Short Analysis on "Taxi Driver" (1976) and the Character of Travis Bickle

To Travis Bickle, masculinity is being able to save somebody (women) from their environment or men in their lives. There are also signs in which he views masculinity as being muscular, sober and healthy because of the scene in which he chooses to work out, stop taking pills and eat healthier, although I’m not sure he continues any of these things in reality. He has a twisted view in which he is needed to “protect” both Betsy and Iris. Bickle mentions to Betsy in his either real or imagined conversation with her that he will protect her and also mentions that he does not like her co-worker and doesn’t believe he treats her right. Bickle later wishes to protect Iris from her pimp and from life as a prostitute. I believe Bickle thought he could take Betsy from Tom, Betsy’s co-worker and assumed interest, as well as save Iris from the pimp, Sport. All of these instances seem to be ideas and characteristics of masculinity to Bickle.

The scenes in which the director, Scorsese, makes a clear interpretation to the racial tension and bias in 1970’s New York is fairly obvious. Although I didn’t find Bickle to be portrayed as a particularly racist character, he definitely had racist ideology instilled into him from some type of authority. This is considering his usage of the word “spook” and the possibly imagined conversation in the cab with the husband whose wife was having an affair, all pointing to a feeling of superiority over black people. If the character “Sport” was casted as a person of color like originally planned for, this film might have had an entirely different genre or vibe to it. Overall, I believe racism had a part in the film but wasn’t the main drive in the movie or for Bickle.

Lastly, although we don’t know much of Bickle’s time at war, we do know he was very young while in the military, since he is only 26 when applying for the job as a taxi driver. Many characteristics of Bickle’s personality and imagination point to trauma, anxiety and PTSD. Bickle does not seem like he has social skills or like he has been able to steadily interact socially in a “normal” setting with others. Bickle is clearly a lonely individual who has isolated himself from society after the war, lonely people often create scenarios in their head and imagine living a life that is not their own. I am not sure if Bickle really acted out those violent temptations or if it was all in his imagination. I believe Bickle thought just like in war, he had to eliminate the “enemy” for there to be any order in the streets, or before they got to him or those in his life. Taxi Driver was a film about different types of people interacting in 1970’s New York, through Bickle’s eyes as a taxi driver. This film was a realistic portrayal of mental illness and the suffering individuals endure after entering society after a traumatic, life altering experience like war. This movie was able to capture many thought-provoking scenes with intense undertones like sexual frustration/addiction, prostitution, drug use, politics and racism.