The Man Without A Face

“The Man Without a Face” document’s one special summer of a young Charles “Chuck” Nordstat.  Charles lives with this Mother and his two half-sisters. Each of them has a different father, and Charles memory of his father his very vague because he died early in Charles’ life. According to Charles’ mother, his father died in the military serving his country. However, this turns out to be false. Charles’s father actually was an alcoholic who eventually committed suicide. Charles learns this from his older half-sister, Linda, after he angers her. After learning of this news, Charles runs straight to his mentor Justin McLeod. Ever since Mr. McLeod arrived in Charles’ town, he has purposefully isolated himself. This leads many to conclude that he has something to hide, especially because he has a massive burn covering half of his face. Mr. McLeod has quite a reputation in the town and everybody makes sure to avoid him. Yet, Charles manages to find a friend and mentor in him. Throughout the movie, he learns to trust Mr. McLeod despite everyone’s negative opinions.

Charles’ initially approaches Mr. McLeod because he needs a tutor to help him study for a military academy entrance exam. From the beginning, it is easy to see that their relationship will require a lot of time and work. However, both are committed to the cause and are in it for the long run; this is one way that Nordstat comes to trust Mr. McLeod. Charles’ realizes that Mr. McLeod will not give up on Charles, as long as Charles’ is committed as well. McLeod is willing to sacrifice his time in order to help Charles, and that is pretty nifty. Mr. McLeod is also willing to sacrifice his life of isolation and open himself up to the outside world once again. He realizes the risks that come with this, especially for someone in his position. Yet, he still opts to work with Charles.

Charles and McLeod end up spending a lot of time together over the course of the summer. Through this time, they learn a lot about each other. This is a major way that Charles comes to trust Mr. McLeod. Every day, they each share a part of themselves with one another. This helps Charles to break down all his preconceived notions about Mr. McLeod. McLeod shares how he received his burns, how he makes his livings, and other various parts of his life. He learns that he really is not a “freak” like all the kids in town had said. But rather, he is a kind, effective teacher At one point in the movie, Charles’ shares information about Mr. McLeod that he regrets sharing later. He seems sure that Mr. McLeod will be upset with him, and cannot seem to get it off his mind. He eventually gains enough strength to fess up to Mr. McLeod. However, Mr. McLeod simply tells Charles that it is ok and forgives him on the spot. Charles is incredulous for a second, and then seems to realize that Mr. McLeod is just more than a mentor, but someone he can trust, someone who actually cares about him.

Even though Mr. McLeod is Charles’ friend, he is still his mentor and does want him to learn everything that he possibly can. This explains why he wants Charles to come to conclusion on his own and not take the easy way out or cheat. If Charles went along with everyone else’s rumors, he would have not been thinking for himself. Therefore, he would have been doing the exact opposite of what working with Mr. McLeod during the summer has taught him. By originally choosing to work with Mr. McLeod, Charles was thinking for himself. He was not letting others think for him and decide his life. This was something that Charles struggled with prior to working with Mr. McLeod. He went along with what he was told and what he saw others doing. Even when Mr. McLeod first starts working with Charles and asks him to write a paper, he goes and copies someone else’s work. This was after Charles refused to write the essay several times. Thinking for himself was just something Charles struggled with. However, the viewer watches him take baby steps throughout the movie, starting with him asking Mr. McLeod and ending with him concluding that Mr. McLeod did in fact not molest him. Allowing others to think for him, would just go back on everything he learned during the summer. Although Mr. McLeod taught Charles a number of things to help him pass the military exam, helping him to think for himself was amongst the more important.