The Importance of the Father Figure in the Representation of the Irish in the Selected Contemporary American Films

• Main Author: Piotr Szczypa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Polish Association for the Study of English 2015-06-01
• Series: Polish Journal of English Studies
• Subjects: irish; immigration; father figure; assimilation; masculinity
• Online Access: http://pjes.edu.pl/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/P.-Szczypa-The-Importance-of-the-Father-Figure-PJES-12015.pdf

The importance of the father figure seems to be one of the most ubiquitous motifs used in the portrayal of the Irish in American cinema, as it is present in films belonging to various genres. The function of the motif is related directly to the development of the main character’s masculine identity, usually presented within the context of violence. As mother figures are usually absent from the representation of the Irish in contemporary Hollywood, it is the father figure that has the most profound impact on the character’s social and emotional development. The present article focuses on the role of the father figure in the construction of the main Irish characters in selected contemporary American films. On the basis of the ex-plicit, implicit and symptomatic meaning produced by the analyzed pictures, it is argued that the studied productions reflect the process of the Irish immigrants’ assimilation into American culture.