A Rose For Emily
...Rick two, fully committed to the struggle against totalitarian oppression. As Rick one, at the beginning of the movie, he represents modern men and women, self-centered, uncommitted, and indifferent to what is happening in the world. Rick is a 37 year-old American who, for some unexplained reason, cannot return to his country.
2. Of the major characters in Casablanca, Laszlo is the least complex. He is the pure embodiment of the noble hero, as a good as any man can be. The desire to defeat the Nazis is the prime motivation for all his actions. Despite the difficulties of his political struggle, he considers himself privileged to struggle through it. Laszlo is a symbol of the resistance. He represents unwavering commitment, a quality that makes him as valuable to the Allies as he is dangerous to the Nazis.
3. Ilsa represents the delicate, higher values of life, such as love, beauty and loyalty. Such values are often assaulted by totalitarian violence. At times these higher values must choose between different expressions (Rick or Victor).
4. The local Vichy, puppet chief of police Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) represents those persons in the modern world who cooperate with neo-fascism, though with cynicism and half a bad conscience. Renault is as uncommitted as Rick, though he must give the appearance of complicity with the fascists to keep his head on his shoulders. He uses the oppressive atmosphere to practice his own brand of personal tyranny, trying to force women into his bed through extortion. He blows with the wind and finally is forced to serve a new cause at the end of the movie only because he is in danger of arrest himself.
5. Strasser is a stereotypical Nazi villain, ruthlessly cruel and robotically efficient. From the moment of his arrival in Casablanca, he is all business, immediately inquiring about the murderers of the German couriers. He...
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