American History X and Racism

American History X is truly one of the most powerful films out there about the lasting effects of racism. Screenwriter David McKenna hit the nail on the head depicting the subtle ways in which racism is transferred across generations and the reasons why some people turn to hate groups. As Production President Michael De Luca states, "What this film says is what is learned and passed down in your family can get unlearned" (Welkos).

Cleary the main characters Derek (Edward Norton) and Danny (Edward Furlong) show the viewer that hate is learned. At first, it seems like their family life was okay before their father was killed, but we quickly learn that their father (William Russ) was a likeable but very racist man. The dinner conversation that takes place shocks the viewer into understanding exactly how such racist people are made. While their mother (Beverly D'Angelo) is much more moderate, both boys idolize their father and pay heed to his racist views. When he is killed and the family begins a slow spiral downhill, it becomes easy for the boys to blame all black people for his death. They join a Neo-Nazi group and the whole family plummets. The climax is Derek killing a man in a horribly brutal and dehumanized way. At this point in the movie, the music is almost religious and the imagery is straight from the Bible. Derek is the Christ-figure with the twisted cross (swastika) on his chest. He is all-powerful and unrepentant for what he has done. He goes to prison and is changed there by a few things-being victim to a brutal crime by a white man and becoming friends with a very decent black man.

When he finally gets out of prison, his family is completely in a state of decline financially, and he attempts to turn his life around. The most powerful image is he and Danny dismantling their bedroom of all the Neo-Nazi paraphernalia. Derek is "reborn" in a sense and the movie itself turns to color from black and white, just as Derek's world turns to color. He realizes that what he believed was wrong and doesn't see things quite so clearly anymore. In a final heart wrenching scene, Danny is killed to pay for his brother quitting the Neo-Nazi group. Derek arrives on the scene right after this has happened and cradles his brother's bloody and lifeless body.

While Derek has attempted to change his life, he has lost his brother. In the wake of this tragedy, the viewer knows that Derek will not return to his old ways of violence begetting violence. He will find a way to pack his family up and move them away in an attempt to lead a more normal life.

This movie provides the viewer an inside look at the activities of Neo-Nazi groups, which is downright scary. And even in the face of this tragedy, the viewer has hope that racism can indeed be turned around and "unlearned" so to speak. While Danny Kaye (director) did not see the project to completion, the movie provides a haunting look at racism and does not come off as too preachy.

Works Cited

Welkos. R. (1998). The Thin Line Between Fear and Hate. The Lost Angeles Times.
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