“Get Out” was a movie I went into completely blind. I heard great things on the movie, it was directed by famous comedian Jordan Peele, and I generally like thrillers. I neglected to watch the trailer because I did not want it to give away anything. Needless to say, I was very surprised by this movie. In the first five minutes I wanted to leave because I thought it was going to be a really bad version of horror film with some low key comments on black culture. I didn’t want another boring movie about white civilization attempting to rid off the black community.
As the movie went along, I realized why “Get Out” has been grabbing so much media attention recently. “Get Out” is a true thriller not because of its jumpy moments and violent scenes but rather because the chills come from the heavy commentary and symbolism about white supremacy and the desire to obtain the great physical strengths that many black people possess. The symbolism shaped the movie and here’s why:
1. The Silver Spoon
If you’re like me then you couldn’t tell half the movie what the true effect of the tea cup and the silver spoon was. I didn’t know if it was the object of the person that was capable of making the hypnosis possible. This was made clear to me later when only the cup and spoon showed up on the TV screen for the hypnosis. The silver spoon was more than just an object for hypnosis though. It is a symbol of privilege. It is used to represent the privileges that whites are naturally born with and are lucky enough to possess. Using the spoon as the object to control the black community shows how the white population always holds that capability to assert what they think is “power over blacks”.
This symbol was very subtle but so powerful to the movie as a whole and how society is in the natural world. Many people still hold those invisible silver spoons. They think they can control those minorities with the simple twirl of the hand. This should not be the case and Chris proves this at the end of the movie when he knocks the tea cup and spoon off the table, thus proving that white culture can no longer control him.
2) The Deer
Deer are commonly thought of as weak and ignorant. They jump out in front of cars and die instantly- clearly not the most intelligent animal of all. Hunters go after deer because they’re easy to take advantage of, shoot and kill. Then they are stuffed and hung up as decoration on walls of bars and basements.
In “Get Out”, the comparison between the deer and the main character Chris is made quite clear from the beginning. Chris is very intrigued by the deer and feels particularly bad when they first hit it with the car. The connection between them only gets weirder when Rose’s father clearly states his deep hatred against the deer population and the need to exterminate them more. In the same sense, Rose’s father and rest of the family feels that they should hunt the black community and dissect them for their good physical attributes. They believe that the white community, particularly their family and friends would benefit from the strong genes of black individuals. Black people are not animals however and Chris proves this point in the way that he rebels against Rose’s family in the way that deer cannot fight back. He shows that the black community cannot be taken advantage of like hunted deer.
3) The Cereal
So clearly Rose is a messed up individual. That was made obvious as she was online stalking black men to date in the future with her stereotypical Google search of “best new basketball picks”. Also how she lied to Chris and dated him simply so that her family could take advantage of him and surgically take his best physical features for a white guy. Rose became truly messed up in my mind, however, when I saw her eat her cereal. She ate the milk and cereal separate. Each colored fruit loop was eaten slowly and carefully as she sipped her white milk from a straw in a separate cup. She did this to show her belief in the separation between “white” and “colored”. The way in which she ate the cereal one piece at a time, slowly and selectively showed how she picks out the colored men for their strong physical features and how each one will benefit her family.
The symbolism in “Get Out” was subtle and mysterious. The film did not bash black culture, nor did it go over the top with racist comments and openly stereotypical actions by the white population. However it did lowkey say something about our desire to be like black people. Racism still exists and white supremacy still exists. There are still individuals in this world who believe they are better than others. “Get Out” proved the opposite though.
It showed that while whites feel as though they can take advantage of the black community, they are still jealous of them. They wish to have the same physical strengths and capabilities that many African Americans possess since birth. However, they are too stuck up and ignorant to admit their jealousy. “Get Out” is a true thriller because it admits what white culture cannot. We are jealous of some attributes of black culture just as they may be jealous of some natural benefits that whites are born with. “Get Out” proves that we are a selfish society. Despite the color of our skin, we are always wishing to better ourselves and be like those we cannot be. The film reveals the hard truths of culture and the “terror” of trying to exist in this judgemental world.
