"I Don't Know" a Character Analysis on Arnie Cunningham

A character analysis on Arnie Cunningham

Christine [1983]

Arnie Cunningham [Keith Gordon]

🤓Arnie Cunningham is one of those memorable characters for me. From the moment we are first introduced to him till his final shot.

The world constantly expects so much from him. The good grades, the courtesy, and the almost "yes" behavior time and time again. Perhaps, we were wrong about our mild-mannered Arnie.

Maybe that persona that was pulled from underneath when Christine pulls into his life is the one that has been there all along. This person inside him tired of always doing what's expected and never showing anything from it. Everything that's expected of him, he did. Maybe he never really wanted to in the first place.

This freedom unearths from him. This rebellious edge that wasn't expected of him steps forward and is sitting in the driver's seat. He's tired. Tired of always being picked on and never having the right way to handle the situation. There's something I see in Arnie that is so human. It's broken and yet there's this unseen fight for power. The Arnie we knew between the Arnie in control.

Arnie is one of those few characters that still years later I silently root for. I don't know why. I just do. 😎 

*Edited*

The Arnie we knew goes through this change that we as the audience and along for the ride witness. This gradual change and shift in not only mental but physical appearance. Arnie takes a stand but it is one that is very human. One where his anger at his situation overcomes his psyche and the Arnie we knew is now gone. His anger at society. His anger at his peers. His anger at everything around him shifts into overdrive and there's no looking back. Until it is too late.

I feel years after this review was initially posted that the reason I like Arnie is because his character has this human depth to him. His character is one that often times is one we often see in stories. Thus this generates this IF question. What would had happened IF things were different? Then again, this teeters back to what IF this is who he was after all and we are being fooled? Perhaps this Arnie that came out was waiting for the opportunity to present itself and he bid his time. 🤔

I wonder... then again. I'd like to hope it was the former versus the latter. That's why I personally always silently root for Arnie .