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Connor Theisen Ms. Baxely College Writing Lab, Period 2 March 12, 2012 The Alone Lightning Struck Twice and Stronger They say to expect the same thing when doing or seeing an event again, but being Home Alone does not seem to happen like that. Each Home Alone movies plots were about a boy named Kevin being home alone with, for any reason, criminals after him and the usage of slapstick comedy violence on the criminals. However, the different settings from each movie caused a new environment of how alone Kevin was, how he dealt with it, the quality of the traps used, and how the family love was escalated between Home Alone and its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Between the two, Lost in New York was the better Home Alone because it escalated the complication level for Kevin, there was an upgrade in the traps, and it showed a higher theme of love and giving. Immediately after Kevin realized he was alone, complications began to arise for Kevin, but that was one element that Home Alone lacked in level. Even being home alone as a kid was not all fun and games, rather it was a secret life that society shunned, worried, and would punish the parents. The main two antagonists, Harry and Marv, were two devious minded criminals (The Wet Bandits) that had a high suspicion of him being alone at the house they tried to rob. In order to hide it, Kevin continually created fake dummies and voice recordings to represent his family. However, the minor characters that interacted with Kevin, the store clerk and pizza delivery man did not take much action into checking the boys family or status regardless of the boys story or the violent guns shots which were actually from a movie, thus causing little complication. Kevin also did not go out into public that much, which was a smart, safe idea for him, but less complications and antagonists came up, which decreased the audiences interest out

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of his life away from the two criminal antagonists. A nice, easy life issue in a characters plot does not create much conflict, suspense, or unique life experiences for the audience to enjoy or even learn from. Although Kevin was alone again in the sequel, he faced a higher complication level in New York City. The two criminals from the first movie returned and were back for some more theft and money. Harry gained suspicion about seeing Kevin in New York, and once they learned it was him, they went after him. In order to be safe, Kevin had to run and find a new place to hide from them. Along with the two main antagonists, the minor characters, the hotel staff, played a higher role of suspicion and complication than the minors of the first movie. The hotel staff wondered why Kevin checked in alone, why he had his dads credit card, and wondered if his dad was really with him, even when Kevin told them that his dad was at a business trip meeting and was working all day. The bell boy checked Kevins bag and the desk clerk spied on his room, plus, he thought he saw Kevins dad in the shower. Once the desk clerk checked the credit cards status and usage, it was reported stolen, so the staffers chased Kevin and tried to capture him. Kevin also went out into public more in New York, especially when he first arrived and took pictures of many places such as the top of the World Trade Center. Kevins public journeys were often noted to the hotel staff, such as the limo ride to the toy store, which caused more suspicion of why a child walked alone in New York City. Kevins public appearances are what made Harry see him on the sidewalk and again at the toy store. The sneaky actions of minor characters and recklessness of the major one creates a pot of conflicts and complications for the major character of stories to a degree in which movie audiences can enjoy. Although Home Alone provided slapstick comedy violence, there was a lack of quality or creativity in the traps used. Some of the traps could be and were stopped by home or natural

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resources, such as snow, which did not even have another twist within them. When Harry burned his hand on the heated doorknob and got his head set on fire, he simply jumped into the snow to put it out and there was no other trap within the snow. Each trap had one maneuver or twist within them, there was no other twist within the same trap area. A good example would be when Marv slipped down the outside basement steps, there was no other trap at the door set up by Kevin even if Marv hit himself with his crowbar. The usage of his own home prevented Kevin from creating more destructive traps which could not only harm the criminals more, but also his house. The usage of his house also limited Kevin from larger, dangerous, and more solid resources to create traps. The censorship of a house and resources in movies has once again limited the enjoyment of the audience. Despite the comeback of slapstick comedy, Lost in New York had an upgrade in the quality and creativity in the traps. Whenever a trap caused a injury or mess of the criminals, the resources to help stop or clean the trap were just another trap, such as when Marv slipped on the slimly floor and hits a self to cause paints to fall on him, so he went to the sink for water to clean up, but the turning faucets were electrified. Some similar traps from the first movie were upgraded with a bigger twist, such as when Harry got his head set on fire again and the sink was out of order, so he had to put his head in the toilet unaware that it was full of gas. Another upgrade from a similar trap is at the stairway in which Harry and Marv remembered the two swinging buckets that hit them last time, so they avoided the two from this one. However, Kevin swung a giant pipe down that knocked them through a giant hole in the floor and Kevin cut the pipes rope to bounce it down and hit the villains again. The usage of his uncles renovating house allowed Kevin to use the giant hole as traps, created more traps, and had more dangerous power tools and resources to upgrade the traps painfulness that the first movie house could not

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provide. Kevin used a nail gun to shoot through the key hole, kerosene on the escape rope, gasoline in the toilet, and an electrical box on the sink. The criminals thought they knew what to expect when they chased Kevin, but that turned the tables on them, as well as it did for the audience. Most importantly, the low entertainment quality of Home Alone came from how it lacked emphasis on the theme of loving and giving. Kevins mother tried desperately to get back to Chicago from France to make sure he was safe. She waited for airplane openings, traveled into many U.S. cities, and even drove with a polka band to Chicago to get to her home where she knew where Kevin was. The settlement of one known location in a Chicago suburb was less difficult for ones love to find him than in the next sequel with New York City. Kevin befriended the old shovel man he feared earlier and once he learned about the mans struggling relationship with his son, Kevin advised him to reconcile with his son. This action was kind and grateful, but the love between them was never really dead, just struggling and it could have been resolved by anyones advice. The old mans lack of love in his life was lower than the next characters in the sequel that Kevin is scared by. Kevin showed a high love for his family when he realized how much he missed them, regretted that he wished he would never see them again, and told a Santa Claus that all he wanted for Christmas is his family. However, the theme of giving is not emphasized in this movie like it was in the sequel because Kevin did not really give anything to anyone in need or desperation. When Kevin met with Santa, he did not tell Santa to give all his previous gifts to other children in need. Love was high in the air for the boy and his family, but not high enough to surpass the sequels stance or even show enough theme of giving. These themes of love and giving not only emerged again from Lost in New York, but they were also emphasized at a higher level. The family traveled to Miami this time, so not out of the

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U.S., but they still did not know where Kevin was, since he was at the airport, until the credit card company tracked him by a purchase in New York City. The whole family ceased their activities and traveled to New York to the Plaza Hotel to find Kevin, but he was not there at the time. Along with the police report, the mom desperately searched all over New York to find Kevin, which was more difficult and love powered paranoia than just traveling to the known location of your son like she did in the first movie. Kevin befriended another person, an old pigeon lady that scared him out at first but realized she was friendly and kind. Her husband left her for another women, she had no children, no friends other than the pigeons, lived in a loft above Carnegie Hall (though its not stated that she lives there, its the only residence of hers outside of Central Park), and has given up opening her heart to others because she was afraid to get it broken again. Kevin talked to her about she should open her heart because if it is not going to used, then what is the point in having one, plus, he promised to befriend her. Like the old shovel man, she saved Kevin from the two criminals and in the end, Kevin gave her one of two turtle-doves so they know they would always be friends and never apart. Out of all her suffering and loveless life, Kevin proved to her that there was always someone to love and care for in life. Kevin also highlighted the both love and giving with the toy store. He generously gave 20 dollars to the toy stores fundraiser for the Childrens Hospital and stated, Ill probably just spend it on something thatll rot out my teeth and they need it more than I do. Kevin also saved the hospital money from the criminals by sounding the alarm, plus, he got the money back to the police. Kevins glance at the hospital and the boy in the window showed a sign of care for others. Love was the greatest gift anyone could ever give, and when the Christmas spirit of giving mixed into that love, it became the ultimate inspiration that all people should follow to create peace and love.

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The escalation of complication levels for Kevin, the upgrades in traps, and the higher emphasis on the theme of love and giving are all reasons why the second Home Alone is better than the first. Along with the same two criminals, the active minor characters, the hotel staff, and Kevins public walks all increased complications for him to hide his alone status. The higher availability of resources from the renovations, the traps within cleaning resources, and upgrades from similar traps all show the differences between the preceding ones and how tables were turned on the audiences expectations. The more compassionate sign of love to the old lady and giving to other children in need, even saving the money, highlighted a greater theme of love and giving that inspires the world to do. They say lightning cannot strike twice, but this lightning struck again with greater force and deeper impact on the human life.