Cool Hand Luke

Cayla Haggarty

Mr. Taber

Psychology

May 29th, 2011 Trust No One

Josef Stalin once said, "I trust no one, not even myself."- the guards in the Florida Prison Camp had the same idea. Stuart Rosenberg's, Cool Hand Luke demonstrates a relationship between prisoner and guard that usually goes unnoticed. Though in most modern day prisons, there is standard protocol and rules to follow a certain punishment system, The Florida Prison Camp in this movie deals with its' prisoners differently. There are basic rules, and punishments, however consequences vary solely on the trust in the relationship between prisoner and guard. This is demonstrated within the story when Luke repeatedly tries to escape, and after punishment and torturing from the guards, he "gets his mind right" and agrees to be obedient to the superior authorities. Luke's submission convinces the guards at the camp to trust him as a compliant prisoner.

The prisoners entered the camps with warning of the guard's authority. Disobeying or upsetting any of them would result in a "night in the box" or a loss of privileges. Due to Luke's unwillingness to conform to prison life, he tried, unsuccessfully, on three separate occasions to escape the camp. After each attempt, he was granted another layer of chains, and the spontaneous torment from the guards, which consequently resulted in Luke cracking under pressure and agreeing to abide by each of the prison's rules. Luke's behavior after that was representative of his capitulation towards the Captain and guards, and therefore lead them to believe that Luke had learned his lesson. From completing his meals to following orders with the chain gang, the superiors at the prison camp saw to it that Luke had his "mind right". Luke's obedience conditioned the prison guards to trust that he wasn't going to attempt to escape again, and that he knew his place in the prison.

As a result of Luke's good behavior after having being punished, the guards were conditioned to believe and trust that he had learned his lesson and was ready to comply with the rules of the prison. While working on the side of the road with the rest of his chain gang, Luke offered any and all of his assistance and followed each of the orders given by the guards. If he were to take his shirt off, he'd ask for permission and wait for consent, and when asked to fetch something for the guards, he did so, quickly and without resistance. His good behavior, however, was deceiving. When one of the guards asked him to bring back something from one of the vehicles, he'd already taken the keys from the others, and was able to start and get away in it. By being confident in his acquiescence, Luke was able to hold the guard's belief