Divine Intervention In Sling Blade

The laws on my side: Divine intervention in Sling Blade

The 1996 film directed by Billy Bob Thornton, Sling Blade (1996), is a dramatic story of a simple man who comes face to face with a difficult choice. Billy Bob Thornton not only directed Sling Blade, but also wrote the screenplay as well as playing the films lead role, Karl Childers(Billy Bob Thornton). Thornton was awarded with an Oscar for the screenplay, which he wrote in longhand, as well as being nominated for an Oscar for his acting in Sling Blade. Throughout the film, a variety of hardships Karl has faced are revealed. Such as, his living arrangements as a child, which included being isolated from his family in a shed and being forced to bury his only brother. Despite Karl's poor

Kempley compares Thorntons character to that of other beloved dim-witted characters by saying how Karl “stands alone in the confederacy of endearing dunces that is also home to the Gomers, Goobers, and Gumps of folksy fiction.” She then goes on to refer to Karl as a homicidal maniac, albeit a lovable one. After spending 25 years in an Arkansas state hospital for the criminally insane, Karl is content with his simple existence. Kempley explains how, considering his previous arrangements, “the stark institution was a veritable mansion” and reminds everyone about how Karl is lacking in friends and family. Karl's father, played by Robert Duvall, is Karl's only relative and he refuses to forgive Karl. It must have been terrible for Karl's father to learn about his wife having an affair and being murdered at the same time. Also, knowing that his son was to blame for her death along with the death of her lover, Jesse Dixon, was too much for Karl's religious father to accept. The closest thing to a friend Karl has leaving the facility is the warden (James Hampton) who introduced him to the owner of the local repair shop, Bill Cox (Rick Dial), and Scooter (Brent Briscoe). Kempley introduces Frank (Lucas Black), Frank's mother (Natalie Canerday), and Doyle (Dwight Yoakam) hinting to the similarities in Karl's current situation and the situation he

This allowed Thornton to encapsulate every aspect of his characters identity which truly brings Karl to life. While there does not seem to be much going on inside the mind of Karl, there is definitely more going on than first meets the eye. His parents believed he was a punishment sent from God, which is why he was shunned and condemned to the confines of a shed as a child. Little did Karl know how much of an impact he would make on the world as he sat in his shed and stared at the ground. Without having killed his first two victims, Karl may not have survived long having to depend on his unloving family. They received their comeuppance in order for Karl to be available when he was needed for a more noble cause. Living most of his life in a facility, his idea of what to do outside of it was telling the warden “I reckon I can just walk around till morning time. Set and read a book somewheres”. Had Karl been successful in walking around and reading, it would have made for a far more productive night than he ended up having whilst at the warden's home. Karl spent the first night of his freedom sitting on the edge of a bed staring blankly and even had the decency to straighten out the wrinkles he had made. Karl's mind seems to be too small for his heart, and his aptitude for staring at nothingness