On The New Individualism In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri: A Culture Perspective

Three Billboards outside Ebbing,Missouri is a realistic narrative film.The themes of human nature revelation and social criticism are both popular and controversial.This paper finds that this film deeply embodies John Dewey’s thought of new individualism.Armed with his pragmatic approach and critical thinking,Dewey argued that individualism had been offered a unique new social condition upon which to grow,mature,and redefine itself.Dewey’s new individualism advocated regaining individual freedom by recovering individuality,promoting social equity by putting social utility in the precedence of individual profit,forming active interaction between individuals and society by developing the ability of independent thinking,with the help of individual’s controlled use of science.This paper aims to study the thought in the film Three Billboards outside Ebbing,Missouri with the theory of John Dewey’s new individualism,to deepen the understanding of Dewey’s thought of new individualism and the cultural and educational significance of the film.With the theory of Dewey’s new individualism,this paper analyzes the thought in the film mainly from three aspects: individual freedom,social equity,and the interaction between individuals and society.It concludes that the specific social problems,developing characters,and characters’ controlled use of science represented in this film,as well as the plot that movie characters overcame social problems through the controlled use of science,embodies Dewey’s thought of new individualism and contains a profound cultural and educational significance.The body of this paper consists of three chapters.Chapter one analyzes the social problem of lost individuality which is embodied as a depressed body and empty mind and is the precondition to redefine individual freedom.The transformation of role from victim to pioneer demonstrates their redefinition ofindividuality,and the established billboards symbolizes the recovery of individuality.Chapter two analyzes the social problem of inefficient institutions which is embodied as lawlessness and is the precondition of the promotion of social equity.The transformation of role from lawbreaker to lawman demonstrates their redefinition of social institutions,and their journey to Idaho symbolizes the precedence of social utility.Chapter three analyzes the social problem of over institutionalization which is manifested as superficial conformity and is the precondition of the formation of active interaction between individuals and society.The transformation of role from bystander to participant demonstrates their redefinition of interactive relation,and their attainment of reconciliation symbolizes the development of independent thinking ability.The specific social problems,developing characters,and characters’ controlled use of science,represented in this film,as well as the constructed plot that characters overcame social problems through the controlled use of science,embodies Dewey’s thought of new individualism from the perspective of individual freedom,social equity,and active interaction between individuals and society,and also contains the cultural and educational significance which contends ‘individualized’,‘compassionate’,‘communicative’,and ‘scientific’.