I Am Sam

Summary

I Am Sam is about a mentally challenged man who impregnates a homeless woman that abandons him and the newborn baby right after being released from the hospital. The father goes out of his way to take care of his daughter, with the help of his neighbor, until he loses custody. He then seeks the help of an expensive self-centered lawyer to help regain custody of his daughter.

In the movie I Am Sam Sam is the main character. He is a middle-aged mentally challenged man who has a daughter that he has been left to raise on his own. Sam has the mental capacity of a 7 year old. He goes above and beyond his way to take care of his daughter Lucy. Sam works at Starbucks and is a very enthusiastic and motivated employee. He keeps things neat

However, other characters who did not know him treated him as a stereotype. Sam lived a normal life. He worked and took care of Lucy. Sam was a very dedicated worker and was always friendly to the customers. He did not have a car so he rode the bus everywhere and knew the bus schedule very well. Sam also had a group of friends that he did everyday life activities with such as, watching movies, hanging out, and going out to eat. As a father, Sam read Lucy a book every night, cooked for her, washed her clothes, and ensured that she got to school and soccer practice. Sam struggled with counting money when making purchases. Because of his intellectual disability, he struggled with reading. Every night Sam read Dr. Seuss “Green Eggs and Ham” to Lucy. When Lucy’s teacher gave her a new book, Sam attempted to read it to her as a bedtime story. “Your teacher gave you a really hard book this time. It’s really hard” (Nelson, 2001). When Lucy saw her father becoming upset, she told him she no longer liked that book and just wanted to read “Green Eggs and Ham”, which made Sam very happy. Sam’s language is that of a child’s. When he was arrested he said, “He toucheded me on my private place” (Nelson, 2001). When Lucy’s friend Connor came over for dinner, he had very rude comments. He called Sam a retard and told Lucy that he doesn’t know anything because he’s a retard. Connor then goes on to mock Sam, “Sorry Mr. Egg” (Nelson,

Object of Ridicule was portrayed when Lucy’s classmates made fun of Sam. Her classmate Connor came over for dinner and asked Lucy, “What’s wrong with your father? Why’s he acting like a retard?” (Nelson, 2001). Connor laughed at Sam while he mocked him. Lucy and Sam then attended a Halloween party at her school. As Sam danced, the kids pointed and laughed at him. Lucy’s facial expressions also showed embarrassment that her father was being laughed at by her