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Rain Man Essay

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Rain Man Essay Autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests in delays of "social interaction, language as used in social communication, or symbolic or imaginative play," with "onset prior to age 3 years," according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Some of the symptoms of Autism include: Lack of awareness of feelings of others and the expression of emotions, such as pleasure (laughing) or distress (crying), for reasons not apparent to others; Poor use of body language and nonverbal communication, such as eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures; Insisting on following routines and sameness, resisting change; Ritualistic or compulsive behaviors; Narrow, restricted interests (dates/calendars, numbers, weather, movie credits); Throwing tantrums and having no apparent fear of dangerous situations.

In the movie Rain Man aka Raymond uses many rituals and routines to make himself feel safe. He memorized the times of all the TV shows that he watches on a daily basis and when Raymond was unable to watch those TV shows he freaked out so badly that Charlie felt the need to go up to a strangers house and ask if his brother could watch TV. Every morning Charlie demanded that he have pancakes with the syrup on the table before they arrive. When Raymond was feeling uncomfortable he began repeating something he heard on the radio called “Who’s On Bat”, he also demanded that his bed be by the window and that he have underwear from a certain K- Mart. Many People use Routines and Rituals such as waking up and drinking coffee every morning, doing their homework when they get home and praying before they go to sleep. The only difference between a normal person and Raymond is that Raymond has autism and having these routines and rituals is a symptom of his disorder. Dustin Hoffman’s Role as Raymond was very convincing. I am not very familiar with people that have autism but I could by the way he dazed into space with a far-off look and walked really stiff almost like he was unaware of his body convinced me that there was something really different about him. During the movie Charlie, Raymond’s younger brother, used Raymond’s amazing savant abilities to win poker games at a casino. Charlie had an unfair advantage but I don’t think it was wrong or immoral because Raymond was not illegally playing and Charlie wasn’t forcing him to play. At the end of the movie it was apparent that Raymond and Charlie both had changed for the better. In the beginning Charley had little patience for Raymond and he didn’t treat him like his brother or a person but and object that would get him what he wanted but as he spent time with Charlie he became more patient and understanding, he grew attached to him and began to appreciate the person that Raymond was. Charley went through a lot of changes during those weeks but Raymond experienced ground breking changes like making physical contact with Charlie, changing his feeling towards K-Mart, allowing Charlie to touch him and allowing his brother to teach him how to dance.

I really liked the movie Rain Man in a way it changed my outlook on autistic people in general. I thought Raymond was really sweet and it was touching watching Charley and Raymond bond and seeing how Charley grew to love Raymond and I think that deep down Raymond had began to love Charlie too. This movie reminded me of the movie “I Am Sam” Sam got through life uses routines and rituals that helped him stay organized, he used his TV like any other person would use a clock to help him take care of his daughter.

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