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Comment by da02 | Hacker News Reader

Any analysis you would recommend of JVtV? Does the volcano represent that Joe has to overcome the imagined fears that is preventing him from growing in life?

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This is a pretty good analysis of the movie's themes: https://crossingthethemes.wordpress.com/2020/03/13/film-anal...

Thanks. This analysis really show me how I didn't understand the movie despite enjoying it on a superficial level. It's even better than my first impressions.

There is no symbolism. It’s just a fun quirky movie.

I think this is why the movie is so polarizing! It's full of symbolism and metaphor - check out the movie's trivia on IMDB (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099892/trivia/).

What does the over-sized luggage/boxes represent in the end? His new self emptied of the fears and misconceptions he had?

Does it need to? The whole premise is that he hates his “relatively” cushy factory management job enough to think jumping in a volcano is a better use of his life.

I wonder if there is a worse way to go? I mean even getting your skull crushed in car accident seems lights out in less than a second. Jumping into a volcano I can imagine you stay alive for some 10 seconds or so before you obviously pass out but not before tasting lava in your stomach.

That's not remotely the premise.

I guess I should explain.

For starters, he quit his job before the volcano opportunity came up. He choice was never "keep working or jump into a volcano."

He quit his job because he'd just been told he had just a few months to live, and didn't want to spend them like that.

Finally, he didn't have much money. He could either scrape by in his apartment for a few months, or go on a grand adventure and die just a little earlier than he would have anyway.

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