Character Analysis: Ryan Bingham
Imagine waking up tomorrow with nothing… kind of exhilarating isn’t it? This is the mantra and philosophy of the protagonist in the Oscar nominated film, “Up In The Air.” Effectively, he has constructed a life for himself where ever morning, he does wake up with nothing. He has deluded himself into thinking that this is the life he wants, so much so that he even gives motivational speeches about the merits of his way of life. He is free of the weight of family, friends, a home, or any possessions other than the elite status cards he has earned at hotels and airlines across the country. However, his confidence in his work and the lifestyle he has chosen is only a veil to cover intrinsic emotional insecurities. Does waking up tomorrow with nothing still sound exhilarating?
Superficially, Ryan appears to be a picture of confidence. His entire existence is based around flying and firing people. When your career is traveling the country, putting people through the worst day of their lives, and assuring them that everything is going to be fine, confidence is a very important thing to exude. That is what makes him the best at what he does. When people leave the office having been let go, he instills at least a little hope that a new beginning is coming, and that this could be an opportunity for a new, better life. His work is his whole life. Where the goals of most people in their lives have at least something to do with family and human connections, Ryan’s one and only goal is to fly ten million miles to get the ultimate elite status card.
In contrast to Ryan, his two sisters, although quirky, seem to be living normal lives. They both have homes, one is getting divorced, and the other is getting married. It makes the viewer wonder what happened in Ryan’s life specifically that has given him this complex of avoiding human