What happens on Monday?
The Breakfast Club, it can be argued, epitomized a generation. The story of five teenagers coming together to ignore the differences that originally separated them resonated greatly with real-life teenagers growing up in the 1980’s, an era rife with materialism and class distinctions. The final scene of the film (John Bender holding his left fist aloft in triumph) seems to portray that the teens have made a lifelong breakthrough and would be changed people when school starts again. Unfortunately, this idealism is short lived, as the quintet, I will argue, comes back to school on Monday as if nothing has happened.
Let us examine Monday through Claire’s eyes. Upon arriving, she meets up with her clique of rich, snobby, WASP girls (assuming they are mostly girls, likely “princesses” like Claire). They probably tell fabulous stories about their wonderful weekends spent on the yacht or at Stubbie’s party. Would Claire want to discuss her forbidden kiss with Bender? If she does, the rest of the clique would respond with looks of shock, whispers, and gasps. Then, one of two scenarios would take place: the rest of the girls would convince Claire that Bender is not to be cavorted with and that there are plenty of rich, handsome, debonair young men itching to be with her. Even though these girls do not necessarily care about Claire as a person, they know that their image as a group will be sullied if one of their number is seen fraternizing with a member of the lowest rung of the high school societal ladder. They will set Claire straight; or, the second scenario, they will abandon her completely.
Assume the former scenario first. Claire is characterized as a girl who loves feeling safe. This need for safety is the reason she does not leave her parents to live with her brother, even though her parents are less than ideal. This sense for safety is also the reason that Claire has remained a member of her clique for such a long time. The girls in the clique are similar to Claire, and she FEELS accepted, even if it is not so in the truest sense of the word. For Claire to ignore the group that has made her into a “respected” member of high-school society, she would have to enter into a world of the unknown, something that Claire, it can be surmised, is unable to do.
Also, it is important to remember that Claire is easily convinced. She shared, after only moderate prodding, her darkest secrets – virginity, family problems – with mere acquaintances. The idea that she is easily persuaded points to Claire’s desire to please those around her, especially those that are close to her. This being the case, why would she alienate her closest “friends”[1] to reach out to one considered to be among the dregs of society? It would be easy to conclude that the other members of Claire’s clique would be able to convince her to forget about Bender and remain in her comfort zone.
However, on the off chance that we have underestimated Claire’s desire for Bender, let’s assume that the second scenario took place. After Claire told her clique about her Saturday, they left her. In all likelihood, she would retreat to Bender, the boy who she left her safety net for. How would Bender respond to her, whilst he is surrounded by his own clique? Bender, in the film, is quite unique. He seems to undergo the least amount of internal changes; rather, he is the one who is enlightening the other four to the realities of life. Be that as it may, Bender still did not go out of his way, before the detention, to talk to other students outside his own circle of friends. Bender did not have the “eureka” moment the other four had because he knew what he wanted at the beginning (Claire) and did not rest until he got her, doing things his way. This is in stark contrast to Claire, who realized she was not as well liked as it seemed; Andy, who fell for Allison even though she had no friends; Brian, who learned that doing what one loves to do is more important than what others want; and Allison, who found out how to be open with others and not fear for an inevitable abandonment. Bender learned nothing – he will be in detention the following week, continuing to raise hell. Since he was still the same person before and after detention, it is safe to assume that he will act the same in school as well.
The movie suggests that the only way Bender would fraternize with Claire would be if he told all his friends that he was sexually active with her. Let’s go to extremes and imagine that this is actually the case. It would probably be safe to say that Claire would slowly become more like Bender. She would no longer have her circle of princesses and would be with Bender quite often. She would likely adopt his mannerisms and habits – recreational drugs, rebelliousness, sexual activity – both because she has a strong desire to please and her ability to be persuaded. If she became more like Bender, she would logically become part of the “criminal” clique, which would go against the main theme of the movie.
The film claims that cliques are unnecessary because we are all similar in different, but myriad, ways. This clashes with the inherent human desire to be accepted, to be a part of something bigger than oneself. If Claire were to be kicked out of her group, she would inevitably find a new group, one that would accentuate a different side of her. The movie is correct in implying that there are many different facets that make up an individual, but too idealistic in believing that all of these facets will be present at all times. All humans, especially teens, will gravitate toward those with similar interests (or a similar interest) so that they can feel understood and accepted.
The Breakfast Club coming together during detention was a matter of convenience. The human desire is to be accepted by peers, so these kids went out of their way to find commonalities between each other during detention, perhaps to relieve boredom and make time go by faster. To think, however, that the kids would be close on Monday goes against their characterizations. The kids each have a (semi) comfortable clique that they can call their own, one that they can return to on Monday without a second thought.
The main desire of the quintessential 80’s kid is to be comfortable. These five teens did just that during detention – made a bad situation into something that can be construed as positive. To think, however, that they would forgo the safety and comfort of an established clique and embrace students from all over the high school societal map would be too idealistic.
*I only examined the relationship between Bender and Claire because it provided the most relevant points. Still, there’s a lot to be said about Andy and Allison, especially considering Andy only looked at her after she was made up to be traditionally pretty. Also, the group’s decision to appoint Brian to do the dirty work of writing the paper is important as well. It shows that they see him, still, as a brain who writes papers for fun. It also shows Brian as a boy still aching to fit in, and will do whatever he can to do it.
The Breakfast Club, it can be argued, epitomized a generation. The story of five teenagers coming together to ignore the differences that originally separated them resonated greatly with real-life teenagers growing up in the 1980’s, an era rife with materialism and class distinctions. The final scene of the film (John Bender holding his left fist aloft in triumph) seems to portray that the teens have made a lifelong breakthrough and would be changed people when school starts again. Unfortunately, this idealism is short lived, as the quintet, I will argue, comes back to school on Monday as if nothing has happened.
Let us examine Monday through Claire’s eyes. Upon arriving, she meets up with her clique of rich, snobby, WASP girls (assuming they are mostly girls, likely “princesses” like Claire). They probably tell fabulous stories about their wonderful weekends spent on the yacht or at Stubbie’s party. Would Claire want to discuss her forbidden kiss with Bender? If she does, the rest of the clique would respond with looks of shock, whispers, and gasps. Then, one of two scenarios would take place: the rest of the girls would convince Claire that Bender is not to be cavorted with and that there are plenty of rich, handsome, debonair young men itching to be with her. Even though these girls do not necessarily care about Claire as a person, they know that their image as a group will be sullied if one of their number is seen fraternizing with a member of the lowest rung of the high school societal ladder. They will set Claire straight; or, the second scenario, they will abandon her completely.
Assume the former scenario first. Claire is characterized as a girl who loves feeling safe. This need for safety is the reason she does not leave her parents to live with her brother, even though her parents are less than ideal. This sense for safety is also the reason that Claire has remained a member of her clique for such a long time. The girls in the clique are similar to Claire, and she FEELS accepted, even if it is not so in the truest sense of the word. For Claire to ignore the group that has made her into a “respected” member of high-school society, she would have to enter into a world of the unknown, something that Claire, it can be surmised, is unable to do.
Also, it is important to remember that Claire is easily convinced. She shared, after only moderate prodding, her darkest secrets – virginity, family problems – with mere acquaintances. The idea that she is easily persuaded points to Claire’s desire to please those around her, especially those that are close to her. This being the case, why would she alienate her closest “friends”[1] to reach out to one considered to be among the dregs of society? It would be easy to conclude that the other members of Claire’s clique would be able to convince her to forget about Bender and remain in her comfort zone.
However, on the off chance that we have underestimated Claire’s desire for Bender, let’s assume that the second scenario took place. After Claire told her clique about her Saturday, they left her. In all likelihood, she would retreat to Bender, the boy who she left her safety net for. How would Bender respond to her, whilst he is surrounded by his own clique? Bender, in the film, is quite unique. He seems to undergo the least amount of internal changes; rather, he is the one who is enlightening the other four to the realities of life. Be that as it may, Bender still did not go out of his way, before the detention, to talk to other students outside his own circle of friends. Bender did not have the “eureka” moment the other four had because he knew what he wanted at the beginning (Claire) and did not rest until he got her, doing things his way. This is in stark contrast to Claire, who realized she was not as well liked as it seemed; Andy, who fell for Allison even though she had no friends; Brian, who learned that doing what one loves to do is more important than what others want; and Allison, who found out how to be open with others and not fear for an inevitable abandonment. Bender learned nothing – he will be in detention the following week, continuing to raise hell. Since he was still the same person before and after detention, it is safe to assume that he will act the same in school as well.
The movie suggests that the only way Bender would fraternize with Claire would be if he told all his friends that he was sexually active with her. Let’s go to extremes and imagine that this is actually the case. It would probably be safe to say that Claire would slowly become more like Bender. She would no longer have her circle of princesses and would be with Bender quite often. She would likely adopt his mannerisms and habits – recreational drugs, rebelliousness, sexual activity – both because she has a strong desire to please and her ability to be persuaded. If she became more like Bender, she would logically become part of the “criminal” clique, which would go against the main theme of the movie.
The film claims that cliques are unnecessary because we are all similar in different, but myriad, ways. This clashes with the inherent human desire to be accepted, to be a part of something bigger than oneself. If Claire were to be kicked out of her group, she would inevitably find a new group, one that would accentuate a different side of her. The movie is correct in implying that there are many different facets that make up an individual, but too idealistic in believing that all of these facets will be present at all times. All humans, especially teens, will gravitate toward those with similar interests (or a similar interest) so that they can feel understood and accepted.
The Breakfast Club coming together during detention was a matter of convenience. The human desire is to be accepted by peers, so these kids went out of their way to find commonalities between each other during detention, perhaps to relieve boredom and make time go by faster. To think, however, that the kids would be close on Monday goes against their characterizations. The kids each have a (semi) comfortable clique that they can call their own, one that they can return to on Monday without a second thought.
The main desire of the quintessential 80’s kid is to be comfortable. These five teens did just that during detention – made a bad situation into something that can be construed as positive. To think, however, that they would forgo the safety and comfort of an established clique and embrace students from all over the high school societal map would be too idealistic.
*I only examined the relationship between Bender and Claire because it provided the most relevant points. Still, there’s a lot to be said about Andy and Allison, especially considering Andy only looked at her after she was made up to be traditionally pretty. Also, the group’s decision to appoint Brian to do the dirty work of writing the paper is important as well. It shows that they see him, still, as a brain who writes papers for fun. It also shows Brian as a boy still aching to fit in, and will do whatever he can to do it.
[1] I put “friends” in quotation marks because the clique doesn’t really KNOW the others…a more appropriate moniker would be “teens who share some common bonds.”
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