Simon Birch the movie?

Question

We watched the movie in class but i missed part of it and ihave seen it before i just dont really remember so can anyone help me?
So my questions are, What does the symbolsim of the baseball, the baseballl cards, the armadillo and the deer which apears 3 times mean? And also what is the moment of realiztion betweem joe and his grandmother and between joe and his father... any one help, it would be really awesome!

Answer 1

I'm not going to be able to answer this in fullness at all but I'll let you know what I think about certain things.

The baseball cards - Simon gives the cards to Joe because they were his(Simon's) Favorite thing in the world. He was trying to apologize for taking Joe's favorite thing in the world in the world...his mother.

The armadillo - After Simon gives Joe the cards, Joe realizes how upset and how bad Simon feels so he gives the armadillo to Simon, as a sign of forgiveness.

The deer - The deer was the instrument in showing everyone that Simon was here for a reason. That he had survived for a reason. His small stature and shrill voice gave him authority when it came to the smaller children and the small stature also allowed him to escape the bus when it slipped under water. I'm not sure what the deer represents when it shows up the other 2 times though.

Joe and Grandma - Definatley the part where we actually see the comforting loving side of her. When she tells Joe that she won't be there forever and that she didn't know who his father was.

Joe and Dad - It's sad to see Joe's reaction to finding out who his father was and denying it. Joe's realization that it was true was when Simon confirmed it by finding the baseball, while searching for his cards. I love the fact that Ben Goodrich adopts Joe in the end though. During the movie I was hoping Ben was Joe's father, but I think the way they did it was better.

I hope this helped in some way...maybe gave you a start.

Answer 2

I'm not really sure if I understand this correctly, but this is my opinion. I know that Joe wanted to find the baseball because someone took it and he thought whoever took it must have been his father. The baseball cards was Simon Birch's most prized possession and just like Ben Goodrich said, maybe he's trying to say sorry, but doesn't know how and in a way he knows Joe would return it. He gives Joe the baseball cards and in return Joe should give something to Simon that Simon would know Joe wants back. So he drops off the Armadillo to Simon. Now the deer on the other hand to me represents the mom looking out for them. Like when Simon talks about re-encarnation and for that one moment the deer pauses and looks at him while he looks back. The realization between Joe & his grandmother I'm assuming you're talking about when she knows she's not going to be around forever is when they have that talk by the fireplace. She reveals that she doesn't know who the father of Joe is and that he has to be strong for whatever happens to her & him. The realization between Joe & his father is heartbreaking because he didn't want him to be his dad. He didn't want to be a scandal and not feel loved and be ashamed of, but he learns to deal with his emotions because of Simon. I'm not sure if this is what you were looking for, but it was my opinion.

Answer 3

Great movie, but greater book. Read "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving....an amazing book that the movie was based on. Personally the book is way better, but then I saw the movie after I read the book, so since you've seen the movie first you may have a different idea.