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Application of Sociological Theories on Aging to the Movie Driving Miss Daisy

Tammy A. Garcia

Ferris State University

Abstract

To gain a better understanding of the sociological theories of aging, the theories and the concepts of those theories are applied to characters in a movie. The movie, Driving Miss Daisy, spans a twenty-five year period and follows Miss Daisy, an elderly Jewish woman, and her driver, Hoke a black man. Through the years their relationship grows as they both age. With the application of various concepts in aging to the characters development in the movie a greater understanding of the sociological aspect of aging is achieved.

Application of Sociological Theories on Aging to the Movie Driving Miss Daisy

The movie Driving Miss Daisy was released in 1989 and is set in the south in 1948. Miss Daisy is an elderly Jewish widow who can no longer safely drive. Her son, Boolie, hires a driver for her, a black man named Hoke. The movie spans twenty five years and shows Miss Daisy and Hoke developing a relationship that starts reluctantly but becomes one that “transcends their differences” (Vogel, J., n. d.) I recently viewed the movie with the intention of applying the various sociological theories of aging to the main characters: Miss Daisy and Hoke.

The Movie

The movie starts with Miss Daisy getting into a car accident while trying to back out of her drive way. Apparently this is her second accident in a short time frame. Miss Daisy’s son, Boolie, hires a driver, Hoke, for his mother. Miss Daisy is angry and does not make it easy for Hoke. She goes as far as calling her son in the early morning to tell him Hoke is stealing from her when she notices a can of salmon missing and the empty container in the trash. Hoke comes to work that morning with a can of salmon to replace the one he ate the day before. I feel that was a real turning point in Miss Daisy and Hoke’s relationship.

As the movie progresses and the relationship develops, one can see how lonely Miss Daisy is. Her son is wrapped up in his own life, with his wife who doesn’t get along with Miss Daisy. Miss Daisy had been a teacher before retiring and when she finds out that Hoke can’t read, she teaches him.

Both Miss Daisy and Hoke experience prejudice, which is something they have in common in spite of all the outward differences. At one point in the movie, police stop to find out why Hoke, a black man, is in possession of a nice car. The police check papers for the car and Hoke’s driver’s license. They also ascertain that Miss Daisy is Jewish. While Miss Daisy and Hoke drive away, one of the police officers says to the other one “an old nigger and an old Jew woman taking off down the road, now that’s a sorry sight” (Zanuck & Beresford, 1989).

The movie ends a few years after Miss Daisy enters a nursing home. Hoke and Boolie visit her at Thanksgiving. Hoke is very elderly at this point as well and now relies on others to get around or has to take a taxi to visit. Miss Daisy tells Boolie to go see the nurses because Hoke came to see her. Hoke proceeds to feed Miss Daisy her pumpkin pie and the movie ends.

The Theories

There are several sociological theories of aging that “attempt to explain and predict changes in roles and relationships in the middle and late life, with an emphasis on adjustment” (Touhy & Jett, 2012, p. 37). In addition to adjustment, perception and acceptance are also needed for successful aging.

Role Theory

Miss Daisy was dealing with a lot of role changes in the movie. The role theory is based on the concept that people face changing roles as they age and go through life. “In successful aging as one role is completed, another one takes its place that is valued comparatively” (Touhy & Jett, 2012, p. 37).

When the movie starts Miss Daisy has already been widowed, which is a role she had to adjust to. After her car accident the mother/son role reverses and the son is making the decision for her in regards to needing a driver. Miss Daisy is resistant to the change and angry over her loss of independence. She is mean to Hoke. The first time she let Hoke drive her to the Piggly Wiggly she made a comment to him after lecturing him on speed and gas mileage. She said “some may think I’m losing my abilities but I’m still in control of what goes on in my car” (Zanuck & Beresford, 1989). I believe she started coming to terms with needing Hoke as a driver after the salmon incident. By accepting the need for a driver she is able to maintain independence and a sense of control in other areas of life. Miss Daisy was a teacher before retirement and in parts of the movie it was obvious she still identifies with that role. Examples include teaching Hoke to read, and when she woke up one morning confused and telling Hoke she was going to be late for school and the kids were going to be disappointed.

Activity Theory

The activity theory maintains that a person must stay active and lead a productive life to age successfully. Once Miss Daisy accepted Hoke as her driver she was able to maintain the activities that she enjoyed: card games with friends, parties, and getting her hair done. She stayed active with gardening and running her home with the help of Idella and Hoke.

Continuity Theory

According to the continuity theory successful aging involves maintaining a consistent pattern of behavior and replacing roles with similar ones as a person ages (Touhy & Jett, 2012). Miss Daisy was able to continue her teaching role when she taught Hoke to read. She was also concern that her friends might look at her differently now that she had a driver. She stated concern over being perceived as rich or showing off but I also feel there was embarrassment over her needing a driver. She made Hoke park away from the main entrance of the store, temple, etc and she eventually adjusted to it.

Age Stratification

The age stratification theory considers people as members of certain age groups. Miss Daisy was older than Hoke but not enough to put them in different age stratification or cohort groups. This gave them one more link beyond the employer/employee relationship.

Disengagement & Modernization Theories

According to the disengagement theory, Miss Daisy should have withdrawn from her social pursuits when she was no longer able to drive. Applying the modernization theory to Miss Daisy’s life would indicate that as she is elderly she no longer has anything to contribute. Both of these theories perpetuate negative images of aging and can lead to discrimination. Miss Daisy did not stop her social life. She also continued to contribute to society by teaching Hoke to read, and attending the Martin Luther King dinner. Those two things prove both theories false to me. Health-Related Quality of Life Theory

The health-related quality of life theory is built on the premises that:

quality of life depends on the unique experience of life for each person; individuals are the only proper judge of their quality of life; (and) quality of life was defined in terms of satisfaction with the aspects of life that are important to the individual (North, 2012).

At the beginning of the movie Miss Daisy is struggling with her quality of life. She is facing changes with her inability to drive. This impacts her ability to pursue activities she enjoys. This impacts her psychologically as well she is losing control in that area of her life. She is widowed and does not seem to have an exceptionally close relationship with her son.

As the years go by I believe her quality of life improved. By allowing Hoke to be her driver she is able to stay active and social. This helps her regain a sense of control in her life again. Her relationship with Hoke becomes the most important one in her life and positively affects her quality of life.

Conclusion

Driving Miss Daisy is an excellent movie to watch and see examples of the different sociological theories of aging. Nursing care of the elderly patient needs to incorporate the theories concepts into the nursing assessment. By doing so we may be able to assist the elderly patient in identifying behaviors or attitudes that are counterproductive to successful aging.

References

North, S. (2012). Health Related Quality of Life. [Nursing 314 presentation]. Retrieved from

Ferris State University Ferris Connect course website.

Touhy, T. A., & Jett, K., (2012). Ebersole & Hess’ Toward Healthy Aging: Human Needs

& Nursing Response (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.

Vogel, J., (n.d.). Plot summary for Driving Miss Daisy. Message posted to



Zanuck, R. P., Zanuck, L. F., & Beresford, B., (1989). Driving Miss Daisy [Motion picture].

United States of America: Warner Bros. Pictures.

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