The Journey

Last class, we had our final viewing of Sugar. From the beginning of the movie to the end, I saw a common theme: struggle. Miguel "Sugar" Santos came from the Dominican Republic, an impoverished country, to the United States in hopes of becoming a successful baseball player. In my previous post, I had mentioned that this aligns with the American Dream. However, I also mentioned that, in order to achieve success, one must work very hard, and adversity is an inherent component. This theme perpetuated throughout the entire movie. Sugar found out very quickly that the road to success has many bumps and turns. There are a lot of wrong decisions that could be made when the pressure is on. Sugar decided, like numerous athletes have, to take steroids (Speed) in order to boost his performance. However, this didn't work out so well for him, as he quickly learned.

It wasn't long before Sugar had given up on baseball, frustrated by his poor performance in the game. He travelled to New York City, and got a job as a busboy at a diner. I found it very disappointing that he had quit baseball, since that was his whole reason for coming to the United States in the first place. Back in the Dominican Republic, he had done so well, what was the problem in America? I think the reason why is that it became overwhelming for him. It was different from where he had grown up. I began to understand all of this, and realized a key component of the American Dream, and life in general: it is not about winning, but about giving it your all. As Rocky Balboa said, all he wanted to do was to "go the distance". Even though he had not won the fight, he achieved something much more significant. He had done something that he never thought would be possible, and that in itself is an example of success. I can relate Rocky's experience to Sugar's in this respect. Sugar didn't become famous by any means, but he definitely went the distance. Sometimes, it's not about achieving your goals, but about giving an earnest effort. No one can win everything; it's unrealistic to even think so. 

Sugar's move to the United States wasn't a complete waste either, since he did get that job at the diner, and met a guy named Osvaldo, who helped him make a table, which he had promised would be sent home to his mother. Being that he's so young still, he has a lot of potential, but he just has to start small, and work his way up. That's what life is all about.