Does The Breakfast Club present positive or negative representation?
The Breakfast Club follows the day of five, quite different teenagers who have been placed in detention. The five teenagers each represent one of the different groups of people you typically find in a school. There is the 'jock', the 'princess', the 'bully', the 'nerd' and the 'weirdo'. These stereotypes are conveyed by their clothes and the way they talk and are initially conveyed in a negative way. At the beginning of the film, each character has a predetermined vision of how the others should act. For example, it is assumed that Bender doesn't care what other people think and that he just wants to get everyone into trouble. In contrast to that, Brian is thought of as a 'perfect' child who doesn't get in trouble and is considered to be a teachers pet. Both of these examples are considered to be negative traits by the others. However the representation changes as the film goes on. As the characters open up to each other more and they realise that they share the same problems, we see a change in their attitudes to one another. This change in attitude allows us, the audiene, to see a different side to each character which is goes against the five stereotypes. For example, Bender becomes a little more emotionally sensitive whereas we learn of a darker side to Brian. It also shows both a positive and negative representation of teenagers in general. Teenagers are usually thought of as trouble makers which we see in the beginning of this film. It also shows the contrast to that as well because we see a kinder, more sensitive side to the five main characters at the end of the film.