Guilt Trip Notes
Joyce (Mother)
| Andy (Son)
|
Character Reflections
The very first scene in the movie shows Andy's mother's attempts to call her son about every small detail of their lives. You can see the signs of late adolescence and emerging adulthood in Andy as he keeps distance from his mother and is not very confident in his sales presentations. He is also very stubborn and refuses to make any changes to his product or his presentation, especially when it comes in the form of suggestions from his mother. At one point in the film, Andy releases his anger and lets his mother know how he really feels: that she is annoying and unhelpful. This is usually something that happens in adolescence, not during adulthood. His mother unexpectedly lashes back, and it seemed as if the two letting their feelings out towards each other did a great deal in helping their relationship. Their relationship becomes very strong by the end of the movie, and Andy finds that his mothers advice towards the sale of his product was actually very useful, showing that your parents are not out to annoy you, but to help you.
The very first scene in the movie shows Andy's mother's attempts to call her son about every small detail of their lives. You can see the signs of late adolescence and emerging adulthood in Andy as he keeps distance from his mother and is not very confident in his sales presentations. He is also very stubborn and refuses to make any changes to his product or his presentation, especially when it comes in the form of suggestions from his mother. At one point in the film, Andy releases his anger and lets his mother know how he really feels: that she is annoying and unhelpful. This is usually something that happens in adolescence, not during adulthood. His mother unexpectedly lashes back, and it seemed as if the two letting their feelings out towards each other did a great deal in helping their relationship. Their relationship becomes very strong by the end of the movie, and Andy finds that his mothers advice towards the sale of his product was actually very useful, showing that your parents are not out to annoy you, but to help you.
Joyce, Andy's Mother, shows signs of both Empty Nest Syndrome and Menopause. The Empty Nest Syndrome traits come in the form of frequent phone calls to Andy, parenting him when he is supposed to be learning how to become an independent man. Originally, she comes across as though she is intentionally being obnoxious toward him, but you quickly find out that it is just her personality. It is important to her that she helps her son in every way. Aside from being a stereotypical mother who refuses to let go of her only child, she also shows signs of menopause through her hot flashes and moodiness. By the end of the movie, we find out that she is not as ditsy as she originally comes across, and that everything she does has a logical and helpful purpose.