Celestine~Week 4

In Ladder 49 the main character Jack Morris is an eager rookie who is taken under the wing of Captain Mike Kennedy at the Baltimore Fire Department. Jack is very anxious to get his career started. When he enters the fire squad his fellow firemen play pranks on him as an initiation process. Once Jack is fully accepted he becomes good friends with Dennis Gauquin. Jack and Dennis develop a strong friendship and spend a lot of time together. In the film Dennis is on the search and rescue team and Jack is outside with his mentor Captain Mike. Dennis’ job is much more dangerous than Jack’s because he is required to enter homes and save people while they are in the fire. Jack meets his wife Linda in the grocery store while he and Dennis is grocery shopping for Engine 33. Dennis is a big flirt and sets up a dinner date with Linda and her friend because he knew Jack was attracted to her. After dating they get married and have two children, Katie and Nicky. Before the birth of their first child Dennis’ dies in a fire and Jack is deeply hurt.

Jack’s character is a man who believes his purpose in life is to save people’s lives. Once Dennis died Jack felt like he needed something new to do. He decides to take upon Dennis job with Ladder 49 as a search and rescue member. Captain Mike Kennedy tries to talk Jack out of it when Jack tells him about it in his office. He offer’s Jack administrative jobs because he does not want his family to loose him and think Jack is being impulsive since Dennis died. Jack thinks it is duty to replace his best friend. Jack’s wife also opposes the change at the beginning but she encourages him to take the job because that’s what he was put on earth to do. As Linda begins to notice, all of Jacks buddies are getting hurt and she does not want her husband to be taken out of her life as well. Eventually, Jack’s son Nicky ask Jack to be safe because Tommy’s son is getting teased since his fathers face was steamed off in a fire. Jack’s reply is “Tommy got hurt because he was saving someone’s life.” At this point it seemed like Jack would consider another position since his son was concerned about his safety but he did not.

The film Ladder 49 showed the viewer that Jack’s relationship with his fighting comrades was more important to him. Jack joined the fire department because he wanted to save lives and nothing else mattered. It was obvious that Jack loved is family deeply but his love for the force was stronger and his wife knew that. Though his comrade’s attempted to talk him into administrative positions that would prevent him from entering burning houses and ensure he would be around for his children, Jack did not want the easy way. Jack died doing what he loved and that’s what mattered most, he knows his family was safe because they were not the people fighting for their lives in a fire.

Castellon: Ladder 49

I did not get the impression that his relationship with the firefighters was more important than the relationship he had with his wife. I think that his two main concerns were financial stability and work performance. It was evident that he enjoyed doing his job, despite having lost one of his coworkers, because he told Linda in a scene that he had doubts about taking a desk job offered by Captain Kennedy. In that scene, Kennedy echoed Linda's concerns and told Jack that his occupation was the reason that he and his wife had divorced.

Jack was unwavering; he liked the adrenaline and the satisfaction of saving someone's life. The proof comes in a scene when a man was stuck outside a ledge of a burning building. Jack tied a rope around his waist and was lowered to save the man's life despite concerns from his fellow firefighters and the public. That scene displayed his initiative, confidence, passion, and courage.

For any man or woman who dreamed of being a hero as a child, this is the best and most legitimate way to become that person. Currently, thousands of people are miserable at their jobs because they do not enjoy it. Jack truly enjoyed his job; therefore it would make sense for him to want to take the risks and perform his duties to the best of his abilities. Linda had her reservations about his occupation but she understood that it was his passion and he would not be happy doing anything else.

Obviously, the hours and the demands of the job left him tired and mostly unavailable to attend school games and other activities. The movie depicted seldom bonding between Jack and his children. If anyone received little attention from Jack, I would say it was the kids. I wouldn't say he neglected them due to the nature of his job. In fact, he did converse with his son and specified that he was needed and people depended on him to save lives. Despite his untimely death, the message he left behind will serve them a lifetime, pursue your passion.