Lessons from The Hustler: Playing with Pride
Who knew that a dimly lit atmosphere and a shoddy pool room would declare an emergence of a different taste in entertainment during the 1960s? Gradually phasing out of those lighthearted musicals into hardened realism, The Hustler tackles the kryptonite of an average individual. It’s a nefarious thing that goes undetected by its host and when discovered, no one wishes to identify with. With an introduction to darker themes paired with a rich dialogue, the film details a cautionary tale on one of the biggest pitfalls humanity is plagued with – the problem of pride.
There are two types of pride, the good kind and the not so good kind. Healthy pride as described is defined as a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people. Unhealthy Pride is Arrogant, haughty, or overbearing behaviour, demeanour, or treatment of others, as exhibiting an inordinately high opinion of oneself. With biblical roots in Christianity and coined as one of the seven deadly sins in the Catholic sect; an account of the characteristics of pride begins with an angel named Lucifer in Isaiah 14:13:
You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
Lucifer attempts to overthrow his Creator because of his conceived supremacy over all others. Presenting an inflated importance of oneself, he attempts to be glorious apart from the one who formed him. Similar to Lucifer, our anti-hero is infected with this feeling.
Paul Newman portrays Felson as a “[…] a blue-eyed con man full of ego, motivated by self-preservation and lacking in good nature. Yet, he is extremely talented at playing pool.”
His character is met as one who constantly partakes in fraudulent activities meant to achieve his baser needs, and he takes pride in his talent. Throughout the film, we see Eddie’s attempt to reach self-actualization in progression with the fulfillment of his physical needs. Maslow’s hierarchy begins with a focus on physiological needs like food, water, and sleep. Safety is the second priority and then the development of belonging to either a family or community. Higher, intangible needs like respect or self-esteem are expected as the fourth priority leading ultimately to self-actualization. At the onslaught of the film, Eddie seems to possess three of the basic things as he defines his goal for the audience. Charlie and he make enough to survive, he is safe for the most part and Charlie is akin to a father to Eddie. So then, outlines his goal to beat Minnesota Fats, the legendary pool player, and garner money and renown at this feat. In his arrogance, he wishes to be greater than Fats. This can be likened to the people in the story of the tower of Babel who wished to exalt themselves through their talents.
‘Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves […]” (Genesis 11:4)
The first thematic element is the presence of pride. In the catholic sect, pride is considered one of the deadly sins. Look at what Eddie says to Fats, “I’m the best you ever seen, Fats. I’m the best there is. And even if you beat me, I’m still the best.” Let it be known that there is nothing wrong with healthy belief in oneself, but that isn’t what Eddie displayed. It was arrogance. What do we as the audience know about Minnesota Fats? Here’s how I describe him in my written review:
“[…] propped up as the one to spur Felson’s growth, [Fats] is played by Jackie Gleason with controlled chaos. His love for the game and his moral code made him much more successful than any other player.”
Calculated, a man of a few words, and one who executes wisdom in his occupation of playing games are traits observed about Fats. Whereas “Fast Eddie” is hasty in both his playing and in his decisions. Obviously, the anti-thesis to Eddie, Fats is used as a foil character to exacerbate his haughtiness. With a long match that leads into another day, Eddie is tired, partially drunk yet he had mastered the reputable man. His belief in himself is backed with talent, and he achieves even more money than he intended. Yet, he keeps playing. Never mind the fact that the desired goal had been met during their match; Eddie needed respect. He needed Minnesota Fats to affirm him as the greatest pool player. But there is one thing Eddie Failed to see; greatness is less of an outward characteristic and more of an inward piece of work. The weakest men neglect more important matters that truly make a person great – matters of true character like integrity, honesty, and humility. Similarly, Jesus’ words to the Pharisees are reminiscent of Eddie’s pursuit.
“Then the Lord said, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. (Luke 11:39)
Exalted by his talent, he searches for outward praise he neglects the mastery of those inward behaviors. We recognize Eddie’s behavior as mere pride because even after winning, he remains unsatisfied. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis perfectly describes the nature of pride, he details that
“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man… It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, pride is gone.”
Evidently, Eddie does not achieve his goal, at the cost of his poor character. Gordon, portrayed by George Scott, is a successful grifter that manages players; as the manager of Minnesota Fats, he had been the one to fund the money for the match between him and Eddie.
“[Gordon’s] synopsis of Eddie as a “born loser” was an interesting sentiment to be belied upon an other-worldly pool player. Yet, Gordon understood something about Felson that took him such a tenuous time to see.”
Bert was kind of right. Eddie loses, not because he couldn’t beat Fats, but because of his poor character. Being great is far greater than talent. Not only is Felson a loser in his occupation, but also in his relationships. After his loss, his identity was challenged. Far from the great man he idealizes, he packs up and leaves Charlie. With little resources left to him besides some cash, he finds himself latching onto Sarah Packard who is brought to life by Piper Laurie; Acting as the love interest she provides a murky mirror for his brokenness.
Hesitant acquaintance befalls them, and they meet again, forming a destructive alliance. Sarah tends to Eddie, and he just takes. He swindles her in every way; whether it be financially, mentally, bodily, and yet still she remains.”
Sarah, who struggles with a drinking problem, is in a personal hell with Eddie as he provides nothing of need for her within the realm of security. She seeks out love but receives the opposite of that which provides a chaotic environment for a character that already experiences internal disorder. A prideful man struggles to express true love, because of its competitive nature. Was he in competition with Sarah, by no means! However, he saw himself as more complete than she was, and any crack in his inflated sense of self proved to be an attack.
As Lewis asserts “[…]Pride always means enmity—it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God.”
Sarah’s request for love from him is merely a hinderance to him achieving his goal. He craves to be independent of everything that he thinks holds him back. Eddie is in poor shape mentally, and in swoops the devil in the person of Bert Gordon. He offers him an opportunity to redeem himself and his ego at a major cost- his soul. The third fall of man is depicted not in an ideal garden, but in a dimly lit bar room. He can salvage his bruised ego, but he never fully considers the cost. Unable to see through Gordon’s offer, Sarah, who joins Eddie on his journey, can clearly see through his duplicitous deal.
Fast forward to a hot-shot party, Eddie finds himself playing a game of billiards instead of pool, and he wins after he comprises his integrity and is stripped of his dignity. Though he does not relish this win, instead he experiences potent anger. Anger after a win is an odd emotion for one to express. However, since he betrayed himself to win a game, it felt more like loss. The one who suffers greatly from this deal is not really Eddie, but it is Sarah. She never really receives the love she desires, only pain. He never needed to lose his dignity to win, but somehow Gordon relegated him to such. To add insult to injury, Eddie discovers news about Sarah, and he deeply grieves at this loss of love. His pursuit of what he thought would complete him turned out to be a farce. Then, after the pursuit, he is left with an emptiness. A hollowness within his soul after receiving the spoils of the war. He won but at what cost. He chased his dreams and chased away the only semblance of family he had.
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Mark 8:36)
Eddie returns for his rematch with Fats, but it’s different this time. He brandishes a new outlook on life. There is a variation in his countenance, a silent resolution that he feels. Still sure of his ability to win but is changed by what he experienced. Once again, he succeeds, but there is a difference in the way he handles this victory. Feeling a sense of relief at the win, a semblance of sorrow fills him because this success felt a little hollower than he remembered. With the loss of love and community, there’s only him in the hall to celebrate. There’s no Charlie or Sarah, just him.
His acting manager is present even after the mess with Sarah and demands payment from Eddie or he’ll receive a serious injury. Eddie still sore from the memory of Sarah and uncaring of what may happen to him stands up to Bert. Gordon resigns yet pushes Eddie to either remain indebted to him, or to walk away from playing pool again. A tough decision but now that Eddie has changed, he considers these options carefully and decides though it may trample on one of his greatest desires. He tells Bert no, and he walks away. The act of walking away from his dream could only be the development of an individual that had a newfound sense of self-worth. He was no longer pursuing a feeling of greatness. He realizes that Minnesota Fats was never his opponent; he had to master himself. In the end, he understood the harmfulness of this pursuit and how the world takes advantage of the weak and the vulnerable, and it spits them out. He determines that his soul is much more valuable to him than his desires.
One may consider this film as merely a drama about a simple sport, but it’s a bit deeper than that. The Hustler has left its mark not just on cinema but on its viewers. Aside from its great direction or dialogue or actors, it has managed to produce a completely humanistic think piece. It invites the audience to journey with our anti-hero as he becomes the personification of pride. It’s those little things that you least expect. It’s that sting of resentment when someone doesn’t acknowledge you. Or even immediate defense at the first sign of criticism. Notice how Eddie consistently won his matches; he was truly one of the greatest pool players, but his hubris cost him much more losses. These tiny bits of prideful behaviors will ultimately result in an arrogant disposition. Thankfully, Eddie garners humility and faces rebirth. Baptized in the waters of integrity, he determines that his worth is not predicated on external affirmation, but it comes from an assuredness within. Now redeemed, Eddie can humbly declare “Fat man, you shoot a great game of pool.” In recognition of his growth Fats affirms “So do you, Fast Eddie.
“Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)
The Island Cinephile