Why Is This So Real

why is this so real

Not enough people talk about the fact that Quint from Jaws (1975) was suffering from undiagnosed and untreated PTSD. Most soldiers at the end of WW2 didn’t seek treatment because of stigma surrounding therapy and because of the military literally sending out propaganda saying that soldiers with PTSD were either lying or cowards- Patton would give speeches claiming that such soldiers were useless “lying in bed while brave men are dying.” All of Quint’s irrational and destructive behavior makes sense when viewed through these lens:

-why does he destroy the radio? Because his fight response is triggered and he can’t fight the shark but here’s this annoying ass radio, let’s break it

-why does he berate Hooper whenever Hooper has an idea for killing the shark that requires Hooper be in close proximity to the shark? Because that’s how he lost Hobie- his best friend, and former partner: if we allow a queer reading of the subtext of his speech- and he considers Hooper and Brody his friends, literally making statements implying he views Hooper as a kind of son (“he was a young boy, younger than Mr. Hooper here”) so he thinks if he intimidates them he can scare them into being safe

-HE LITERALLY HANDS OUT LIFE JACKETS TO HOOPER AND BRODY BUT DOES NOT WEAR ONE HIMSELF BECAUSE LIFE JACKETS TRIGGER HIM!!!

Quint is a man whose inability to proper treat his trauma due to a lack of access to care and stigma against getting it anyways leads to him being literally consumed by his trauma.

And that’s why Quint is the best character in Jaws.