Good Will Hunting

In 'Good Will Hunting' we see Will, the main character go through a journey of personal growth. At the start of the film he is a troubled young man who cannot commit to a relationship due to his poor up bringing and in turn he pushes people away before they get a chance to know him. By the end of the film he has grown to trust people and sees that he has to take risk to get ahead in life, this change is brought about by specific moments, events and discussions.

At the start of the film Will is a confused young man. He is very intelligent but due to his poor up bringing he chooses to hide from his gift, by 'hanging around with a bunch of uneducated gorillas' and working as a janitor. He is some what stuck between two worlds, the world with his uneducated though loyal friends and the possible world of being in university or in a challenging job that utilizes his intelligence.

The first event that brings about a change in Will is when he meets Skylar. At this point in the film he still has commitment and trust issues. He is scared to get to know her anymore because he doesn't want to realize that she's not that smart and that she's boring and see her faults because so far she's perfect. After talking with Sean he realizes that it's "these imperfections are the good things because they are the things that are only between him and her". By the end of the film he is ready to commit and take a chance with Skylar even though she might not be the right one>

When Gerry gets Will out of jail it is another step in his journey of personal growth. Gerry sees how smart Will is and wants him to use his intelligence to contribute to the world and he pushes him to take job interviews. Will sees this as someone actually taking interest in him and that for once in his life he is wanted, so in turn he does the maths problems that Gerry wants him to do.

When Will starts his therapy sessions with Sean it is a huge leap in his journey. Sean is the first person who actually cares about his personal growth. Will has many sessions with Sean and the build and good relationship where they can talk to each other about anything, to Will this is very important.