The Analysis Of The Film "Genie: Secret Of The Wild Child"

It is difficult for one to imagine themselves as thirteen years old, not having a clear sense of their own being, and barely being able to walk or speak. Unfortunately this was the reality for young girl Genie, in the film “Genie: Secret of the Wild Child”. Instead of growing up in a loving home, Genie was locked up, sometimes bound to chains, in a dark room, alone and under the control of her abusive parents. More than a decade of solitary confinement left her barely being able to walk or speak at the age of thirteen.

Genie’s story is a prime example of how one’s behaviour correlates to their early life and can be explained through theories of sociology. This analysis will focus on the importance of primary socialization, symbolic interactionism and culture, underlining how these factors were crucial in the development of Genie’s life. Primary socialization starts at the beginning of a child’s life and is essential because during this time children develop basic values and norms, as well as ideas of the self (Quan-Haase and Tepperman, 2018, 83). Through parents and family influences, we gain a collective set of knowledge that sets us up for future social interactions (Wilmott, 2018).

As shown in the film, Genie had been isolated from any social interaction, except minimal encounters with her abusive parents. This deeply affected Genie’s psyche and her ability to learn, as she should have developed these skills years before. Essentially, researchers had to compare Genie’s mind to one of a toddler, not knowing anything about the outside world yet. Symbolic interactionism is the development of someone’s self-concept and identity, through daily interaction with others (Quan-Haase and Tepperman, 2018, 91). For one to acquire basic socialization skills, symbolic interactionism is needed.

Genie lacked social skills, because she was never given the opportunity to develop her own identity. She rarely had daily interaction with others, and any interaction with her family ended with punishment. Solitary confinement is the worst type of punishment she received, as it deprived genie from basic human interaction she needed to survive. After being rescued, Genies transition to a normal environment was very difficult. Many months of hard work from professionals to see the slightest bit of progress in hear speech and mannerisms. Overtime, Genie could recognize certain symbols, and was able to speak certain words. Genie could not develop her own identity until she received the basics of symbolic interactionism.

Societal expectations for a girl in her early teens are typically specific, many would expect them to be in seventh grade, having acquired basic reading, writing, and communication skills. These expectations are a result of culture, Genie was far off from any of these expectations, which is why researchers were so drawn to her. She had no means of communication, or basic skills, she had a distinct “bunny walk” which was unusual to everyone who witnessed her. As a result of these factors, many found her behaviour as being ‘anti-normative’ or ‘wild’, because she did not fit into basic cultural standards. Through a series of tests conducted by psychologists studying genies case, it was prevalent that, genie as a twelve year old, was illiterate, speechless, and was given the name “wild child”.