This film is replete with symbols. Some of them are blatantly obvious (ant farm); others are not. This is just a thread to discuss the meaning of some of them. One in particular that I've been trying to figure out is the fish eating Tom's leg in the makeout scene. I know, it's just a hallucination, but the screenwriter chose it, and he chose it for a reason: it means something.
Anyone have any idea what?
As Tom said, "the fish stinks from the head down". Their founder (or CEO or whatever he was?) is a kleptomaniac. He's doing something wrong. And after spending a month in the building, rebreathing the same air, he has perhaps been affected or tainted in some way. He's making out with another man's girlfriend and doing drugs. The first might not be illegal, but the second is. Both of these things he is doing in order to cope with being in the building complex for a month. Having spent half of his life in the company, Mr. Mather resorts to stealing as a coping mechanism. The fish is a physical symbol of his illegal and immoral actions.
I regard *the novel* as the ultimate form in which the novel manifests.
- William Gibson
i personally enjoy the fact people use a bottle of marbles to break windows so they can jump out, somewhat possibly symbolizing the fact all the people are bottled up in said buildings. a perfect circle or meaning through meaningless things.
share"Both of these things he is doing in order to cope with being in the building complex for a month."
Although i do believe your reasoning, i don't think he uses the drugs for an escapist reason because hes been in the complex for a month, he obviously already had the drugs, i believe that he has been using this for what may be years (although they don't elaborate)
Im not an avid drug user or defender but i think this was a miss conecption
It's true he had the drugs beforehand, but it's still a manner of coping with the situation.
Also to note in symbolism is the astronaut thing that Brad spends time on, trying to get him upright & off the ground (no gravity effect of course). Pretty much represents the struggle to get on your feet and get up & moving, and when he gets the astronaut up it represents the feeling of doing so.
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The tree that does not branch, hides rot within.
Haven't seen the film for a while now, however my take on the drugs, at least Filipo's intake of marijuana is to juxtapose the air he's breathing inside the buildings. Most of society views inhalation of marijuana to be a negative thing, however it's the air pumping through this corporate prison that creates the negative effect on it's consumers.
Just a little thought.
I wouldn't mind viewing it again, being more vigilant in my hunt for symbolism and metaphors.
I remember him telling Curt that he was smoking pot to take the edge off the bet (staying in the building all that time).
"The fish stinks from the head down, am I the tail?"
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