Critical Analysis Essay: Me And You & The Judge

Rujian, Zhou

2/14/2016

True Strength

What is true strength? I think that true strength is not just simple as great power of people, but the ability to overcome ourselves and protect people we love. The main characters in the novel Me And You and the movie The Judge show their true strength in those ways. Both of Lorenzo in Me And You and Hank Palmer in The Judge change from antisocial and ruthless people to grown men who willing to help other; they learn that the true strength comes from firm mind in improving themselves, challenge themselves to come out of their comfort zone, as well as protect those people they love. The power of life is always the strongest that can help you overcome a lot of difficulties.

Even though there are many differences between a movie and a novel, the story and the main points of their writers can be the same. The novel Me And You and the movie The Judge have a lot common in their ideas.

The novel Me And You tells about how an Italian boy Lorenzo changes because of saving his half sister Olivia. In the story, Lorenzo is a very emphatic person who only thinking about himself. He thinks that people around him are “Others”, which “The others were anyone who wasn't my mum, my father and grandma Laura” (Ammaniti, p24). Lorenzo seldom think for other people because they are irrelevant of him. Furthermore, Lorenzo lied to his mother about he will go to a ski week with his classmate Alessia Roncato who is very popular in class. To continue this lie, Lorenzo made a very detailed and thoughtful plan, which he will hide in the basement under his house for the ski week. He stores foods, water and PlayStation in the cellars, he treats his mother let him go to Alessia’ house alone, and finally he returns in the basement without anybody know. We can know that Lorenzo is a very talented boy, he has the ability to design the plan and succeed the plan. When he tries to trick his mother, he thinks “I had one last card to play” (Ammaniti, p17), he is a very deep and scheming thinking person.

After that, Lorenzo plan keeps going well until an uninvited person shows up, which is Lorenzo’s step sister Olivia. Olivia was a very beautiful girl when Lorenzo met her two years ago. But Olivia lose a lot weights and seems to have heavy illness with her now. Olivia is suffered by drugs, she is a heroin addict. At the beginning, Lorenzo thinks Olivia is very annoyed, because she vomiting, scathing herself as well as she break his “perfect plan”.  But after staying with Olivia in the cellar for a few days, Lorenzo feels pity to Olivia because both of they have problems with dealing with other people as well as studying in school.

Then Lorenzo can not bear with Olivia keeps in poor health anymore, and he also sees Olivia like her grandmother Laura. Grandma Laura is so sick that she is dying, and Lorenzo can not do anything for her. So he decide to find medicine for her. This is the first time that Lorenzo thinks about others, he comes out from his little world in the basement and tried to save his sister’s life, with the dangerous of expose his lie to his mother. Here, Lorenzo makes one of the biggest decision in his life and it is also where Lorenzo changes. Lorenzo would not help other people like this before, this is the first time that he comes out from his comfort zone, and cares about others from his heart. After he gets the medicine for Olivia, both Olivia and Lorenzo celebrates, and have a little party. They talks about their past stories in a lake and dance together. I think this is the first time that Lorenzo opens his mind to talks with others, he changes step by step. Olivia promised to Lorenzo that she won't take drugs anymore, and left a note to Lorenzo before she’s gone. At the end of the story, Olivia dies because of an overtake 10 years latter. When Lorenzo comes to see her last time, Lorenzo becomes very mutual. He talks and treats to other people politely, like a gentleman. After the days in cellar with Olivia, Lorenzo changes from the merciless wired boy to a responsible grown up man. After Lorenzo meets with Olivia, he definitely changes. This changes not only comes from his regret about feels helpless and useless about his grandma Laura's sick, but also his personal courage and passion on save the person he love. I think what Lorenzo shows in the story is the true strength.