Lee Daniel’s The Butler follows the true story of the tribulations Cecil Gains faced throughout his life’s service as a butler. The film is set during The Civil Rights Movement, when white and black men are at odds due to the white man’s erroneous feelings of superiority. Beginning in 1926, The Butler showcases Cecil’s life in and out of The White House from 1957-2008. Cecil Gains is hand selected to work as a butler in The White House, and does so in an earnest, efficient, and slightly anal manner. In The White House, Cecil shows a face of subservience, while at home, his son, Louis, defies the odds against blacks in his fight for equality. Cecil was groomed to stand back and pretend like he didn’t exist in the presence of white folk, but Louis is uncomfortable with that notion. While Cecil simply wants to survive, his son Louis wants to live, and does so by striving for equality in the company of The Freedom Riders, encountering police and the KKK along the way. It is a constant internal and sometimes external fight between Cecil and Louis to act a certain way, and the relationship between them is strained for many lost years. It is only in 1986, after being invited to a White House state dinner for “show” that Cecil feels lost and understands Louis’ fight. As nothing seems right to him about serving anymore, Cecil finally finds his voice.
A recurring theme of the film was the strife that the now-elderly black culture felt throughout their entire lives, mirrored in a quote from one of the servants: “We got two faces: ours, and the ones we show the white folks.” This sentiment followed Cecil all his life: though he was a free black man, he was a slave to his work. Cecil had to press to be treated as equally as white workers, even after serving in The White House for over twenty years with much lower pay. Yet as a butler, Cecil helps to break down a barrier by showing the black race as a kind, trustworthy people, instead of members of the “thieving” stereotype whites cast them under.
The majority of white folk acted out of hatred and bitterness, and only when it got out of hand did the world attempt to change together. Now, it seems America avoids the damage that whites inflicted on the world while trying to overcome crippling bigotry; The Butler brings firsthand account awareness to the strife. Moviegoer Melissa Minchella said: “I think that the film historically showed the struggle that kind of exists in some minds today.”
—————————-
Caroline Minchella
Staff Intern, Writer
eCoronado
Share your Coronado tales here!
