Mister Roberts

Savior Motif

Mister Roberts is one of the best examples of a screenwriter using the savior motif. Doug Roberts complements the characteristics of the savior motif outlined in class and listed below:

• The character must come to bring enlightenment to people or to save people.
• The savior helps the weak or the minority.
• People may turn against this character because of the attempt to bring enlightenment or to help them.
• The character may suffer for it.
• The character may die for attempting to bring enlightenment or helping the people. This death may be metaphorical.
• The character may be reborn in some way.
• The author may allude to another well known savior from literature or history. Popular in the ancient world was Prometheus while in the modern world, Jesus Christ is the more common allusion. Prometheus and Jesus are considered archetypes of the savior motif.

Roberts works to get his crew liberty and save their sanity. The crew desperately needs relief from the oppression of the overbearing captain. Misunderstanding what has been done for them, the crew turns against Roberts. As a reward for what he has done for them, Roberts is reassigned a combat ship where he is killed. Roberts is reborn is a way when Ensign Pulver becomes the new "Mister Roberts" – type rebel.

For some minor added clues that support the motif, notice why Roberts was saving his bottle of Scotch (". . . for the day I get off this ship – Resurrection Day."), listen to Roberts letter where he discusses his destiny to be assigned to combat duty ("I had to be here."), and watch the reverence Dowdy uses to touch the letter written by Roberts.

Liberty

It is the double meaning of the word "liberty" that gives the strongest indicator to the theme of the movie. This is a war movie. It is about the fight against evil. It is the good fight against tyranny and oppression. Not a shot is fired and the enemy is a captain on their own side, but the theme of the movie is still about the fight for liberty and what it means to the human spirit.