by Brindon Udomratanavasi
Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, follows the rise and fall of Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) during his years running a fraudulent investment firm. The film depicts a young, money hungry Belfort starting off at an entry level job at a firm on Wall Street. A chance run-in with his boss leads to a lunch date with the man. His boss tells him tips and secrets of the trade, which seem to revolve around prostitutes and cocaine, and the two men then share a rhythmic, almost tribal bout of chest thumping and humming(The Wolf..). The dialogue and themes were erratic to say the least. After a few hiccups, Jordan finds himself running a successful “pump and dump” scheme involving penny stocks. He’s eventually caught and arrested for his crimes. Throughout the film Belfort develops and changes according to his Wall Street environment. We see him go from a monogamous married man who wants to make a lot of money, to a mega-rich, philandering junkie. I believe that this display of development provides a good example of Bourdieu’s habitus and field.
Bourdieu described habitus as “durable, transposable dispositions”(1977:72). Field would be a structured space, defined by things such as capital, rules, or laws(1993:73). Essentially field is the area where a person would use their habitus in order to progress or compete. Bourdieu’s “durable, transposable dispositions” means long lasting, shared attitudes or ways of being. The shared nature of the habitus allows their to be development. It allows for these dispositions to be passed down or shared between groups of people. A person’s habitus, though long lasting or durable, can change throughout their life. Different experiences or encounters/interactions could cause one’s attitude or way of life to be altered. Although, it is unlikely that the habitus would change drastically in a short period of time. These changes should essentially reflect a growing knowledge of one’s field(s), and how to better compete in it.
Like I mentioned above, The Wolf of Wall Street provides a good example of development of habitus and its interaction with the field. In order to better discuss development of habitus, I think it is important to have a proper understanding of the relative field. The greater field in this movie would be Wall Street. Typically depicted as high energy and quick moving, the movie displays this field in it’s proper cut throat style. People are seen talking over the phone with potential investors, shouting and screaming at catch or a loss. The lesser field would be the close knit, almost fraternal, investment firm that Belfort eventually owns and operates. It’s Wall Street on steroids. The film depicts outrageous drug and alcohol fueled parties, many of which appear to take place in the actual office building(The Wolf..). It is within these two fields that Belfort’s habitus develops.
Initially, Jordan Belfort is a low level entry guy at an already established firm. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, he quickly picked up on how things are done. He seemingly takes the advice of his one time boss and adopts a “work hard, play hard” attitude. I argue that this change in life style was brought on by Belfort’s experiences in the field, and that these changes are advantageous in increasing his ability to compete. If habitus involves disposition, then these life style changes could certainly reflect a change, or development in habitus. As previously mentioned, Belfort starts the film off as your average bottom feeder. He has average suits, average habits, even an average wife (not trying to be mean). It’s after his lunch date with his boss that he begins to see how the game is played. He turns in to a quick talking, cunning salesperson; who also develops many a bad habit. He uses his knowledge and experience to gain capital in his field. Rising quicker than he should, he disposes of all his average things. He has his own tailor, a taste for expensive prostitutes and rare narcotics, and even a new trophy wife(The Wolf..).
These are all changes to his habitus. His original disposition has been terribly altered, but it has been altered to increase his ability to compete in his field. By adopting the “work hard, play hard” lifestyle he becomes an agent of Wall Street. His lavish lifestyle and intoxicating persona make many adore him, a necessity regarding leadership. Many scenes depict Belfort’s captivating speeches given to his bright eyed employees, almost like his own private army of hard partying investors. It was these changes to his attitude or way of life that allowed Belfort to succeed in the field of Wall Street and his own investment firm. I believe that the character arc depicted in this film provide a solid example of habitus change and development, as well as it’s relation to the field.
Bourdieu, Pierre. Outline of a Theory of Practice. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977. Cambridge Books Online. Web. 03 April 2014.
Bourdieu, Pierre . . "Some properties of fields." Sociology in question, (1993): 72-73.
The Wolf of Wall Street. Dir. Martin Scorsese. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio. Paramount Pictures, 2014. DVD.
Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, follows the rise and fall of Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) during his years running a fraudulent investment firm. The film depicts a young, money hungry Belfort starting off at an entry level job at a firm on Wall Street. A chance run-in with his boss leads to a lunch date with the man. His boss tells him tips and secrets of the trade, which seem to revolve around prostitutes and cocaine, and the two men then share a rhythmic, almost tribal bout of chest thumping and humming(The Wolf..). The dialogue and themes were erratic to say the least. After a few hiccups, Jordan finds himself running a successful “pump and dump” scheme involving penny stocks. He’s eventually caught and arrested for his crimes. Throughout the film Belfort develops and changes according to his Wall Street environment. We see him go from a monogamous married man who wants to make a lot of money, to a mega-rich, philandering junkie. I believe that this display of development provides a good example of Bourdieu’s habitus and field.
Bourdieu described habitus as “durable, transposable dispositions”(1977:72). Field would be a structured space, defined by things such as capital, rules, or laws(1993:73). Essentially field is the area where a person would use their habitus in order to progress or compete. Bourdieu’s “durable, transposable dispositions” means long lasting, shared attitudes or ways of being. The shared nature of the habitus allows their to be development. It allows for these dispositions to be passed down or shared between groups of people. A person’s habitus, though long lasting or durable, can change throughout their life. Different experiences or encounters/interactions could cause one’s attitude or way of life to be altered. Although, it is unlikely that the habitus would change drastically in a short period of time. These changes should essentially reflect a growing knowledge of one’s field(s), and how to better compete in it.
Like I mentioned above, The Wolf of Wall Street provides a good example of development of habitus and its interaction with the field. In order to better discuss development of habitus, I think it is important to have a proper understanding of the relative field. The greater field in this movie would be Wall Street. Typically depicted as high energy and quick moving, the movie displays this field in it’s proper cut throat style. People are seen talking over the phone with potential investors, shouting and screaming at catch or a loss. The lesser field would be the close knit, almost fraternal, investment firm that Belfort eventually owns and operates. It’s Wall Street on steroids. The film depicts outrageous drug and alcohol fueled parties, many of which appear to take place in the actual office building(The Wolf..). It is within these two fields that Belfort’s habitus develops.
Initially, Jordan Belfort is a low level entry guy at an already established firm. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, he quickly picked up on how things are done. He seemingly takes the advice of his one time boss and adopts a “work hard, play hard” attitude. I argue that this change in life style was brought on by Belfort’s experiences in the field, and that these changes are advantageous in increasing his ability to compete. If habitus involves disposition, then these life style changes could certainly reflect a change, or development in habitus. As previously mentioned, Belfort starts the film off as your average bottom feeder. He has average suits, average habits, even an average wife (not trying to be mean). It’s after his lunch date with his boss that he begins to see how the game is played. He turns in to a quick talking, cunning salesperson; who also develops many a bad habit. He uses his knowledge and experience to gain capital in his field. Rising quicker than he should, he disposes of all his average things. He has his own tailor, a taste for expensive prostitutes and rare narcotics, and even a new trophy wife(The Wolf..).
These are all changes to his habitus. His original disposition has been terribly altered, but it has been altered to increase his ability to compete in his field. By adopting the “work hard, play hard” lifestyle he becomes an agent of Wall Street. His lavish lifestyle and intoxicating persona make many adore him, a necessity regarding leadership. Many scenes depict Belfort’s captivating speeches given to his bright eyed employees, almost like his own private army of hard partying investors. It was these changes to his attitude or way of life that allowed Belfort to succeed in the field of Wall Street and his own investment firm. I believe that the character arc depicted in this film provide a solid example of habitus change and development, as well as it’s relation to the field.
Bourdieu, Pierre. Outline of a Theory of Practice. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977. Cambridge Books Online. Web. 03 April 2014.
Bourdieu, Pierre . . "Some properties of fields." Sociology in question, (1993): 72-73.
The Wolf of Wall Street. Dir. Martin Scorsese. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio. Paramount Pictures, 2014. DVD.