Matthew Jimenez 22 September 2019

GAH.1055.001/Fall 2019 FRA #21

The Kings of Summer

Jordan Vogt-Roberts

I. Thesis: In the film The Kings of Summer directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the theme of

growing up and becoming a man is constantly shown throughout movie. This is

illustrated through the protagonist, Joe Toy, running away from home to start a new life

in the woods

II. Body Paragraphs / Examples

a. Smoking/drinking: Once the boys are thriving in the woods, they are shown

casually smoking and drinking. Technically, these acts can legally only be done

by an adult that is of-age, not a fifteen-year-old. This shows that the boys are

trying to appear/act older and more grown up than they actually are.

b. Soundtrack: One song from the soundtrack in particular that sticks out is the song

“The Youth,” by MGMT. In my opinion, the lyrics “our youth is starting to

change,” describes what the boys were thinking while they were in the woods

perfectly.

c. Not shaving: Joe and Patrick choosing to grow out their “beards” may seem like a

very miniscule detail, but in reality, a beard symbolizes adulthood. This was an

easy way for Joe to change his appearance to seem more adult-ish, since children
 can’t grow beards. Joe even takes this a step further when he decides to groom it,

so it no longer looked like he grew it on accident.

d. Hunting: At the beginning of the boys’ adventure, Joe was very hesitant to kill the

animals he captured for food. Instead, he snuck off to the store and said that he

hunted the store-bought chickens. Towards the end of the movie, a now bitter and

lonely Joe decided that he actually wanted to hunt for food. Him killing the rabbit

can be seen as way for Joe to prove to himself that he was, in fact, a man by being

able to take a life and provide for himself.

e. End scene: Probably the most important part of the whole movie is the last 20

minutes. At this point in the film, Joe is unwillingly reunited with his father, and

Joe’s friend, Biaggio, is bitten by a snake during the commotion. Joe then

demonstrations that he has grown by taking charge of the situation and telling

everyone what to do in order to save Biaggio’s life.

III. Conclusion: One of the last lines of the movie is when Joe looks at his father and says: “I

guess I’m a man now.” Him saying this shows that one of the reasons that he ran away

was for approval from his dad that he wasn’t a kid anymore that could to be grounded or

given a bedtime.