This article contains spoilers.
The film American History X, released in 1998, ignited a lot of conversation due its portrayal of racist American society. Directed by Tony Kaye, it focuses on the lives of the two brothers: Derek Vinyard, portrayed by Edward Norton who received an Oscar nomination for his exceptional performance; and Danny Vinyard, portrayed by Edward Furlong who went on to work in many successful films. Touching upon topics such as white nationalism, the nature vs nurture debate and indoctrination, which I will be expanding on throughout this article, the film proved to be a powerful and impactful reflection of these issues within society.
Set in Venice, Los Angeles, the film is centred around the life of neo-Nazi Derek Vinyard, a co-leader of a white supremacist group. Later in the film, Derek brutally kills two Black men leading him to being sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for voluntary manslaughter. Following his 3 years imprisonment, Derek leaves prison with a different outlook on life after what he had witnessed and learnt in prison. Derek attempts to save his younger brother, Danny, from going down the path of hate that he was previously on. Danny begins to change but his actions catch up to him leading to him being shot and killed.
The ‘Nature vs Nurture’ debate is one which is prominent throughout the film. This phrase was first coined by Francis Galton, and poses the question of whether a person’s characteristics are due to their genetics or their environment and upbringing. It is extremely evident in the film that the answer would be nurture, as it was Derek and Danny’s environment that made them who they were in the past and in the present. It is clear that this is a deliberate choice by the director and writers to convey the belief that racism, hatred and discrimination are not innate attributes humans are born with, but rather are developed as a result of nurturing, through environment and upbringing.
Derek was largely influenced by his father, who was opposed towards the integration of other ethnicities, especially those which were non-white and racialised, into American society, which had a profound impact on Derek’s mindset. Before Derek heard the views of his father he was in awe of his new African-American teacher Dr. Bob Sweeney and he enjoyed reading Black literature, but his father tells him not to “swallow everything he feeds you whole”, and goes on to speak about his views on the Black community, which was significant in bringing Derek one step closer to who he would later become. Furthermore, in his teenage years, Derek’s father is killed by Black narcotics dealer and Derek uses this as a way to justify his attitudes towards Black people, which is evident in today's society. For example, with the moral panic surrounding Black stabbings in the UK, this has led to the general (white) British public viewing most Black individuals as criminals, and using this exaggerated notion to justify their fear and racism towards Black individuals. The negative acts of one Black individual serve to form the perception of the wider Black community for white individuals, as shown in Derek's case, which is unfair. Later in the film,Derek is later approached by high profile neo-Nazi Cameron Alexander, and they form a white supremacist gang. This chain of events emphasises how the environment one lives in and how being highly impressionable can lead to a person’s entire life being affected.
Derek continues to grow up, and becomes extremely passionate about his views which then leads him to influence his younger brother, Danny through his words and actions. American History X highlights the relationship between siblings, and how much influence an older sibling can have on a younger sibling. In a report called Peer Relations: Sibling Relations and Their Impact on Children’s Development, it’s said that, “younger siblings often imitate the older child’s language and actions during play…”. This is evident when Danny begins to follow in Derek’s footsteps and takes a more active role in the white supremacist gang when Derek goes to prison. The sole reason for Danny’s downfall is him wanting to imitate his brother,as Derek becomes the next best thing when their father dies.
The scene of Derek’s murders of the two Black men that attempted to rob him is extremely difficult to watch.Although the murders are not shown, the build up and audio remain ingrained in your mind,as if you had actually viewed the murders. Sadly,that scene is a reality for many Black individuals in the world and through that scene the film was able to deliver a hard-hitting but necessary message to the audience. It acts as a wake-up call to the viewers about what is happening in today’s society. At a dinner before the murder occurs, Derek is arguing with his mother’s boyfriend,Murray (Elliot Gould), about Rodney King, a Black man who was severely beaten by the police, and the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which was in response to the assault of Rodney King, the killing of Latasha Harlins and the racial tensions between the African-Americans and Korean Americans. It’s interesting to see the way in which the argument in the film is conveyed as this would’ve been a common conversation in many White families. It’s reflective of society today, as when George Floyd,an African-American man, was murdered by a White police-officer, it triggered a wave of protests across the world and the conversations that were held at the dinner table were now moved onto social media and we once again witnessed the victim being blamed for their assault/murder. It was an exceptionally well performed scene,by Norton and Gould as the tension between the two characters was palpable.Strikingly, the comparison between the scene where Derek’s father being the one sat at the head of the table,sharing his views on Black individuals in American society, to the scene where Derek was now sat at the head of the table sharing the same similar views about Rodney King and the riots, is just an example of the influence that an environment can have on an individual, and how easily young people can be influenced by the people they are surrounded by.
Interestingly, black and white movies decreased in prevalence towards the late 50s,so it is interesting that a film set in the 90s would utilise it. This could be argued to represent the fact that in those 40-50 years, people’s actions and attitudes towards people of colour haven’t changed a lot. Even once the movie flashes forward to the future, and the film is in colour, nothing has changed. There’s still a continuous cycle of hate being used as a weapon in society.
After coming out of prison, Derek has completely changed and there’s many moments in his time in prison that could be attributed to this change. Firstly, there was his newfound friendship with Lamont, which was a stepping stone in altering his attitude towards people of colour, specifically the Black race. Derek’s friendship with Lamont was something that the viewers could see coming but it wasn’t necessarily welcomed. As a Black woman it was uncomfortable to see knowing that he was in prison for brutally murdering a Black man and now he was beginning to develop a friendship with a man of the same race. However, it was necessary for this event to happen as it led Derek to begin his redemption arc. Secondly, Derek’s scene with Dr. Bob Sweeney,his former African-American headteacher, after he’d just been raped was one of the best scenes of the movie and was beautifully done by Edward Norton and Avery Brooks. Dr. Sweeney asks an extremely important question to Derek, “Has anything you done made your life better?”, and in that moment you can see Derek completely change, he begins to beg for help and we see him come to the realisation that he’s been holding onto so much hate and had let him consume him. As a viewer, it was an extraordinary moment to watch as it brought me so much relief to see his character begin to change.
Towards the end of the film, Derek’s desperation for Danny to change and not follow his footprints starts to have an impact on Danny. Danny finishes an essay that was previously assigned by Dr. Sweeney, and he says “My conclusion is hate is baggage”. Those six words were extremely powerful and it’s like a weight is lifted off the viewers shoulders; we’re at peace knowing that Danny has not let the hate,that he’s been exposed to from a young age,submerge him like it had done to Derek. However, the words were said as a voiceover in the film, and the scene on screen is of Danny being shot by a young Black teenager that he had confronted the day before.Danny’s death was a heartbreaking scene, as he’s being held by his brother who is wailing and the film ends with the continuation of the essay Danny had written and a montage of the beach. The screenwriter of American History X, David McKenna said in an interview “The point I tried to make in the script is that a person is not born a racist. It is learned through [the] environment and the people that surround you. The question that intrigued me is: why do people hate and how does one go about changing that? My premise was that hate starts in the family.” The question that intrigued McKenna is apparent all throughout the beginning of the film, and the answer begins to become extremely clear towards the end of the film. People hate because that’s what they’ve been taught to do. The primary socialisation of a child is done at home, so if a child is being exposed to views that exude hate then they grow up to believe that those views are the only right thing. McKenna was correct in saying that “hate starts in the family”, and the Vinyard family is a perfect example of that.
The beauty of American History X is that it makes you feel a range of different emotions and simultaneously makes you question yourself. The film makes you uncomfortable,it shows you the harsh reality of what society really is. One thing I learnt through watching the movie is that everyone has a choice, but there’s so many factors in our life that can influence our choices, and some of these factors can negatively impact an individual and it leads them down the path of destruction. The film makes us question the way that we’re living, are we as a society doing the best to protect the children of our society, are we trying to correct the mistakes that we’ve made or are we just creating generations that are identical to the past. American History X is a film that is simply about hate,and its effects. We’re able to see how quickly hate festers, and spreads to people and we see what hate leads to. As viewers, we’re left to wonder about what happens to Derek, we're left to wonder if he is able to break the cycle of hate that society is filled with. Danny says in his essay “We are not enemies,but friends.”, a quote from Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address in 1861. The message of not letting hate overcome us is still being preached 163 years later. American History X gracefully answers all the questions that the viewer has throughout the film and brings us peace. It is a film that I believe everyone should watch at least once in their life as it has an everlasting impact on your outlook on life and it teaches you a lesson that you’ll never forget.