Chocolat

Chocolat
The characters Vianne and Le Compte de Reynaud have different images and God and life. These ideas influence how their actions, and how they affect the community. The movie Chocolat was released in 2000, based on the novel by Joanne Harris.
Vianne’s image of God is loving and nurturing. Because of this image, people around her are influenced in a positive way. Rather than faith, her moral values are drawn from the conditions she was exposed to and her heritage. Furthermore, Vianne is more flexible to other things because she has allowed other elements of life to be her teacher. However, one constant religious icon she looks up to is her Mayan heritage. In her shop, she displays Mayan statues, which are viewed as pagan by the other members of the community. However, her Mayan roots make her the great Chocolatier that she is. While her Mayan statues seem pagan, her compassion for others is not. She uses chocolate in a way that heals people. She mends relationships and builds new lives for the entire community. In particular, she heals Madame Audel. She takes a woman trapped in tradition and restores her self confidence. Vianne tells Audel that even though she cannot keep the vows of marriage, she still deserves love. Vianne’s flexibility to be open to other people makes them feel welcome in her presence. She is much more welcoming than the Compte,Vianne proves that sometimes breaking traditions is better than staying stuck in a rut.
The Compte De Reynaud entrenched himself in tradition. Compte de Reynaud’s image of God is the Law. His God is a ruler. His God is also one to be feared. The Compte clings to God to keep the tradition in his town. His image of god influences his daily life. Because his image of God is as a keeper of the law, the Compte attempts to do the same. The Compte stresses the importance of tradition in everyday life. He goes as far as to change Pere Henri’s sermons to make them stricter. The Compte makes sure there is no room for sinners in his town. He puts all his trust into the bible, and will keep the bible’s commandments even if the task is impossible or will hurt others in the end. This is revealed when he tries to change Serge. Even though Serge does not deserve his wife, the Compte is set on keeping the sanctity of their marriage. The Compte’s strictness makes the town fearful and devout. Because the Compte de Reynaud only relies on one teaching, when he questions that teaching for a moment, his morals fall apart. He indulges in hypocritical sin. However, with the help of Vianne, he learns the lesson of adapting himself to situations rather than asking everyone to adapt to his standards. The Compte may keep the townspeople in check, But Vianne makes them feel comfortable with who they are already. When Vianne enters the town, everything changes.
Both the Compte de Reynaud and Vianne change the town for better or worse. They both have good intentions. The Compte’s intentions derive from the Bible, and Vianne’s intentions derive from her personal experience. Each want the best for the town, however they have different ideas of what the best is for the town. The Compte focuses on the sanctity of the town, whereas Vianne focuses on the town’s well being. The combination of the two make the town a warm, loving, but devout place to live. I think the balance of the two create an ultimate form of goodness.
I measure goodness by both intentions and deeds. For example, the Compte has very good intentions, but his outcomes are disastrous for the community. Vianne’s deeds are good but we are unclear whether her intentions are to bring a community together. Vianne is focused on carrying out the traditions of her family, and we do not see whether she would like to change the community or not. I think both characters are good and have good in them, they simply have different ways of showing it—just like most people—we have different ways of showing our goodness. I think goodness is a desire to change things for the better from the bottom of your heart.
Chocolat is a movie that uncovers what is good. The Movie shows us different images of God, and how they affect characters and characters around them. The movie shows that goodness can be interpreted in many different ways, and a good balance of strictness and love can create harmony.