Casablanca Analysis Metaphor (Essay Example)

1940s America and Rick from Casablanca share many characteristics, going as far as to say in the film Rick is a metaphor for America at the time. Rick and America share the fact that neither wishes to be involved in the war, both have a past of intervening, both support those they feel bad for on the down-low, and both end up giving up neutrality. Rick was the perfect metaphor for 1940s America because of his practices of isolationism. In Rick’s, You can see Rick does not drink with customers at all. Later when Ugarte is being arrested his expression is pained and pitiful, but then turns around saying, “I stick my neck out for nobody”(“Streaming Server”). Which is the position the United States had taken to not get involved in any wars. America’s isolationism stemmed from past experiences from World War I where it lost many men and it was better to not interfere in others' problems. America knew about some of the injustices around the world at the time like the concentration camps and decided that it did not concern them and was not worth the cost for them. Just like Rick decided it was not his place to help Ugarte. In Casablanca the scene inside Rick’s Café Americain in the back safe room, Renault tells Rick not to help Laszlo escape as he believes he is a sentimentalist inside and might be tempted based on his history. “In 1935 you ran guns to Ethiopia, in 1936 you fought in Spain on the loyalist side”  (“Streaming Server”). The Nazis are well aware of Rick’s adventures. His reputation followed him to Casablanca, he acts tough but they infer from his past fighting for underdogs he could pose a problem. It relates to the United States at the time the axis powers considered America a threat if they did intervene in the war. In reality, he has a soft spot for certain people going out of his way to help the lady and husband from Bulgaria obtain money to afford papers and leave Casablanca. He also hid the papers for the murderer. Just like how America supported their allies by passing acts like the lend-lease Act,  allowing  unlimited amounts of military equipment to be shipped to the European war effort, while keeping the idea of neutrality. Lastly, throughout the film, the audience sees how Rick undergoes the change from being isolationist to killing Stasser and helping Laszlo and Ilsa escape. This overall change is what happened in America at the time. Rick starts being more involved after Isla comes back. He understands that she is in trouble and after she explained what happens he has a major character change and starts caring about fighting the axis powers in general and supporting a cause. He ends up killing Strasser and risking it all. This follows the same general plot, the country wanted to be isolationist to say out of the fight, They become more worried and more debates on whether to enter the war when Britain is constantly being bombed. But only after Pearl Harbor is bombed did the United States have a major chance to throw everything into the war. His whole plot point follows the American ideals of the time starting with not wanting to get involved or “hurt” again. Then once they see how people are being harmed they can’t sit back and do nothing do the help without blatantly saying so. Then when the tension was too high and saw something they loved being threatened did they step in and fight back.