Django Unchained and the Lost Cause Theory Part 2

Another example of the film’s opposition to the Lost Cause Theory is represented by the chorus, or the ensemble of less important characters.  These people all serve as comic relief mostly, and they are simply caricatures as to what the audience pictures as an average Southern citizen.

For example, there is a scene in which the Klu Klux Klan attempts to kill Django, but instead they bicker for prolonged time about how poorly the eyeholes were cut in their masks.  They are depicted as idiots and rednecks and typify a group of white Southern males.

In addition, many of the evil workers of Calvin Candie are represented as odorous hillbillies who can barely be understood because of their deep accents and barbaric dialects.  By portraying these Southerners as such moronic representations, the film pretty much defies any hope that the Lost Cause Theory was a plausible disposition that any Southerner could have comprised.

Django Unchained was met with much opposition when it was released, not because of the gore and violence, but because of the heavy use of the word “nigger”.  This opposition is a classic reflection of the national attitude about racism.

It is a popular belief that the survival of the word “nigger” is racist in itself, while others believe that avoiding the word gives it even more power.  While there certainly were biases in Tarantino’s interpretation of slavery-era South, his use of the word is probably the most accurate aspect of the film.

It is not surprising however, that our modern society was so up in arms about it, as our efforts to avoid or fix racism have really contributed to the idea that whites are trying to forget about the era entirely.

Many believe that the best way to end racism is to acknowledge that it happened and continues to happen, and to move on without giving blacks or whites any special treatment in regard to race emotions, while others believe that doing this will simply enable our future generations to make the same mistakes our ancestors made.

Samuel L. Jackson plays 'Stephen,' the loyal
slave to Calvin Candie

The fact that Tarantino refused to back down to this opposition makes him a brave filmmaker, and Django has certainly been a great addition to modern cinema.

Django Unchained serves as a time machine that takes an audience to 1858 American South for three hours.  In these three hours it accomplishes an incredible story about redemption and revenge, but the most prominent aspect to take from this movie is its ability to paint a picture for the audience that disavows any Southern attempts to restore the values of certain actions and evil deeds done by many during that time.  It counteracts the Lost Cause Theory and creates a creative imagery for the zeitgeist of the era.