Green Book and the Quest for Identity and Belonging (Spoilers)

This past weekend, I saw the film Green Book, which won the Academy Award in 2019 for Best Picture. It is based on a true story and concerns itself with the relationship between Dr. Donald Shirley (played by Mahershala Ali), an African-American piano virtuoso, and Tony “Lip” Vallelonga (played by Viggo Mortensen), an Italian-American with a huge appetite, a quick temper and a tendency to “get the job done” (Bada Bing, Bada Boom). These two seem as different as oil and water, and they are, which allows for a lot of humor within an otherwise sobering subject matter. Shirley goes on a musical tour of the Deep South in 1962, and he hires Vallelonga as his personal driver (and occasional bodyguard). The film explores racism (personal and institutional), stereotypes, class issues and ultimately the friendship that develops between Shirley and Vallelonga.

                A major theme that emerges in the film is personal vs. group identity. Dr. Shirley does not fit neatly into the generalizations of white and black people presented in the film, and he largely experiences some form of rejection by both groups, especially in the Deep South. For example, although he is a musician, Shirley is ignorant of the popular music being produced by other African-American artists like Little Richard and Aretha Franklin. While staying at a hotel for “Colored only,” a couple of African-American men ask if he wants to play a game, and he declines. The men then ridicule Shirley for being “high society,” since he is also wearing a nice suit while everyone else is wearing country clothes. Among the white community, Shirley is initially received well as the entertainment, but he is nevertheless subjected to the same oppressive institutional racism as any African-American person. During the intermission in one southern town, Shirley attempts to use the restroom marked “Gentlemen,” and the host directs him toward the colored outhouse. In another city, Shirley is forbidden from eating in the hotel restaurant at which he is playing, so he breaks his contract and leaves before the concert. In a climactic part of the film, Vallelonga claims that he is blacker than Shirley is, citing his love of fried chicken, African-American music and lower-class job as evidence. Shirley makes Vallelonga stop the car and storms off, eventually yelling at Vallelonga about his frustration that he is not white enough, not black enough, not man enough (Shirley is shown to have same-sex attraction earlier in the film).

                I think Shirley’s cry of frustration, pain and despair at not belonging is indicative of what everyone experiences at a deep level, though some realize it more often and more painfully than others. No one, in fact, fulfills every expectation of a generalization. Generalizations, for sociological or cultural purposes, by their nature overlook individual differences to study common or shared characteristics among groups. They are often necessary when creating public policy and helpful insofar as they provide regulatory principles for certain groups. For example, the legal age for obtaining a driver’s license in the United States is 16 because people at that age generally have the maturity, physical build and motor skills deemed necessary to operate a vehicle. Now, it’s very possible for a 14 year old girl who is taller, more emotionally mature and experienced (e.g. driving farm equipment) to be capable of driving a vehicle on the road. Nevertheless, it would be highly impractical to determine one’s eligibility to legally drive on a case by case basis. When a person is expected to be the perfect embodiment of a generalization, stereotyping happens, and it becomes the condition for a person’s inclusion or exclusion. I think it’s safe to assume that no one likes being stereotyped, and I also think it’s clear that we all tend to do it to others in one way or another.

                In the contemporary United States, group identity plays a major role in culture and politics, and it being considered important transcends the political left or right. For example, groups as diverse as Black Lives Matter, the NRA, LGBTQ, Republicans and Democrats exceedingly vary in their purposes, but they would likely agree that their group identity is very important. Otherwise, they would not organize themselves into groups. Like generalizations, group identities can be helpful for sharing common interests, but they cannot be supremely important or the source of individual identity. As humans, I think we try to latch on to something that will explain us to ourselves, so we desperately grasp at different identities in hopes of finding it: “I am a man,” “I am a woman,” “I am straight,” “I am gay,” “I am black,” “I am white,” and so forth. The different characteristics that we see in ourselves form a certain hierarchy, with some identifiers being more important while others less so. However, on closer examination, even the most basic identifiers cannot serve as the primary locus of human meaning. They are important, but they are not radically (from Latin radix: root) important. Gaudium et spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World from Vatican Council II, beautifully says: “The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was the figure of Him who was to come, namely Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear” (GS 22) (In case it’s not clear, “man” in the passage above refers to humankind, men and women). The root of our being, our deepest and unchanging identity and meaning, is that we are created in God’s image and likeness and called to share in God’s own life through fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ. Legitimate diversity among peoples is not a threat to peace, nor does group identity have the final say in who is accepted or rejected. Such diversity can exist because the root of our deepest anthropological unity comes from outside ourselves. As St. Paul writes, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:27-28). If we really let that reality sink in, both in ourselves and how we see other people, maybe, just maybe, the world will be a little kinder and more like the Creator intended.