Little Miss Sunshine Belonging Analysis

Journeys can be driven by the desire to escape to a better place, but the process itself is just as significant as it discovers and transforms an individual’s perspective and identity. In Crossing the Red Sea, the migrants’ journey from war-torn Europe is ironically at a standstill, forcing them to contemplate their past and present circumstances. The voyage is a source of alleviation from emotional seclusion demonstrated through the personification “Voices left their caves / Silence fell from its shackles”, creating a mood of hope. Negatively, however, the migrants’ “limbo-like” status is highlighted by the metaphor of “patches and shreds / of dialogue”, creating a pessimistic tone increasing the sense of lost identity. The metaphor of “a

The Hoover family is demonstrated as dysfunctional, throughout the opening sequence of the film, as it introduced characters individually, through a series of close ups of each. Beginning with a pulse-like non-diegetic music, each new character introduced is accompanied by the adding of a new instrument to this beat, an instrument that causes reflection on the personality of the character being introduced. When the family is in the bus, Edwin “didn’t wanted [Dwayne] making the same mistakes, [as he] made when [he] was young” demonstrating that Edwin didn’t wanted Dwayne to follow his footsteps, as Edwin began to live his life, too late. The dysfunctionality emphasises the difficult journey of discovering and transforming the negative attitudes of the family, just as the restful, healing nature of a sea journey in Crossing the Red Sea, is a significant step in allowing the migrants’ feelings to discover and transform from the horror of war to the hope for peace and

The difference between a winner and loser is emphasised when Olive tries to impersonate a winner of an “American beauty pageant” while watching her on television. Rather than being tall and graceful, Olive is obese and short wearing oversized glasses foreshadowing the outcome of Olive entering a beauty contest. However, according to her grandfather Edwin’s theory of winners and losers, Olive “is not a loser”, as in his definition, “a real loser is someone who's so afraid of not winning, that they don't even try”. Hence the idea of trying to win suggests the importance of the journey towards such a goal. As indicated in Ithaka, overcoming the obstacles along the way is the aspect of a journey that develops individuals to the point they are able to either achieve their goal, or feel happy to walk away from it. The journey to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, and the obstacles overcome along the way, re-unites the family. The discoveries made and transformative aspect of journeys which catalyse their inner growth illustrates the family’s new