Good Will Hunting: Overcoming Fear

what are you so scared of what am i so scared of fear is an unusual part of life and it manifests itself in all sorts of different ways the fear can be something small and in the moment or something deeper and more extensive whether the threat is real or imaginary fear triggers a defensive response causing the person either to become physically aggressive or to flee the scene to retreat to safety gus van sant's good will hunting is a subtle examination in fear and how if you let it it can constrain your potential and even push

you away from what you really want let's take a look at how will hunting has his fears confronted and relieved by sean maguire over the course of just eight face-to-face interactions and how sean breaks through will's defense mechanisms to change him for the better the very opening shot tells us a lot about will he lives alone in a single dark room the blinds are pulled shielding him from the outside world as he indulges in what he secretly loves reading this immediately tells us that will is afraid to be seen for who he really is will

was moved around a lot as a kid between foster homes and juvenile detention centers he now lives a small life built on routine he gets picked up by his best friend chuck every morning they hang out drive around drink beer and get in fights as things stand his future is just this it's the life he knows and therefore what is perceived to be safe but will has a secret curiosity about what else is out there for him he hides his motivations from even himself choosing to be a night janitor at harvard this is his way

of subconsciously scoping the place out for a while almost pretending he was accepted there by walking the halls at night and soaking up the atmosphere then he sees a mathematical theorem left on the chalkboard for the students who were accepted to solve only a handful of people in the world could solve this theorem and as it turns out will is one of them almost like a secret love affair will's passion for mathematics can only be revealed late at night while no one else is around as will has two contradictory fears driving him the fear of

being stuck here forever and never unlocking his potential and the fear of unlocking his potential and failing this attitude is the polar opposite to the students and professors at harvard who fear being perceived as not smart enough this is shown when professor lambeau or obnoxious students like clark are always flexing their intellect to try to attract women i was just hoping you might give me some insight into the evolution of the market economy in the southern colonies this clashes with wales worldview as a life has conditioned him to hide his abilities causing him to resent

those who posture their intellect in public so will keeps his identity a secret letting the work speak for itself at a safe distance the harvard community are puzzled as in their worlds there is a clear incentive to come forward and receive praise so the mystery of the secret genius grows when lambeau discovers will writing on the chalkboard and confronts him will runs away not wanting to be seen as he is scared of being perceived to want more as that betrays the life he has built with his loyal friends but he also holds a resentment of

the education world fearing that he won't be accepted in it this constant push-pull feeling inside of him lying to himself about what he really wants after being arrested for assault will is sentenced to jail time and professor lambeau steps in the court allowing will to be released under his supervision under two requirements that he solves mathematical equations with him and that he also attends therapy will rejects the idea of therapy but now has a safe excuse to truly test his potential will always wants an out an excuse in case he fails so being forced into

it by the courts relieves some of his personal responsibility but to lambo's disappointment will refuses to take therapy seriously having been abandoned by his parents and abused in foster care homes will has an inherent distrust of authority figures and instead uses these sessions as a chance to outsmart the psychologists to prove they don't deserve his trust look into my eye get out wheels i don't need therapy enter sean the last option who from his very first scene sums up what he is all about trust he also grew up in southie and was lambo's former college

roommate session one it's a poker game with this kid don't let him know what you've got just like the others will's defense starts with offense he tests sean inspecting the books in his office trying to read him as a man he views these books as mere props as if sean is just another posturing intellectual so challenges him on that front but there are small moments that will can't win on first he sees a photo of sean serving in vietnam and secondly asks him how much he benches realizing sean benches more than him will retreats and

shifts topic until he finds shawn's weakness he makes a reading off a painting and goes straight for the jugular unaware that sean's wife is dead once she leave you or she you know banging some other guy sean snaps and gets physical with him speaking a language will understands he freezes with fear will may have won by getting under his skin but was also the first to retreat after the first session will meet skyler for a date and it goes really well they make each other happy and there is potential for a meaningful relationship if will

is open to the idea of having one session two after will's reckless comments temporarily turned sean's life upside down he brings will out into the real world instead of staying in his office so he has nothing to deflect to by not running away like the other therapists who had their ego hurt sean is proving his dedication to will but he proceeds to break will's ego down by stripping his opinions of their power reminding him of everything he doesn't know you've never been out of boston i bet you can't tell me if you've never been near

one but you can't tell me what it feels like that you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable you don't know about real loss he exposes will as a fraud who just regurgitates what he has read out of a book making him no better than clark from the harvard bar but while belittling will shawn reveals parts of his own life experience this leaves will speechless and sets an example for him that vulnerability isn't a weakness after the second session will is shaken he's too scared to call skyler out of a fear that she

won't accept him even choosing to lie to his friends about it so will is now more aware that he's not as cool or experienced as he used to think he was this defensive shield that he's developed is holding him back session three given it is court-mandated therapy will could always give himself an out as he's forced to be there but by refusing to initiate any conversation and just wasting the session in silence sean proves will doesn't have to talk to him unless he wants to meaning will has to actively choose to engage in therapy this

way there is nowhere to hide after the third session of pure silence lambeau helps will to explore his unemotional purely intellectual path he views will as his protege which validates a lot of will's fears of not being accepted session 4 will finally breaks his silence by deflecting to a joke set on a plane you ever been on a plane sean asks him if he's ever been on a plane reminding will of their new dynamic that sean is an authority figure due to his real life experience feeling insecure will tries to boast about his sex life

and how things are going with skyler but expresses uncertainty moving forward as she is perfect in his imagination right now and if he sees her again she may disappoint him this is will's way of framing the situation as within his control but sean turns it around on him that maybe what will really fears is that he's the imperfect one and that he may not qualify for her but i think that's a super philosophy world that way you can go through your entire life without ever having to really know anybody as will reflects sean launches into

a story about how his wife used to fart in bed will is shocked by the honesty and they share a deep laugh about it this is how shawn makes will's biggest fear real intimacy sound appealing that flaws and imperfections are not deal breakers but the best part will then turns it around on sean asking him if he intends to remarry and when sean says no will uses his own quote against him well i think that's a super philosophy sean i mean that way you could actually go through the rest of your life without ever really

knowing anybody this shows that will is now imitating sean the same way that he learns from books after the fourth session will sneaks into skyler's dorm before knocking on her door he steals an intimate moment by just listening to her sing it's not perfect but he still likes it now putting sean's lessons into action he takes her out and she asks about his upbringing will is defensive but does answer her revealing he has 12 brothers but doesn't explain the full truth as to why that he's an orphan as she hasn't earned that yet and he

still fears the truth could expose him too much and that she'll abandon him session five will politely asks sean if he regrets loving his wife as he ended up losing her this highlights will's fear of abandonment as he is already looking for a way out with skyler hoping that he can justify it to himself that the relationship wouldn't be worth the pain but sean tells the story of how he met his wife that he had a ticket to the world series the biggest game in red sox history but that he skipped the game because he

went to pursue her instead i just slid my ticket across the table and i said sorry guys i gotta see about a girl i gotta go see about a girl sean reassures will that he has no regrets about his decisions in life as failure isn't about losing it's about not even risking trying in this conversation the baseball game becomes a metaphor for life that sean doesn't regret getting to be a spectator at the game because instead he took the risk of being a player on the field by pursuing his wife and that is how to

live with no regrets after the fifth session will is more and more open to being intimate with skyler he chooses to let her into his world a little more by introducing her to his friends it's going so well that she invites will to move to california with her as she has to move there for school but this is too much too soon for will scared that if he takes that big a risk it could fail he starts to sabotage the relationship to protect himself from being out of control expressing fears that maybe she'll realize that

he's not what he appears and abandon him skyler triggers him by asking what are you so scared of will spirals deflecting blame anywhere he can calling her privileged and out of touch or maybe just using him she tries to reassure him but will isn't ready to risk being loved finally revealing that he's an orphan not as a way to let her in but as a way of pushing her away i love you continuing to sabotage himself will loses interest in his work too and when lambeau confesses to resenting will for dwarfing the accomplishments he centered

his identity around this confirms wales fearful suspicion that everyone is just using him so he starts lashing out in job interviews session six realizing will is in full fear and defensive mode sean tries to cut through will's force field with an incisive question you feel like you're alone will what this is to try to make will realize that he pushes people away to not feel tested as when you are tested you might lose he asks will what he wants and will deflects to the safety of what he knows giving unserious answers sean decides to kick

will out to not reward this behavior as they had made such progress already the reason will can't answer what job he wants is that he doesn't want any of them he wants to go to california with skyler but he's too scared to admit it making every other path he could pick a failure by default as he is betraying himself after session six will calls skyler to wish her well on her trip she reinforces that she loves will but given he has had so many disappointments with lambeau and sean recently he just hangs up although he

can't express what he wants with words his actions tell another story and he sits to watch her plane leave the opportunity flying away above him symbolizing his fear physically tying him to the ground when chuck asks will about why things didn't work out with skyler he leaves out critical details from the story like that she didn't actually abandon him that he just chose not to follow her seeking out comfort in his decision to stay will expresses that he looks forward to growing old around here with chuck but chuck shuts down that possibility revealing that he

would resent will more for staying not for leaving this teaches will that people that love you may push you away because they want the best for you you don't always have to earn their love through sacrifice session 7 in a true head versus heart debate will walks in on lambeau arguing with sean over his future both symbolizing the types of man will could become hearing sean defend him and echo the same concerns about lambeau's proposed path for him makes will feel understood after lambeau leaves sean reveals will's file which contains intimate details of past abuse

he creates a safe space to discuss what happened by revealing his own abusive history sean reassures will over and over again that all of these traumatizing things that happened to him are not his fault it's not your fault it's not your fault because for someone as smart as will who can solve the world's most complex theorems he has always believed he was a failure for not finding a way out of that situation he didn't have the answer and he couldn't control anything making it harder for him to trust others as well as his own decisions

although there is a final flash of defense will accepts sean's embrace and finally rids himself of the responsibility of his childhood after the seventh session will ends up accepting a local job offer session eight in their final official session will finds it difficult to let go of sean who has now become the first positive father figure in his life given that sean is perceived to be a failure by lambeau and has lost more than most people have ever even had he is an ideal example for will to aspire to as he demonstrates that perceived failure

and loss is nothing to fear sean secures trust in this father figure position by proving he's reliable he gives will his phone number and states that he can call anytime but sean has also seen parts of himself in will as he's been avoiding taking risks since he lost his wife he chooses to open himself up to the world again by traveling more and seeing what his luck brings after his final session will's friends give him a life-changing birthday gift a car it may not look like much but it symbolizes so much more free will he

isn't limited by public transport or rides from friends he can go anywhere and it's as if they will always be with him now feeling secure will decides to leave all of this behind emulating sean abandoning the baseball game for what he knew was right for him because will now knows what type of man he wants to become and that's how with patience and goodwill sean changes will hunting for the better over the course of eight sessions from the beginning of the story will has always felt trapped in foster care homes in detention centers in southie

even under lambeau's supervision and guidance he's always been moved around like a pawn on a chessboard but sean unlocked will's ability to choose what he wants for himself so he follows his heart and drives to california to risk it all with skylar and while the opening shot was will stuck in a small dark room with the blinds shut reading about other people's experiences as a prisoner of fear the final shot is him driving down an open road truly living with unlimited possibility well you've made it this far so you might as well like comment and

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