Redemption

One of my favorite films is "Nobody's Fool."  It is based very closely on a novel by Richard Russo, and stars Paul Newman, Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis, and Melanie Griffith.  The main character, played by Newman, is an old, washed out, loser of a never-has-been named "Sully."  He is divorced, broke, gimpy, and haunted by the memory of an abusive father.  

The film is not your typical box office hit.  There is no action to speak of, no special effects, no killer soundtrack.  What there is is redemption, and a change in audience perception.  For by the time you get to the end of the film, you realize that this old man who never graduated from college, never held a steady job, failed at fatherhood and failed at marriage, has, in quiet, subtle, yet very deliberate ways, healed the broken lives of those around him, and found salvation in the process.  His satisfaction in making a difference in people's lives, without any need for thanks or recognition, is what impressed me so much about Sully.  He is an unlikely hero, and a hero who is happy also to be unsung.  

This week we saw a play that was also about a man who had an abusive father.  He also found a form of redemption at the end, but he was not redeemed by his own actions as much as by the grace of those who loved him.  That play was "Fences," by the late playwright August Wilson.  The Huntington Theatre in Boston put on an excellent production of the play, directed by Kenny Leon.  It takes place in the late 1950s, in Pittsburgh.  The main character, Troy, is a 53 year old African American who drives a rubbish truck and who is bitter because he had the talent to be a great major league baseball player before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.  His baseball career was played entirely in the Negro League, and he therefore never achieved the fame or recognition that a career in the major leagues could have offered.  Troy marries a wonderful woman named Rose, and together they have a son, Cory.  Unlike Sully, Troy is never able to overcome the burden of his past or the bitterness it brought him.  Still, when all is said and done, the love of Troy's family shines through.

I think about Sully a lot.  In a way, he is my hero; the humble servant who betters the lives of others with no thought of reward for himself.  The others whom he helps are also family, or persons so close to him that they may as well be family, and he would be perfectly content to remain invisible as he works his magic with them.  Troy is a little harder to admire, although if you look closely enough, you can find redemptive qualities in him.  He loves his family, after all, but he bears the scars of a horrible childhood, and as a result, his ability to give love is seriously flawed.  In a way, his experience is the opposite of Sully's, for while Sully finds ways to bring healing to his loved ones, Troy's family finds a way to redeem him.

If there is a lesson here, I guess it is that we need and depend on those closest to us, and that no one is without hope.  As we were leaving the theatre after "Fences," we had a brief conversation outside with a stranger who also was leaving the play.  I told him that I liked the way it was so redemptive at the end.  From time to time, we all need a little redemption in our lives.  And maybe those of us who are blessed to receive it can find ways to bless others in its giving as well.