That’s the question that I found myself asking after a repeat viewing of the modern classic, Good Will Hunting (1997).
At its core, Good Will Hunting is about a journey of personal transformation. The protagonist, Will Hunting (Matt Damon), goes from undiscovered genius with no clear future or direction in life, to one who has at least started the first step toward achieving the life he wants, by “seeing about a girl”.
However, beyond Will’s journey of personal transformation, the film also has a lot to say about modern society’s ideas about failure, success, and a life well-lived. And this is embodied by Will’s two mentors—Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård) and Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams).
Lambeau and Maguire both want the best for Will—they want him to succeed. However, the two men’s ideas of success are in conflict.
Understandably, Lambeau who lives the distinguished life of an award-winning academic defines success in terms of ambition and achievement. On the other hand, Maguire who gave up what could have been an equally illustrious academic life in exchange for the joys of being in a loving relationship with his deceased wife sees success as a personal journey of fulfillment.
The two men’s conflicting ideas and their tug-of-war over Will’s fate come to head in an argument in Maguire’s office. After multiple therapy sessions that do not result in any “obvious” improvement in Will’s attitude, the two criticize each other’s points of view and definitions of success.
According to Lambeau, Will’s lack of ambition and his unwillingness to use his genius (whether in academic pursuits or in any of the high-paying jobs offered to him) means he is not only falling short of his potential, but that he is also failing in his duty to make the world a better place. Thus, it is up to people like Lambeau to push Will to better himself.
Maguire, on the other hand, points out that pushing Will on Lambeau’s ambitious path does not guarantee success. In fact, pushing him too hard will just make him feel like a failure. Interestingly, it appears that Lambeau has also made Maguire feel like a failure, despite Maguire knowing that he isn’t one. On the contrary, he has led a happy and fulfilling life.
In this respect, it is easy to sympathize with Maguire’s point of view. There is nothing wrong with seeking personal fulfillment over one’s ambitions and academic or professional achievement. You don’t need to be a Fields Medal recipient or a wealthy person to be successful. In fact, according to neuro-sciences, it will be easier to be successful if you seek happiness first.
However, we should not be too quick to dismiss Lambeau’s argument, either. Success is not a bad thing. You don’t have to feel any less if you are an ambitious, go-getter, nor do you have to settle for mediocre, if you can achieve greatness. After all, where would we be as a civilization and as a society, without the work of inventors, Nobel laureates, and other ambitious individuals who pushed themselves and others to do great things.
Thus, maybe the point is that it doesn’t matter whether one decides to pursue his personal happiness or his ambitions. Instead, what matters is we figure out for ourselves what it is that we really want in life and not just accept what others tell us. Will himself has said in the beginning of the movie that he doesn't want to be unoriginal.
In the end, Maguire had the better approach of the two—he is allowing Will to discover what he wants, and not just imposing his ideas on him. As the movie’s ending shows, it is clear, which of the two approaches Will was more receptive of.
In one of the movie's final scenes, Will left Boston to go to California. However, not before leaving Maguire a note that asks him to let Lambeau know that “had to go see about a girl”. This implies that Will has decided to pursue his romantic interest, Skylar, for now, choosing Maguire’s idea of happiness over Lambeau’s ambition and achievement. However, it doesn’t mean that he has abandoned his academic or other pursuits, either. Instead, the film’s open ending implies that there is the possibility that Will could pursue a more ambitious path in the future. But that’s up to him to decide.
For more information check out the movie’s IMDB Page.
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