Questions about the movie “contact”?
Question by : Questions about the movie “contact”?
1) Describe both Ellie and Palmer’s perspective. Make sure to include how they come to their conclusion.
2) Discuss Palmer’s belief that Ellie should not present the world in space because she did not believe in God. Do you think that was a fair decision? why or why not?
3) Ellie and Palmer disagree on their fundamental way of understanding life in the universe, yet they still respect each others viewpoints. Do you think this is possible in life? Can a person have both scientific and religious perspectives? Explain.
Best answer:
Answer by Bruce
1) Ellie is skeptical regarding the existence of a higher power, mainly because of the death of her father at such a young age. When she tries to contact him through her short-wave radio, she gets static, not voices from heaven that her father had always promised her of. This is the catalyst in her not believing in God. Palmer, on the other hand, is a religious man who dropped out of the seminary for personal reasons. He believes that God is the supreme being, mainly because he supposedly felt his presence and assumed it was God, much to the chagrin of Ellie. They are love interests throughout the film, but I believe its their clashing ideals that keeps them together, their beliefs that drive such a volatile relationship. Eventually, Ellie gets her chance to board the second Machine that will travel through space and time as we know it. It is hear that she undergoes an almost religious experience, through the beauty of space and the presence of her “dead” father on a beautiful beach. Although he is just an alien appearing as her father, this alters her entire perception of religion and faith. It is also at this point, specifically before the launch, that Palmer accepts Ellie’s role and opens up to the possibility that there could indeed be something else existing in space besides God. Although Ellie’s journey lasts for a few seconds in the real world, the footage recorded lasts nearly 18 hours, which leaves the viewer to doubt the validity of Ellie’s claims. Either way, both Ellie and Palmer have a far better understanding of each other by the end.
2) Palmer’s choice regarding Ellie’s involvement in the Machine launch I always felt was a personal choice, where he worried for her safety and well-being, even at the cost of their relationship. It is common for people of faith, though, to denounce any such initiatives like flying into space, mainly because it should only be in God’s power to live amongst the heavens. Ultimately, I don’t think it was a fair decision, but a right one, because the first Machine is destroyed by a religious activist, thus saving Ellie’s life.
3) I think it is very possible for science and religion to coexist. There will always be bias amongst both sides, but in reality, there is a massive amounts of “evidence” that support both sides’ claims. Unfortunately, you’ll find more people side with science as it is more grounded in fact and statistics than faith or beliefs. It would be hard though for someone, say an avid follower of the Old Testament, to embrace Darwin’s theory of evolution, because they both offer differing views as to how Man came to be. Unfortunately, I don’t think a person of intense faith and religion would endorse the teachings of science, and vice versa. That is an endless debate for another post entirely.
Hope that helps at all.
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