Party Scene

              The twin’s party scene in Rushmore is significant because it shows Mr Blume’s lack of connection to anyone in his family and his utter hopelessness. While sitting away from his family, Mr. Blume is having scotch and a cigarette which he does predominantly when he is depressed. Mr. Blume is sitting on the opposite side of the fungus-green pool from his family, representing his long lasting disconnect from them. This is further proven when the camera quickly shows a family portrait, where Mr. Blume is having another cigarette, and standing by his all red-haired family. At this point, I would add Holden’s red hunting hat that he wore in The Catcher and the Rye. If Mr. Blume was wearing the red hat, it would show some connection to his red haired family and also show Mr. Blume’s individuality, as it did Holden’s. In this scene when he sees his wife flirting with younger man, “she looks back to Mr. Blume coldly,” solidifying their lack of connection. The child that comes and takes one of his golf balls represents Max Fischer. Max is Mr. Blume’s only friend and the child is the only one who approaches Mr. Blume in this scene. The child took a golf ball similar to the way Max takes money from Mr Blume. When Mr. Blume is getting ready to jump of the high-dive, the camera shows each side of the pool individually, as if looking through Mr. Blume’s eyes. This is to show the two life paths Mr. Blume can take. The right side, with mostly old people, represents a life in which Mr. Blume can remain unhappy and wait to die; the other side, where his family is, is a path he could take to try to rebuild his family. While standing on the diving board, the child is literally the only one by Mr. Blume, paralleling how Max is figuratively the only one by Mr. Blume’s side. Mr. Blume jumps into the pool and people on both sides shield themselves from his splash, signifying their non acceptance of him, and he remains submerged in the water representing he has chosen a middle ground of finding a new spouse: Ms. Cross. The child again appears and swims by Mr. Blume, but quickly swims away representing the hatred Max will have when he finds out Mr. Blume’s desire for Ms. Cross.