Rudy From Rudy (1993): Character Essay

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You're 5-foot-nothin' and you weigh a hundred and nothin', and with hardly a speck of athletic ability." However, that same groundskeeper showed his respect for the young man by allowing Rudy to sleep in his room, when Rudy could not afford his rent.

Over the course of the film, Rudy develops an extraordinary bond with various father figures, whom he can please even though his own working-class father thinks his dreams are insane. Also, the fact that the groundskeeper, allegorically named Fortune, is an African-American, cements his bond with Rudy. Both Rudy and Fortune are marginalized figures in the world of Notre Dame undergraduates. The school is largely populated by over-confident, hulking, white offensive linemen who pummel Rudy during practice. Fortune, unlike Rudy, was a talented football player. But Fortune faced an even more tragic obstacle: racism. "I rode the bench for two years thought I wasn't being played because of my color I got filled up with a lot of attitude so I quit, still not a week goes by I don't regret it, and I guarantee a week won't go by in your life you won't regret walking out letting them get the best of you. Do you hear me clear enough?" Rudy, awed with respect for Fortune, remained resolved to meet his goals, even during his darkest moments when he briefly considered quitting the team.

Rudy's determination to succeed become larger than football -- he sought to prove himself on the team, to show his father and all of the naysayers in his life that his quest was not in vain. Coach Ara Parseghian said: "I wish God would put your heart in some of my player's bodies." When Rudy experiences another setback -- Ara leaves at the end of Rudy's junior year, and it looks like Ara's successor Dan Devine will not honor Ara's promise -- other members of the team symbolically return their jerseys to the coach on his desk because they have come to respect Rudy. While Rudy eventually realizes he may never be as good as he hopes, he still wants play one game for the Irish before he graduates to show his family and friends that he has succeeded: "It is for everyone who told me that being a Norte Dame football player would be impossible.

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My brothers, the guys I work with at the mill they can't come to practice and see that I am a part of this team."

The defining moment of Rudy's life was when, as a worker in the steel mill after his high school graduation, he witnessed the tragic death of one of his friends. Rudy realized that life was short, and too fragile to waste living a false existence. Even if his college life was not perfect, suffering through the grueling physical travails of practice for something in which he could believe was better than suffering a tedious day at the mill. Unlike many of his fellow players, who were merely motivated by winning the game, or enhancing their own legacy, Rudy was motivated by a higher calling: to make his life meaningful, and to be a part of something that elevated the spirits of the audience.

Rudy was motivated by the belief of others in his own ability -- not his abilities in football, but his ability to endure. His example motivates others, including his teammates, who allow him to lead the field during the critical, final game at Georgia Tech at the end of the film. The faith of his teammates' willingness to potentially sacrifice a victory (the dearest thing in most Notre Dame students' hearts) so that he can shine before his parents causes Rudy to engage in a superhuman feat of athleticism and triumph over the opposing Georgia Tech quarterback. Adrenaline, faith, and determination are shown to be the keys to Rudy's success.

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