Laureano Rizon Jr.
12/02/2024
Grade 12 – Benevolence Reaction Paper
“The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)”
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) is a glaring examination of excess, avarice, and the
seeking for ethical virtues in a capitalist setting. By Alexander's success and defeat, the motion
picture demonstrates the charms, hopes, and devastation that money possesses. The movie is
also a criticism of capitalism, exposing its underlying oppression, inequity, and estrangement.
Scorsese’s work inspires the audience to turn away from the glitz of Belfort’s wealthy life and
seek the implications of such a lifestyle on society and morality.
Capitalism is shown in unflattering images, inequity and exploitation enter the game.
Jordan Belfort, the main character of the movie, is the most radical capitalist, who governs the
world driven by wealth and power. He is able to gain power of this system because it
encourages and rewards people who are immoral. The film also demonstrates an incredible
disparity that exists between the rich elite and the working class, and the latter is often used as
a tool to sustain the lifestyle the former enjoys.
Alienation is one of the major topics of the film, it presents a number of separations
including that from one’s work, from the end-products, and from other people. In particular,
Belfort and his peers become separated from the work and treat it as just an avenue to achieve
other ends. They are addicted to drugs and alcohol and their abuse has become a way of coping
with the meaningness and void of their existence. Based on the film, the unrelenting chase for
wealth and materialism is not something that is encoded in our needs and can only lead to
despair and disappointment.
Moreover, in his film The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese appreciates how power
and capitalism derives its head from moral decay, even within a society such as America, where
justice seems to reign. It's easy to see how people's power and wealth can be celebrated, even
when their actions are illegal. The film suggests how pursuit of monetary wealth dehumanizes
people and makes them break laws without any qualms.
All things considered, The Wolf of Wall Street offers a quite interesting perspective and
analysis of capitalism's mechanics, while mentioning its negative effects on people and society.
Just like in the second part, this movie also demonstrates the chase of the money is never worth
it, and one will always be faced with greed, corruption, and psychological detach from societal
values.
