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Essay / Symbolism of Clementine's hair color in The Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the story of two lovers who know each other in many ways. Their futile and fragile relationship is explored through a non-linear story where they both attempt to erase their memories but are unable to truly erase the feelings they share for each other. The film follows their relationship as it progresses through time, showing fragments of their multiple relationships with each other, jumping between the past and present as Clementine's memories of Joel are erased. Throughout the film, Clementine's hair color changes, expressing the different stages of her relationship with Joel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Symbolism of Clementine's Constantly Changing Hair Color The film begins with Clementine's hair being blue, showing the beginning of their relationship and where they first met in Montauk. This first hair color plays an important role in how Gondry begins to unravel the non-linear way their relationship is depicted. As the film progresses, the viewer slowly discovers that the first time Joel and Clementine meet is instead the end of the film – when they meet after losing their memories. This is done by having Gondry add other little things such as the dent on Joel's car that he noticed at the start of the film - which is revealed to have been done by Clementine when they fall and crash. removed - and rehashed again after his memories are removed (when the loop returns) and the context of the bump is revealed. This is done to help the viewer better understand the non-linear narrative that Gondry carefully weaves throughout the story, planting little seeds of foreshadowing for the viewer to discover and understand as the film progresses. After the film's introduction, the main body of it has Joel reliving his memories of him with Clementine as their relationship breaks down. When Joel and Clementine's relationship is in its final stages of breakdown and their major conflicts as a couple arise, Clementine's hair turns the color orange. This harsh color appears during the film's major conflicts which primarily involve events that occur outside of Joel's memories; for example, when they argue and Clementine starts seeing Patrick Wertz, her hair is orange. This is demonstrated by the transition from Clementine's first blue hair color - when her relationship with Joël is fresh and happy - to her orange hair - with the digression of her partnership with Joël and the beginning with Patrick. The reason this is done is to further use the differences in her hair color to contribute to the changing relationship she and Joel share. Finally, during the most major complications as well as the latter parts of the film, Clementine's hair changes to a more vibrant color. red to a green color. This bright red is prevalent during the main complication when Joel and Clementine try to escape her dreams and her memories are erased - while the other subplots escalate towards the climax of each of their stories. This red hair shows the rebirth of their relationship where they both realize their true love for each other and its limitless nature between Joel's mind and reality. This red color is used to perpetuate the final moments of their relationship's struggle and.