‘On the Waterfront’ and ‘Life of Galileo’ clearly show characters always having issues about their loyalty. Loyalty always acts as an apocryphal element within people who work together. Elia Kazan’s classic, ‘On the Waterfront’ (1954) and author Bertolt Brecht’s one of the greatest, ‘Life of Galileo’ (1943), despite from different contexts and time, have characters who have issues questioning about their loyalty. Both plays have characters who act as a ‘moral conscience’, which directs the protagonist to correct their views and decisions. Though Galileo Galilei acts as a moral conscience himself, Terry Malloy in ‘On the Waterfront’ is guided by Eddie Doyle who acts as a moral conscience for him. This conscience boost acts as a catalyst in making the characters to question the syndicate. As seen in ‘Life of Galileo’, Galileo tries helping the Church to advance in one of its central doctrines is faced with questioning by the totalitarian power, the Inquisition, furthermore getting doubted about his faith and loyalty towards the Church. However, in ‘On the Waterfront’, Terry Malloy who changes from being inarticulate individual to being a confident and composed person faces doubts regarding his allegiance to Johnny Friendly (central power). Kazan’s classic and Brecht’s narrative both have characters who face issues regarding their loyalty.
Kazan’s movie depicts that ‘moral conscience’ acts as a cause to substantiate more moral values in the characters. These ‘changes’ in the character makes them ‘question’ the authorial power, hence if answered wrong incites feelings opposing the authority. This overall effects in making the syndicate to doubt the individual’s loyalty to them. For example, Terry Malloy, who always doubted himself and had ‘feelings’ suppressed within himself was directed in being more composed, articulate and confident individual. Eddie Doyle helped him explore this ‘unopened’, ‘soft side’ in him, by showing him affection and love. This turned in making Malloy question his silence to the longshoreman’s crimes. Hence, expectedly creating issues about his loyalty to the longshoreman.
On the other hand, in ‘Life of Galileo’, Galileo’s strong Christian faith helps him to act himself as a ‘moral conscience’. His questioning to astronomy was significant, since his ideas undermined centuries-old understanding of the universe and even suggested that fundamental aspects of Christian doctrine were entirely untrue. His heliocentric ideas were something he had to consider before presenting it. So, he based his arguments on proofs rather than faith. As mentioned by himself, “Copernicus, don’t forget, wanted them to believe his figures; but I only want them to believe their eyes”. Displaying such a big idea with proofs made the Church doubt his loyalty even his faith itself.
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These issues with loyalty didn’t only make characters change their views, but change their allegiance as well. From the movie, Terry’s brother, Charley Malloy, faced a tough decision to either choose his blood-brother (Terry) or his life-indebted brother (Friendly). He made his decision to save Terry, which can be evident from the cab scene, where he talks with Terry, saying, “Ok, I will tell them that I couldn’t find you”. Not only Charley, but Kayo Dugan and Joey Doyle also switched their sides, when they supposedly tried to bring out the ‘truth’. Thus, the characters in ‘On the Waterfront’ not only have trusting issues with their loyalty, but also they change their loyalties overtime when they follow their own conscience.
In the same way, Brecht’s play has characters who also detract themselves from the Church to Galileo. Their desire to achieve truth was not stoppable even by the Church. The Little Monk, for example, exemplifies how characters change their loyalty when they are guided with then ‘truth’. Trained to be a theologian, mathematician, physicist, and astronomer all at once, the Little Monk originally argues with Galileo, defending Aristotle and the centuries of wisdom the Church has taught him. However, the Little Monk a highly energetic, almost tenacious had a desire for the truth. So, when he witnesses the evidence of Copernicus’ model provided by Galileo’s telescope, he finds himself unable to turn away from it. In the end, he becomes one of his teacher’s most vocal supporters, even when both the Pope and Inquisition have arrested Galileo. Even others like Andrea and his daughter stayed loyal to him, staying in help for him till the end. These characters preferred to be loyal to Galileo than the Power-hungry Church. All for the same reason, the ‘truth’.
In conclusion, both ‘On the Waterfront’ and ‘Life of Galileo’ have characters who follow their inner scruples which leads them to probe into the central power or authority. Their questioning grows into a struggle for finding the ‘truth’ which makes all of them, regardless of the contextual differences, face issues with their loyalty to each other.
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