Nicole McLellan - "21"

Honestly, I was a bit skeptical at first as to whether I was really going to be able to find something philosophical or religious in this film. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the movie and the message that I believe it portrays. As I was watching, I could not help but think of Proverbs 13:11, which states, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” In the film, Ben needs $300,000 for school, and he has two paths he can choose to get it. The first path is working at a job that only pays $8 per hour. The second path is Black Jack, and unfortunately this is the path he chooses. Ironically, the movie shows him stashing the money he wins little by little each time he returns from a trip to Vegas. This may seem to resemble the second part of Proverbs 13:11, but it really doesn't. Ben didn’t earn the money through honest hard work; he earned it through dishonesty and deception. And although Ben’s money didn’t “dwindle away” as the proverb states, it still didn’t last. It was first taken by Micky and then by Cole at the end of the film. I know it’s not a perfect parallel to Proverbs 13:11, but the concept is the same in both the film and the proverb; dishonesty money doesn’t last.