Quiz Show Essay -- essays research papers

Charles Van Doren has a life that many people would be envious of. He is a member of one of the country’s most intellectual and well respected families. His uncle, Carl, is a noted historian and his father, Mark, is a distinguished professor at Columbia University as well as Pulitzer-prize winning poet. Even his mother, Dorothy, is a well known author with several highly recognized pieces of literature. Charles is following in his father’s footsteps as he works as an instructor at Columbia preparing to take over for his father once he retires. Unfortunately for Van Doren, he feels that he lacks an identity in this family of overachievers. At this point in his life, he believes that he should have accomplished enough that people don’t have to refer to him as â€Å"the son† but rather address him by his name. Clearly Van Doren doesn’t realize how fortunate he is and that compared to nearly all the men in America, he is still more of a success than an y of them will ever be. This insecurity and tragic flaw will ultimately lead to his demise over the course of the film. The question becomes not whether or not this tragic hero will do anything to gain the spotlight that his relatives have gained but rather to what extent will he be willing to compromise his values in the process. The second scene of the film displays the seemingly secure process in which the questions for the show are taken to the studio. They are taken from a vault at the bank by police officers and there is a large procession that hand delivers the questions to the studio. It makes the viewer think that the whole quiz show thing is completely fraud-free. The camera then shows how such shows have captivated audiences around the country. Everyone wants to be a part of the phenomenon of quiz shows even if it means simply watching the show on television from their home. The audience ranges from couples to families to even nuns. Yet the corruption is shown very early in the show as an executive makes a phone call to inform a producer that they want to get rid of the current winner on the show, Herbert Stempel, because he is getting tired of him. Stempel, who is a working class Jewish man from Queens, NY, has had an amazing run on the quiz show â€Å"Twenty-One†. He has won a great deal of money and is milking the glory for all it’s worth. When he returns to his modest neighborhood, he is treated like a king;... ...es almost shocked, saying that, â€Å"I wanted to get television; the truth is television is going to get us†. Goodwin is quite vague and leaves this line for the viewer to interpret. Perhaps he means that television holds the power to ruin lives of even those who are the least likely to be morally seduced by it. Charles Van Doren’s life is completely tragic as in his attempt to better his life he ends up making it worse than when he started â€Å"Twenty-One†. The money he made and the fame that he achieved could have been accomplished through hard work and determination like his father. He was driven by the opportunity to practically do nothing and be credited as a hero. In a way though, Van Doren is successful, as his ultimate goal is to be more than his father’s son, but unfortunately he obtained notoriety rather than honored distinction. Dick Goodwin is the antithesis of Charlie, a man who could look temptation in the eye and simply turn away, knowing that simply giving in is completely wrong. Who knows what Charles Van Doren’s life could have been if he had stayed on the path that he was on rather than succumbing to the temptations of easy fortune and fame that came with â€Å"Twenty-One†.