Baker - Ladder 49

Much is to be said about a firefighter’s relationship with his teammates. As with many professions, teamwork is encouraged, and it often leads to success in the respective fields. Factoring in the terrifyingly dangerous risk that firefighters take every time they step foot inside a burning building, one could argue that the particular field as a whole could not operate effectively or safely without the trust and precision that comes with great teamwork. The leading character in Ladder 49, Jack Morrison, understands the necessity of teamwork in his dangerous field, and as a result, he unintentionally puts his relationship with his fellow firefighters higher than his relationship with his own family.

One example that I find particularly interesting, with regards to Jack’s distance from his wife Linda, is the wedding reception scene. It opens up with the Captain dancing with Linda. It then shifts to Jack sitting at one table with his friends while Linda is at another table. Although he does gaze into his newlywed’s eyes, there is a strange distant feeling – perhaps because they are separated on their wedding day. To close out the scene, Jack gets on stage with his fellow firefighters to sing a song. Linda is watching him with adornment as he is on stage, yet Jack’s eyes never once find her in the crowd as he is too preoccupied with his male bonding. The notion of separation is strengthened by the funeral scene after Jack’s best friend Dennis tragically dies in a fire. The camera shows a close-up of a man who is upset about the death, and his wife is rubbing his back for comfort and reassurance. As the camera shifts to Jack, Linda is standing behind him, and there is a very clear disconnect between the two – they were not holding hands or consoling one another as the other couple was.

Perhaps the most outrageous aspect of Jack’s mixed priorities occurs when he (knowing that his wife is pregnant) begs the captain to give him a more dangerous job. He selfishly puts his love of firefighting above the feelings of his wife. Linda reaffirms her fear of Jack’s dangerous job in the scene where she confronts him after watching him almost die on television. Later, the captain offers him a safer job with a higher pay, yet he turns it down. Finally, in a very touching father-son scene, Jack’s son expresses a general concern for his wellbeing. He is afraid that his father is going to die in a fire or will be gravely injured like “Alex’s dad.”