A Synopsis of Christopher Taggi’s Movie 95 Essay

Renowned American film producer Cecil B. DeMille once said, â€Å"What I have crossed out I didn’t like. What I haven’t crossed out I’m dissatisfied with.† (â€Å"Cecil B. DeMille Quotes.† brainyquote.com. Brainy Quote, n.d. Web. 05 Oct.2012.) This persistent feeling of dissatisfaction is suggested in Christopher Taggi’s â€Å"95,† in which the protagonist is discontent with his current life condition and keeps driving on the highway to look for better opportunities. In fact, the author points out that in contemporary society people are dissatisfied because of their insatiable desire for wanting more. This sad reality is illustrated by the protagonist’s parents, who are constantly moving from one place to another to try find opportunies, the protagonist Hank himself, who desires more than what he already has, and the highway that symbolizes people’s everlasting demand. The unfortunate fact of people feeling dissatisfied because of their avaricious desires is demonstrated by the characterization of Hank’s parents. When Hank was young, he and his parents were continually moving from here to there. His parents were never satisfied with what they had and were always looking for opportunities that would give them better jobs and make them wealthier and happier. From Hank’s descriptions of his father† touching things absently† (4) and† his eyes clouded with the nowhere stare,† (4) the author suggests that his father doesn’t enjoy his life. Also, when they stopped for food during car trips, Hank noticed that his father would only have a glass of water. Even if his father explained that: â€Å"No sense in buying something you don’t feel like eating,† (4) Hank knew that his parents were poor. This justifies his parents’ motivation of constantly moving. His father also used to say: â€Å"Opportunity, it makes people rich, makes people famous. All you have to do is go out there and find it.† (4) Contrary to what his parents believed, even after all the years of searching, they never found the right opportunity and obtained what they wanted. This suggests that Hank’s parents, like many people in modern society, will not find happiness because they live with insatiable desires and therefore will not get the feeling of satisfaction in their lives. The characterization of Hank himself also shows how people in the contemporary society always want more. For example, when Hank woke up from his dream about his socks, he realized that† nothing good or special or wonderful has happened to him.† (7) This shows that Frank is idealistic and has superfluous expectations in life. Also, Hank has a nice girlfriend who cares about him and loves him, but he still thinks about how he would leave her even though there are no reasons for him to do so. When his girlfriend asks him if he was happy, he says, â€Å"Sometimes I am. Mostly, I guess I just feel like I can’t be really happy. Just missing something important.† (7) Another passage would be when his girlfriend asked him if he likes her, he answered:†sometimes I like you and maybe I think I even love you a little. And sometimes I hate you.† (7) We can see that Hank is uncertain about his feelings for his girlfriend and if she is the person that he wants to be with. Those are typical examples of a person who is not sure about what he wants and believes that there is always something better waiting for him. The thing that is missing for Hank is simply appreciating what he already possesses. From this reasoning, it is clear that great numbers of people from the twentieth century are just like Hank, they can’t find happiness simply because they are insatiable. The highway is an important symbol used by the author to signify the notion that contemporary people are dissatisfied and always want more. Hank and his parents used to drive on the highway because they wanted more than what they have and the highway offered opportunities. When Hank is driving with his girlfriend on the highway, he sees many billboards that attract him. Especially one billboard on which was written† LUCKY LEO’S FIREWORK EMPORIUM, it boomed in explosive neon colors. LARGEST SUPPLY OF FIREWORKS IN ALL DIXIE! FREE PARKING and DELICIOUS RESTAURANT. 20Ml.† (4) However, when Hank finally gets there, all he finds is the emptiness of an abandoned place. He could see that â€Å"the largest supply of fireworks in all of Dixie must have gone off simultaneously a long time ago. Only the charred, outer brick shell of the building remained.† (5) This suggests that people like Hank, who always wish for more will often get disappointed by the reality and then again return to their initial state of dissatisfaction. The symbolism of the highway proves how people in contemporary society feel dissatisfied because of their everlasting demand. Thus, Christopher Taggi’s â€Å"95† suggests that people in the contemporary society are suffering from dissatisfaction. This is demonstrated by the characterization of Hank’s parents, who always try to find a better life, Hank himself, who is never satisfied with what he already has and the highway that symbolizes how people believe that better things are waiting for them. Work Cited Taggi,Christopher. â€Å"95.† Voices of the Xiled: A Generation Speakers For Itself. Eds. Michael Wexler and John Hulme. New York: Doubleday, 1994. 210-218. Print. â€Å"Cecil B. DeMille Quotes.† brainyquote.com. Brainy Quote, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012