W, Bone

The true human nature of a person is shown in a time that that person feels threatened or in danger. Some people become leaders, other people freeze up and others win people over. George W. Bush shows this in the scene where he is getting hazed at school. W's main character traits are displayed in the scene were excellent memorization, the ability to win others approval, and the intensity that he takes to everything he really wants. He memorized everyone’s names and nick names. He uses his ability to memorize all throughout the film. W was not good at thinking on the spot but he had what he was supposed to say logged in his brain. This scene is all about proxemic patterns of an intimate nature. Normally strangers getting in your face and shoving liquor down your throat who make you very un-easy. W handled the liquor and passed the test. The liquor has intrinsic interest because you notice it right away. One notices the abundance of it even if it takes up only a small amount of frame space. We see that W can drink a lot of alcohol. This fact is repeatedly shown throughout the movie and emphasizes his personalty. He wants to belong in social situations and does this with social lubrication. This most important Mise en Scene element shown here is dominant contrast. One sees this in the picture.

There are two different contrasts going on in the frame. One is the lighting where W and his fellow rushers are seen but the others are in the dark. The attention is solely on the college freshman and we only have mystery about the others. It is funny how W is controlled by forces that he can not see. He blindly listened to these “Masked” faces because he wants to be accepted and he feels it is what is right. This foreshadows his blind following of the men he surrounds himself in office. The other dominant contrast is to the man next to him that cracks under pressure. W looks and feels heroic with his hands raised not only because he was approved of but also but he defeated someone in doing so.