What makes the change possible in On the Waterfront 
Elia Kazan’s ‘On the Waterfront’ journeys the moral redemption of Terry Malloy and his struggle to break free of the heavily ingrained ‘D and D’ (deaf and dumb) culture. The transformation of the attitudes of mainstream society are made possible through many characters on the docks, it is however Terry that ultimately unites the waterfront and brings justice to a once corrupt society.
Through Terry’s three-fold journey of moral awakening, enlightenment and catharsis we are able to witness the breakage of a society once entrapped in a world fuelled by power, greed and corruption.
Terry is confronted with guilt of taking part in the downfall of Joey Doyle’s murder. This is what initiates the awakening of his conscience. “I thought the most they were going to do was lean on him a bit. Get him to talk.” His misguided allegiance with Johnny Friendly and the mob prevent him from developing his own judgement. Therefore he is trapped between staying loyal to a man that “took him to ball games as a kid” and speaking out the truth about the corruption that surrounds the waterfront. His struggle and indecision is evident throughout the film as Kazan uses the motif of fog to demonstrate the moral turmoil that encapsulates Terry. He proclaims “yeah that conscience can really get on your back.” We see the presence of smoke and fog in the wedding scene in the saloon with
Edie when she finally comes to the realisation that Friendly initiated and ordered for her brother to be killed. Edie urges Terry that if he knows something he must speak out. She acts as a moral touchstone to both Terry and Father Barry criticising Father Barry’s liturgical role “have you ever heard of a saint hiding in a church” and to Terry “Pop said that Johnny Friendly onced owned you, well i still think he owns you!” Edie priorities moral principles over what is typically required of “decent girls” and refuses to go back to St.Anne’s and “learn about things in books and not what’s happening to real life
Through Terry’s three-fold journey of moral awakening, enlightenment and catharsis we are able to witness the breakage of a society once entrapped in a world fuelled by power, greed and corruption.
Terry is confronted with guilt of taking part in the downfall of Joey Doyle’s murder. This is what initiates the awakening of his conscience. “I thought the most they were going to do was lean on him a bit. Get him to talk.” His misguided allegiance with Johnny Friendly and the mob prevent him from developing his own judgement. Therefore he is trapped between staying loyal to a man that “took him to ball games as a kid” and speaking out the truth about the corruption that surrounds the waterfront. His struggle and indecision is evident throughout the film as Kazan uses the motif of fog to demonstrate the moral turmoil that encapsulates Terry. He proclaims “yeah that conscience can really get on your back.” We see the presence of smoke and fog in the wedding scene in the saloon with
Edie when she finally comes to the realisation that Friendly initiated and ordered for her brother to be killed. Edie urges Terry that if he knows something he must speak out. She acts as a moral touchstone to both Terry and Father Barry criticising Father Barry’s liturgical role “have you ever heard of a saint hiding in a church” and to Terry “Pop said that Johnny Friendly onced owned you, well i still think he owns you!” Edie priorities moral principles over what is typically required of “decent girls” and refuses to go back to St.Anne’s and “learn about things in books and not what’s happening to real life