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Jacob's Ladder Theme

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Ever wonder what hangs in the balance of life and death, how heaven and hell would appear? That’s a question that Jacob Singer encounters as he struggles to discern the difference between hallucinations and reality in a 1990 film, Jacob’s ladder, by Bruce Joel Rubin. In this film, Jacob Singer starts out as a happily married husband and father. After returning from a grisly battle in Vietnam, he finds himself years ahead and mourning the death of his son, divorced, and losing his grip with reality. Jacob now works as a postal carrier and has a new relationship with his coworker, Jezzie. Jacob tries to move on with his life but is surrounded by hallucinations and demons that haunt him. With the help of his ex-wife, girlfriend, and chiropractor, …show more content…
Is it scary? Yes, in more of a disturbing than jump out of you seat way, but more than that it is a riveting piece that compels the viewer to ponder the events that happen throughout the film. The viewer feels the need to follow the film through to the end to determine the outcome of Jacob’s delusions. The film has a universal theme that impacts all of its viewers. Hence the title, Jacob’s Ladder, the film hints on life and death and what lays between as it follows the basic outline of the Christian faith’s afterlife. In spite of the unsettling visuals and sometimes terrifying scenes, the film is essentially about coming to peace with one’s self. It is a story of a driven man and the unwillingness to let go of his family. The meaning of the film is briefly exposed by chiropractor Louis when he summarizes the philosophy of a 13th century theologian by saying: “Eckhart saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, and your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So, if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth. It's just a matter of how you look at it, that's all. So don't worry, okay?” (Rubin 1990). Though …show more content…
There are flashbacks of the war, and Jacob’s battle buddies briefly return, but the plot of the story is post war with little importance of the war pertaining to the main idea. More than just a conspiracy, and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) the flashbacks of the war are about how Jacob needs to let go of the past in order to achieve

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