Heathers

Heathers

Jaylynn Melendez

New Mexico State University

Englsih 211

Heathers, the 1988 film directed by Michael Lehman's is set at an unreceptive high school. The “Heathers” are a clique of the most popular and prettiest group of girls in school. The heathers leader is the manipulative, who orchestrates the humiliation of anyone who fails to meet her standards. Eventually, Heathers member Winona begins to exhibit a conscience; together with her miserable boyfriend. However, in little or no time slowly, gets back at the hopeless victims in the group. J.D.s actions speak louder than words for him through the illusion and acts of Alienation making him act out of rebellion.

At the end of movie as J.D. attempts to blow up the school, and ends up blowing himself up as well he portrays the image of alienation that he has carried on his shoulders. The alienation the J.D. expresses throughout the movie is what leads him to acts of rebellion. JD feels as if he has no one in his life that cares for him, he feels isolated and lonely. An outcast by his thoughts, until he becomes familiar with Veronica. His acts of rebellion all reflect on his feelings for Veronica.

As J.D. life is already rough, I believe this includes how his mother’s death in fact had an impact to do with J.D.s feelings and thoughts about life in general. He saw it as a type of joke, playing with fire type of thing. As he being involved with Veronica I think that his true feelings were unrevealed. As he began to think that “The Heathers” were just not good enough people for Veronica nor himself to be surround by. Therefore, Veronica is oppressed by J.D.; he finagles her assistance in three murders.

“Dear Diary, I want to kill and you have to believe me... it's more than just a spoke in my menstrual cycle... Tomorrow I'll be kissing her aerobicized ass, but tonight let me dream of a world without Heather, a world where I am free.” (Heathers, 1988).

J.D. understands how Veronica feels about “The Heathers” and him falling for her makes his alienation turn into rebellion into how he oppresses Veronica to assist him in the three murders. All the suicides are connected to one another and connect to J.D childhood and how he was raised by his father, who accidently killed his mom in a stunt performance. This all ties into connection as to how J.D. committed suicide, also bombing himself in a building. His illusions of “Suicide” being the easy way out of things portrays how his childhood experience of not growing up idealistically with a mom, and moving from school to school, and felling alone influenced his actions too.

However, until Veronica wakes up to the awfulness of what J. D. has done. Since he has largely acted on her half-conscious wishes, this turnabout isn't entirely convincing, and it undermines the film's earlier relentlessness. ''Heathers'' finally re-establishes Veronica as a nice normal girl, but it does this at the expense of its earlier toughness. In fact, the film says, teenage suicide, do it. During the last few scenes, J.D. is shown as psychotic. Veronica even calls him that. Causality is postulated in the final moments, in time for J.D. to tape the bomb to his chest. Knowing that J.D is psychotic validates his suicide. He thought that he lost Veronica for good, and his only way out of alienation was to take an act of rebellion out of spite.

Reference

Denise D. N. (Producer), & Michael, L.Director). (1988). Heathers [Motion picture]. United States of America: Studio or distributor

...