“Soul Surfer” is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton, a champion surfer who in her early teens was attacked by a shark and lost almost all of her left arm. One month later, she was back on a surfboard, has since won several championships and is at age 21 a professional surfer.
My problem with “Soul Surfer” is that it makes it look too simple. Bethany has a loving family of professional surfers and a big, friendly dog. She lives in walking distance of the beach. She gets great support from her coaches. She is an optimist with a fierce competitive spirit.
But there had to be more to it than that. I admire her faith, spirit and determination. I realize she is a great athlete. But I feel something is missing. There had to be dark nights of the soul. Times of sadness, anger and hopelessness. Can a 13-year-old girl lose an arm and keep right on smiling?
Let’s now look at the film’s portrait (刻画) of her recovery. There’s a scene where Bethany is fitted with a prosthetic arm (义肢) and refuses to wear it. Great progress is being made in the field of prosthetics. But the arm that she’s offered looks no more useful than the arm that she pulls off her Barbie doll the same night (in one of the movie’s rare moments of depression).
Although I can understand a good prosthetic arm might not help her balance on a surfboard, I believe one might be of use in other situations. Maybe I’m mistaken.
“Soul Surfer” attempts to be inspirational. Whether it will cheer viewers who are not as excellent as Bethany is an excellent question. Anna Sophia Robb is a cheerful heroine. Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt, as Bethany’s parents, are supportive, although the script (剧本) indeed leaves them with no other choice.
(1) In the film “Soul Surfer”, Bethany seems to _____.
(2) By asking the underlined question in Paragraph 3, the author wants to show _____.
(3) The author thinks the scene about Bethany’s prosthetic arm is _____.