The Darjeeling Limited tells the story of three
brothers who are desperate for something. They don't know what that something
is, or where to find it, or even why they don't have it. But this desperation
leads them to take a journey by train through India. The oldest brother,
Francis, hopes this journey will not only give them a spiritual jumpstart
to happiness and fulfillment, but also will reunite the brothers with their
mother, who has been an absentee parent at best. They each distrust the others,
they lie, hide, sabotage, and fight each other, not recognizing that they are
pretty much all they each have (with exception of the middle brother, whose
wife is expecting a child), as their mother did not really ever want to be a
mother. As a result, their own adult lives are selfish, petty and manipulative.
They use their lives (bodies) for themselves, and not each other. All of this
stems from the reality that were not really wanted as children, and as adults
they continue to deal with that neglect, abandonment and maternal avoidance.What is the mother's (and then the brothers') view of life? (How do you know?)
Why are we (like this family) so inconsistent in our views of life?
Why might they have sought what they were looking for in a spiritual journey?
For what do you think they were looking?
Why do we use and manipulate people?
Why do we look for happiness, ecstasy, or euphoria in places that we know don't have the answers?
Why doesn't it matter that their mother doesn't see herself in the way the boys see her?
(Like it or not, your identity is not completely up to you...)
Verses to use in the discussion:Jeremiah 2:7; 2 Timothy 2:22; Ecclesiastes 2:1-11; Luke 8:14; 1 Timothy 6:17; Romans 12:1; 1 Peter 4:3-4; Leviticus 19:34
His mother views her life as meaningful and is a nun but she doesn't attend her husbands funeral and then abandons her sons. His brothers seem to care about their own lives but not so much about each others at the beginning of the movie but then they grow to care about each other. We claim we care about people but don't always make an effort to see them. The Gospel gives a meaning for life. The might have sought what they were looking for because the found more meaning in their lives to care for each other and drop the "baggage" and bitterness about their father. I think they were looking for better relationships with each other and the one brother knew they were looking for their mother. We use and manipulate people to better and help ourselves and because we are selfish and don't care about the person. We look for happiness in places we know won't give us happiness because we think they will in the moment or hope they will and also we think we know what is best for us.
ReplyDeleteThe brother's mother has selfish motives and abandoned and disconnected from her sons and the world as she became a nun in a secluded area. The three brothers, are inconsistent, uncaring, and flawed but they do grow to care for one another as the movie progresses. The brothers didn't listen to one another and although they seemed to have good intentions such as the one who made the journey to go see their mother, they did not have each other's best interests in mind. Timothy 2:22 calls us to pursue peace and love. These brothers' journey is not an easy one but they themselves made it not easy and tiresome for their bodies and minds, which is ironic since in the beginning this journey was supposed to bring them said peace and a renewed sense of brotherhood. The brothers put their hope in this journey, but they forgot to put it in God too. They were not experiencing true life since the foundation the brothers had built was not firm like it would have been with God. Since they are flawed, of course they manipulated each other just as we all do. We forget to remember that others have feelings, goals, and visions. We also look for happiness in places that breeds it for a moment and then disappears because it is easier to find comfort in such places than take the journey to find the place that God would recommend. The brothers did not love each other individually nor themselves as God commands us to and this was a key factor that they were missing in order to have the journey of a lifetime.
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ReplyDeleteThe mother views her life as a personal journey towards self-happiness and pleasure. She abandons her sons' lives after the death of their father, does not show up to his funeral, and chooses to live as a nun in rural India. The brothers have an apathetic view of life, one of whatever happens happens and that's the end of it. One brother may be losing his marriage and missing out on the chance to see his baby son born, but could care less. One brother hooks up with an Indian train attendant, but cannot let go of his past relationship with his ex. The other brother tries to control his brothers' life choices and the entire trip, but lacks composure over his own life. There is a lack of honesty between all of them. The brothers lack purpose in their lives and need something to devote themselves to. If they were to look at Romans 12:1, they would find that devoting themselves to God would bring their lives purpose, meaning, and fulfillment. They all had tried physical means to happiness and knew that a drastic, spiritual journey of self-discovery was necessary.
ReplyDeleteThe mother's view of life is one based on seclusion and self-happiness since she became a nun in the rural area of India. The brothers have a couldn't-care-less attitude towards life since the brothers are missing out on relationships/important family matters while they are on the spiritual journey. We become inconsistent in our views of life because we give into pleasures that are only temporary. Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 says: "I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." According to 2 Timothy 2:22, we pursue righteousness, love, faith, and peace. God gives us plentiful amounts of pleasures for us to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). They sought what they were looking for in a spiritual journey in order to fill the holes that were empty in their lives. They might have sought their purpose in a spiritual journey. Their mother's abandonment led the brothers to look for their mother in order to have a relationship with her. We use and manipulate people in order to get what we want, whether it's pleasure or for personal gain. We look for happiness in empty places in order to fill the gaps in our lives. 1 Peter 4:3-4 warns us in stating: "or you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you." It doesn't matter that their mother doesn't see herself in the way that the boys see her because her identity is given by God. Sure, we should be pleased with ourselves, but it should be more important that God is pleased with us.
ReplyDeleteThe mother lives for herself which is clearly evident when she doesn't raise her own boys who in return see the world as lonely and can only trust themselves. I can't speak for everyone, but personally I am inconsistent in views of life because I have different standards for myself than others. The brothers want to be cared for and the gospel answers them by providing easy access to God who will always provide for their needs and be the parent figure they were deprived of. I manipulate people to get a desired end result just like the brothers try and control each other. That's kind of the entire point of manipulation, however, I am terrible at it. I am relieved I am so bad at it because consequently, I rarely try and I know if I could that I would but also recognize that tactic as wrong. We look for happieness in the wrong places because it is what we think we want. Ecc 2:10-11 shows how even if we chase what we think we want, we will feel empty even once we have it.
ReplyDeleteEach brother views life in a different way. Francis thinks that they should life carpe diem and have no regrets. Peter, the middle brother, kind of goes through the motions of life. For example, when his wife was pregnant he admitted that he never really expected them to have children. But, he was ok with it and went a long with it. At the same time, however, he is seen cherishing life. He continues to wear his father's glasses and uses his razor every morning even though neither of them work. The youngest brother, Jack, is kind of a mix between Francis and Peter. He goes through the motions but also care about life. He is constantly caught up on his ex girlfriend and struggles with what he wants in life, but he knows he wants something. I think the journey they went on brought them closer together. After the father's death they all split up and barely knew each other anymore. The journey rekindled the light between them.
ReplyDeleteAll three brothers have different views of life and live very differently. When their father died it split the three of them up and this spiritual journey brought them back together. The oldest brother lives by the saying no regrets. He likes do do everything he can and have fun and not regret decisions while the middle brother goes with the flow. He doesn't like to go out of the way and do things because he's afraid he's gonna regret not doing it.the youngest brother follows both of their leads and learns from them. He seems to be a mix of the two of them.
ReplyDeleteTheir views on life vary but they all share the common thread of a selfish worldview. They all act on what benefits themselves in the immediate, not even considering the future. The brothers occasionally act out of care for each other but then go back to benefitting themselves.
ReplyDeleteWe are inconsistent with our views because the battle between the selfish human and the striving Christian is constant.
The brothers went on a spiritual journey because they thought that finding their mother and her loving them like they always wanted would bring them inner peace. God is our heavenly parent and provides the comfort the boys were searching for. We look for answers and happiness in earthly things rather than God because they are tangible things. Sometimes God's silence is defeating and we turn to tangible alternatives.
All three of the brothers have a different view of life and what they should do with their lives. When their father died the three brothers met up with each other to go on a spiritual journey to find the meaning of life and also to find her mother. The mothers View of life is to care about society as a whole.I think we're like this family because everyone has their own views of life and how they want to go about living i I think we're like this family because everyone has their own views of life and how they want to go about living it. The brothers thought that the spiritual journey would show them a different perspective on life.and maybe to learn something from people that have way less then they do.
ReplyDeleteThe mother's life is confusing because she left her boys and her husband, and then when he died she didn't even come to the funeral. Yet she is now a nun so that doesn't really make sense. The boys are weird the brother who leads the journey is all about finding themselves while finding their mother. Sometimes we manipulate people for our own gain or we manipulate people to help them understand themselves. But the brother manipulated his other brothers to help them not only find their mother to find themselves spiritually.
ReplyDeleteThe brothers were looking for the truth about their mom because they didn't know why she didn't come to their dad's funeral. They also didn't know why they kept on with the trip when she wasn't communicating with them, knowing what she had done in the past - trying to escape the life she had before she became a nun. I also think they were looking for a connection with each other and an escape from thinking about their dad and other people's lives. They were also hoping to discover themselves - one is having a baby and doesn't know what to do, another is trying to get back to his old self after an accident, and the other is trying to talk to his old girlfriend. They were all trying to find better things in their lives.
ReplyDeleteThe mother's view of life is sacred due to the fact that she is a nun but I found it strange that she didn't attend her husband's funeral. The brothers have a distorted view of life because they are all so messed up on pain killers that they think life is all about the high. I think the brothers were looking for their mother so that they could ask why she never showed up to their father's funeral and why she left them without a trace of where she was going. We look for happiness in places that we know don't have the answers because for a short period of time, they WILL give us happiness. Until the high runs out and then we have to turn to that place again whereas God is the greatest happiness of all and we are just trying to fill in the void with materialistic ideas of happiness.
ReplyDeleteevery person is a indivual and has there own way of life in how they think, behave, and live. all three brothers decided to go on a spiritual journey after the death of there. on the journey they realize how different each brother is as well as discovering the simialr traits there mom and father installed in them. two of the brothers beleive they are solely going on a spiritual trip while in fact the eldest brothers who is portryaed and most like the dad is getting them together to find there mother who left them to pursue her own dreams in becoming a nun. each charater has a seprete view on life and how it should be run. the mother is a all loving woman who disapeared the help the children of the less fortunete. throught the joureny the brothers come to realize how fortunate each is and become thankful for all that has happened and presumably find there own spiritual journey in eveyday life.
ReplyDeleteEach one of the characters have a different view of life. The most distinctive comparison is the mothers versus the sons. The mothers view on life is one that is very secluded, she lived life pretty much by herself in India. The brothers have slightly different views but they all We are inconsistent because we want to conform to what we believe so that is our way of life. The Gospel is the answer because they want acceptance and want to rely on something and God handles all of that. We manipulate life and other people so that we can conform to what we want our lives to be.
ReplyDeleteEach character sees life in a different way. The brothers all had different reasons for going on the "spiritual journey." Whether it was escaping their life at home or trying to find their mother, they were motivated in different ways. Their mother is a rambling woman in that she is always on the run from her children. She ran away to India to become a nun and when they found her, she ran away again.
ReplyDeletePeople turn to religion for many different reasons. There are those who turn to it for because of lost. There are those who have always been so so about it and they go full religious. Finally there are those who go who turn for answers. They turn for answers. The main one ehy is their family so bad. None of them value life properly. They get it from their parents. The mom doesn't want to be a mom she keeps literally running away from her issue. The boys eventually learn the value of life rven when theif mom skips town again.
ReplyDeleteAll three of the brothers are carrying severe emotional baggage at the beginning of the movie. They are constantly fighting and lying to each other and cause trouble for everyone around them. But throughout the movie the brothers express their problems to one another and slowly heal themselves through a previously missing sense of brotherhood. This healing is symbolized by the dropping of the baggage at the end of the movie.
ReplyDeleteiI think that the mother's view of life is to live and forget instead of facing up to the problems that are occurring. The brothers' are more willing to face up to the problems instead of her. All families have inconsistencies in life to where we start to not understand it. And i don't think the mother should really have a lot to say in whether or not the sons get to see her or not because they are her sons ...? They have a right to see her. The mother sees herself as shy and scared to face her feelings while the sons are more concerned if she's doing okay.
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