Subsidiarity In Beasts Of The Southern Wild

In Beasts of the Southern Wild, the city of Bathtub undergoes extreme climate conditions and flooding disasters. The flooding effects Hushpuppy, the main character, and her father Wink by means of their relationship and living conditions. Bathtub is a small community, inhabited by rural louisiana citizens who value togetherness and are close knit as a group. They come together to survive the flooding in their community and by doing so, they represent several Catholic Social Teaching themes such as solidarity and life and dignity of a human person. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops defines solidarity as unity within a community, no matter the racial, national, ethnic, economic, or ideological differences (Usccb 1). The concept

Hushpuppy, her father, and family friends resisted evacuation until the last moment because they wanted control over their personal community. When evacuated, the idea of subsidiarity came into action. Subsidiarity is explained as the government and large organizations being put into exist to solely serve the common good of humans, families, and communities (Windley-Daoust 61). In an article examining why people refused to evacuate during Hurricane Katrina, 27% of the people living in new Orleans did not own a car, which caused more difficulty and expense (Wade 1). This is similar to the situation in Bathtub because all the citizens within that community were impoverished and lacked the necessities required for substantial life. Hushpuppy and her father, Wink, lived in two separate mobile homes that were located in the middle of the bayou. Their living conditions lacked proper toiletry, proper food providers, and proper living space. Hushpuppy’s community believed they had a right to remain in their hometown and stick together to defeat the life-threatening flooding. Bathtub’s community prided itself in how they lived their life in the

The bayou was built to accommodate a small group and hushpuppy’s family friends and herself grew accustomed to the lifestyle of the Bathtub. When they were forcibly evacuated, Little Jo says “ I ain't never left here and I won't never will” (Beasts of the Southern Wild). Everyone in Bathtub was familiarized only with what they lived in and they wanted to keep their dignity by remaining in the city. The government in Louisiana denied them of their human dignity by forcing them away from what they valued most. In the movie, Hushpuppy says “when it all goes quiet behind my eyes, I see everything that made me flying around me in invisible pieces. I see that I am a little piece of a big, big universe” (Beasts of the Southern Wild). Justice is defined as the quality of being just, righteous, equitable, and moral. Being a “little piece of a big, big universe” reflects my understanding of justice because if I, as one person, act justly or unjustly then it will affect the world for better or for worse. “Right relationship” is shown in the movie when the city of Bathtub is flooded and the whole community must come together to ensure the safety of each other. All the pieces of the world come together so that the universe functions properly and when one small piece does not perform correctly, it throws off how the universe works. For example, when a community works together to recycle, it helps the