identity. It does it by showing how difficult
it is for some people to figure out what and who they are and the pain they go through.
For instance, Brandon got along with John, Tom, Candace and Lana's mom in the beginning.
They accepted her when they thought she was a he. When they found out that he was really
a she, they despised her and called her a lesbian and a freak. It also does a good job of
showing how Lana was also confused about who she was. Lana became very attached to
Brandon. Even after she found out that Brandon was a girl, she still felt the same love.
This is why many people who are confused about their identity keep it inside because
they're scared of what people will think and what people will do to them. It is a very
frustrating but at the same time helpful process. 
Identity can be a struggle for not only the person who is confused but also for the
people around them. As shown in the movie, not only Brandon was effected by this. Lana
and John were also very effected. More Lana than John. It is a serious situation and
should be talked out with a professional.