If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.

____

It is evident that race is a theme of Jordan Peele’s film Get Out, whether it be the concept of the sunken place or the usage of cell phones to capture acts of prejudice. While a surface-level analysis may portray racism as the motif of Get Out, the film's deeper meaning is centered around the protagonist's psychological journey, reconciling with feelings of guilt regarding his inability to preserve his mother's life, a unique development because of the stigma revolving around mental health in the Black community.

When protagonist Chris Washington was a young child, his mother passed away in a hit and run accident while on her way home from work. At the time, he was at home watching television. Despite knowing that something was wrong, he neglected to call someone or do anything out of fear that it would make the circumstances real; his failure to try and save his mother burdens him with remorse. Throughout the movie, it is clear in various incidents that as an adult, Chris is still mentally suffering from his mother's accident.

Chris' captivation by a visceral feeling after killing a deer is an indication of unresolved trauma because of the peculiar nature of his emotional state. At the beginning of the movie, when Chris and Rose are driving to Armitage's estate to visit Rose’s parents for the weekend, they accidentally hit a deer. Chris is drawn to see the physical state of the deer by a deep inward feeling, Chris gazes at the deer on the verge of death in a strange dissociation-like state. This is a demonstration of psychological trauma because Chris' behavioral change is induced by a PTSD triggering event. Oftentimes triggering events can be situational. In this instance, the deer lying on the side of the road after being hit by a car creates an intense mental reaction for Chris because he is re-experiencing the traumatic event of his mother.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that develops in some people who have experienced shocking, scary or dangerous events. Feelings of guilt have also been shown to increase PTSD symptomatology. In the case of Chris Washington, his mental state is classified as survivor's guilt, emotions that stem from what was not done, feelings that he did not do enough in the traumatic moment. Chris' strange behavior in the deer scene and his later attempts to avoid the subject of his mother's death when conversing with Rose’s parents hints towards his unaddressed mental issues. Unfortunately, Chris' experience with untreated PTSD is not uncommon within the Black community.

There is a significant negative stigma revolving around addressing mental health issues in the Black community. Just one in three African Americans who struggle with mental health issues will ever receive appropriate treatment. Surgeon General's Report explained stigma as the "most formidable obstacle to future progress in the arena of mental illness and health.” This stigma is rooted in various factors, including general distrust of medical institutions, religiosity and an attempt to avoid appearing “weak.” It is significant that Jordan Peele uses the influence of film to explore mental health to counteract this ongoing taboo revolving around seeking mental healthcare.

While Chris isn't receiving formal treatment from professionals, environmental factors, such as Mrs. Armitage’s hypnosis, force Chris to focus his effort on his mental health issues.

While Chris' hypnosis interaction with Mrs. Armitage was forceful and manipulative, the experience initiated Chris' healing process. During his first night at the Armitage household, Chris was experiencing insomnia (a symptom of PTSD) and went outside to smoke a cigarette.

In the process, he is misled into hypnosis through the usage of a fixation device. In his hypnosis, Mrs. Armitage guides Chris through his traumatic childhood experience. While her intentions are sinister and her only aim is to put Chris in a state of paralysis, this was beneficial to Chris.

One of the methods in which doctors help patients with PTSD is Prolonged Exposure Therapy. PET revolves around the vivid re-experiencing of one's trauma. The patient explores the thoughts and feelings associated with the trauma. This is supposed to help decrease symptoms, in addition to less distress when remembering the trauma. Despite not following the proper technique, what Mrs. Armitage is doing at its core is the essence of Prolonged Exposure Therapy — introducing Chris to a curative process. However, after being bound to a chair and figuring out the true intentions of the Armitage family, Chris attempts to escape. It is during this getaway Chris experiences another remedial circumstance.

Chris' decision to behave differently when faced with a similar situation to that of the death of his mother is rooted with intentions to amend his past. In the midst of his escape from the Armitage estate, Chris accidentally hits the maid with a car while speeding away from the house. Flashbacks from his childhood trauma compel Chris to pick up the maid and bring her with him in an attempt to save her life. The maid physically attacks Chris, causing him to lose control of the wheel and crash into a tree, presumably killing the maid. This scene signifies Chris' attempt to act differently when faced with the same situation that occurred with his mother because of his guilty conscience.

Despite behaving differently than when he was a child, the outcome is uniform. For many people with severe guilt, the feeling can act as a motivator to make things "right." However, Chris' attempt to rectify the past ultimately led to the same outcome. It was not within his control to save the maid’s life, nor his mother’s. This scene allows Chris to come to the realization that he was placing blame upon himself despite it not being within his capability to save his mother's life. Chris understands that his survivor's guilt is irrational, and while he feels remorse for not behaving in a specific way, the outcome was not his responsibility.

In the last step of his mental health journey, Chris faces off with his ex-girlfriend Rose in the final moments of his escape. Chris' decision to leave Rose to die represents him letting going of his guilt and reaching closure with his mother's death. In the final scene of the movie, Chris is suffocating gunshot wounded Rose and decides to stop. While he could have saved her life, he consciously leaves her in the street to die, similarly to how his mother passed. This scene represents Chris letting go of the guilt that haunted him throughout the film. He has come to understand the inevitable nature of things and is no longer fixated on his past, but instead has learned to accept his previous actions despite the outcome. It is significant that the film portrays Chris conquering his mental health issues at the end of the film because it helps cease the stigma and provides a positive message.

While it is meaningful to see the Black man victorious in a racist horror movie, showing the journey of a Black man dealing with a psychological disorder and being victorious is even more inspiring because of the taboo behind the concept. People are willing to talk extensively about race issues, but society's tendency, especially within the Black community to avoid talking about mental illness, makes Jordan Peele's film that much more compelling.

"The most indelible movie image of 2017" – @USAToday
#GetOut
pic.twitter.com/MJrnHHwTJe

— Get Out (@GetOutMovie) February 26, 2018

dcmichel9

Writing since February 2022 · 1 story contributed