Sociology is an organized scientific study of social conduct and human groups. Different from phycology, sociology focuses on groups of people more than individual. Also, it differs from social work because it is more of a study than practical. One can think that it is more of common sense, but it is more rooted in evidence than just assessment. It involves individual awareness of the impact of the social world on personal life noting that regardless of how much one believes in personal experience, they are all fixed by the society. Notably, the society defines the behaviors of individuals in it largely. Many films have been acted with a sociological notch in them to try to educate the society on different sociological concepts and theories that influence individual life. For example, Heathers 1988 is a film that educates on different aspects of societal behavior on youths. This paper seeks to analyze the film illustrating different sociological concepts and theories portrayed in the film.
Heathers 1988 is a black American comedy film written and directed by Daniel Waters and Michael Lehmann respectively. The film features four school girls, three of them named Heather, who are in one clique at Westerberg high school, Ohio. The film portrays both macro-sociological and micro-sociological theories. The large social structure of the students' life is displayed and how it has affected them socially. The film illustrates that the three Heathers and Veronica were from wealthy families. The wealthy status made the four girls to be friends. On the other hand, the film portrays individual behavior and how it influenced and changed the social structure. Veronica is displayed as one of the most popular students in school. In her clique, she has other three friends Heather McNamara, Heather Chandler, and Heather Duke. Although they are famous, they are the most hated and feared in the school. They combine their behavior to make the most hated folks in the society.
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The structural functionalism of the group does not impress Veronica, and she decides to deviate. However, that change has an antagonist effect among others in the clique. The manifest function of the idea turned to dysfunction. The conflict among them led to suicide and killings among them. Veronica is fascinated by a new student in the school called Jason when he pulls out a gun and fires blank to two old school boys who tried to bury him. The conflict increase after Veronica refused to have sex with frat brother in a frat party. Heather Chandler vows to destroy Veronica's reputation. On the other hand, Veronica is involved in an affair with the rebellious Jason. Veronica is knowing what Jason was capable requests him to help her make Heather Chandler puke her guts out. In this scenario, we see Veronica out of self-control and allows Jason to give heather drain cleaner killing her. Veronica later writes a suicide letter in Chandler's handwriting for the media. The school and the general public took Chandler's suicide as a false conscious one made by a presumably disturbed student. Not knowing she died of superiority quarrels. As a result, Duke steps into Chandler's role and starts wearing red scrunches as a group leader.
It is sensible to argue that society is an organism. When one changes a thing in it, the others are affected. Veronica's change from the hated group led her to the worst of all. Her relationship with Jason has already claimed the death of Chandler, and the Jason behavior is evident that he will kill more. It has led Veronica to a state of anomie. She has broken down all the expectation to a point where she does not know her purpose or direction. Another scenario is when the two boys Kurt and Ram plotted false story that Veronica had given them oral sex. To maintain her dignity, she allows Jason to make another killing plot which he involved her in shooting and planted a suicide note like before. Veronica is portrayed to move from one bad company to the other. The suicide note stated that the suicide was altruistic one caused by their very strong gay ties. The plot and flaming of that death was never suspected.
The other parts of the film show how macro-sociology can affect individual behavior. The three killings flamed to be suicide affected the society making many of the students who have no social control to try committing suicide. The first scenario is where Martha Dunn sticks false conscious tells her to walk in traffic with a suicide note pinned to her chest so that she can be hit by a car to death. She survived though with some injuries. On the other case, McNamara feels that her status is not worth only a mere note and calls a popular radio show for her confession that she will commit suicide because she was depressed. She took an overdose of pills but fortunately she was saved. Notably, Jason micro-sociological behavior had affected individuals in the society a lot. At the end of the film, Jason decides to make a fatalistic suicide that will claim the whole school. However, he is shot by Veronica and detached the explosive. In conclusion, micro and macro sociological behaviors affect the society widely.
