In The Eye Of The Beholder Part II

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Sep 4, 2001

From Ode by William Wordsworth

What though the radiance
which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass,
of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death,
In years that bring the philosophic mind.

Poignant - Webster: acutely painful - Splendor in the Grass is that kind of story. In an age of instant everything, from coffee to messaging, no one is patient enough to WAIT and yet we would be well advised to remember that patience is a virtue and virtue is its own reward.

In Splendor in the Grass, Deannie is a character you just want to hug. Here we have a young woman with a conscience and a need to do the right thing even though it generates her own personal suffering.

Deannie (Natalie Wood) was a good girl and her boyfriend, Bud (Warren Beatty) was a normal teenage boy. He had desires. When Deannie couldn't and wouldn't fulfill them, he chose to "grab the gusto." Had he been more mature, more patient, he and Deannie could have been together and married in just a few short years. Instead, two young lives were smashed, torn apart, never to be totally whole again. In the end, neither one was happy. They settled!

I am going to get preachy for a moment. What is the meaning of life? Are we born to lose? If we don't "grab the gusto," do we go to the grave unfulfilled? Is there any meaning to life? I say YES! It is about character growth. It is about responsibility. It is about accountability. Can we still have fun? I say YES!

Back to Deannie. She was being responsible. She was obeying her inner promptings. If she betrayed them, she would have betrayed her very essence and in the process blame Bud without ever knowing that's what she was doing.

Was she stupid? Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver would say NO. She did what was right within her heart. The '60s crowd would say, "What's the big deal?" "Everybody's doing it!" "Grab the gusto."

Was Bud wrong? I don't judge Bud. But Splendor in the Grass is a study in choice. Every decision we make and action we take has consequences. We need to be aware of the reality we are creating for ourselves. This is the importance of responsibility. Love is real and we choose it (Deannie). Lust is real and we choose it (Bud). For living to be meaningful we have to experience, learn, and improve.

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