The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2004) Movie Analysis

Section 1: Nature & Nurture

There was a boy named Benjamin Button, he was born as an abnormal child with an old
appearance, but raised as normal kids so he grows up without feral. Nature is something you
born with at a first place and Nurture is how the environment around you effects you and make
you into this or that person. In this case, Benjamin Button born as a child which has an
appearance like old guys. He was left by his father when he was a baby. The things that
considered is that inside, hes a baby but outside hes an old guy. Its happened reverse in ages
for him. So nature for him is that he was different from others in his appearance. But nurture is
similar to other in a way of mind and how he thinks as kids. He was brought up by a step-mother,
named Queniee, she take care him like normal kids by love and care, when he grows up even his
appearance was abnormal but inside he still has good mental health. This is why he doesn't grow
up as a feral child.

Queenie, mother of Benjamin Button have used an authoritative parenting style to adopted
him from the first place, this leads to cognitive development by himself. She used a style of
authoritative as we can see that Benjamin was abnormal kids and can't-do lots of things by
himself so his mother taught him to use a wheelchair and walking stick. She taught him how to
live a life as normal kids, dont force him to do things that he doesn't want, ex. The scene that she
takes him to the bower where lots of religious people are praying for their hope. Queenie, took
him to pray for his future and the host encouraged him to walk on his own, hes tried once but
fails, his mother cheer him on his side. Finally, he did it and be able to walk on his own. This
what makes his mother like an authoritative presenting style. She doesn't force him to do things
but still support him whether he wants or not. This seems to positive effects on cognitive and
social development for him.

According to Jean Piagets Principles of Gradual Development, you can see that Benjamin
went through all of these stages. From the start, Maturation, Benjamin born as kids that have an
appearance like an old guy he start to grew up younger and younger, but inside of him he still be
the kid. Then on the Gaining Experience stages, he had met a lot of situations that make him
getting old as he has more life experience. The example is when he needs to find a way home
alone when he was around 7-8 years old. Normally he always has a friend or someone to take
care him, but this time he needs to take care of himself. Next stage is Social Transmission, his
parent not involved much in his life, they just guide him what is right and wrong. The last stage
was The process of equilibrium, as he realized that hes not the same as other he needs to accept
it and live along with it.
Section 2: Understanding about Genders and Conformity

At first, he doesn't know the differents between boys and girl. You can see in the scene
when Benjamin and Daisy were playing at night under the bed, he doesn't know that boys and
girls werent permitted play at night together, and they screamed by Daisys mother. As he grow
up and has more experience in his life, he went abroad to find his work and his life, then he sees
that girl can be friends and also a mother of the family. As he works as a crew on the boat,
captain Mike takes him to the nightclub (cathouse), he learned to have sex with a woman and
seeing that it is the meaning of life. He got more and more into the girl. When he went to met
captain he sees a girl next door and in love with her, they have sex together and kind of fall in
love. Refer to the perception of Benjamin to Gender, its change over time as he gained more
experience.

From the start, Benjamin was experienced in a lot of situation that involved in groupthink.
When he about nine or ten his mother take him to the place like a church where lots of religious
people pray for their hope. He was there and were laughed by the group as an abnormal kids this
is the illusion of invulnerability by the body language from them make him embarrassed to try
things and stand in front. People start to cheer, tried to make him walk for the first time, this is a
direct pressure that has on him. The last group thinks is when he tried to stand by himself he
believed that he can do it and finally he can walk without any help, this situation is the Belief in
inherent morality. As we see, Benjamin was a kid that gained a lot of experience through
groupthink, it happened and has a lot of effects in his life.

Section 3: Adulthood, Old Age, and Death

In the four stages of adulthood, Benjamin went trough all of it but its kind of different from the
other as he grows up from old to young. In the step of early adulthood, Benjamin turns 18, he
grows enough to live a life by himself so he leaves the house and went to work with Captain
Mike. Entering the adult hood, he can take care himself, be able to make his own decision and
achieve his goal in the future. Benjamin pass through his decision- making when he decides to
go to war with some of the crews to help the United States Navy fight. Turn to Transition, with
Levinsons Theory, at the age of 28 - 32, men start to adjust their life style. You can see when
Benjamin met Daisy and decides to move out from the house. Then when he is around 33-39
years old, he makes his life more stable by selling his father's house and move into a house with
Daisy. As he moves to an old stage he realizes that one day he will die, he cant do things he
wants and get angry easily.

As he getting older every day he realizes that one day he would die as a kid. According to
Kulbler-Rosss Stages of Grief Theory, the first stage Denied" , Benjamin think that he cant be
a good father as he growing younger. He cant except it and decided to move out from the house.
Next stage, anger, he said to him self that why it happens to me, why I need to be like this. In the
next step, bargaining, ha tried to change it to get away from his family because ha cant be a
good father. Depression is when he moves out and need to live a life alone he missed his family
but can't-do anything to change it. Lastly, acceptance, he realizes that every people need to die
one day, as he becomes a boy he cant change things. About his wife, as she getting older she
also takes care of Benjamin whose getting younger, she can accept the truth from the beginning,
when he died she did not sad but glad that she can stay with him until the end.