Up in the Air Thesis, Finding Hope

Finding Hope

                To know what having hope is, first takes losing something you value. This is what happened to America as our economy fell, as well as what created the vast differences between the book and film version of Up in the Air. The book Up in the Air by Walter Kirn is a story about a businessman, Ryan Bingham, whose life in the air world, from hotel to hotel, city to city, firing people for companies who request such a skill, is dreary and void. His fascination and goals lie in reaching the 10 million mile frequent flier club, a feat only known to few. Although being fired is a less than a desirable space to occupy, the book was written during an economic high, gaining less sympathy from an ever critical reader, for such news.  Perhaps the book plays more on the sympathies for a man lost in a life of vacant human connection, disconnect from real emotion and empathy, and his ever growing unhealthy mental state, then it does for the victim behind the desk losing his job to a stranger in a tie. As Bingham finally begins to realize his need for human relationships, he finds out he has a brain tumor.  Eight years after Walter Kirn wrote Up in the Air, a movie version of the book was created. The year 2009, while only 8 short years later, is enormously different, in terms of economic rest and employment security. While the movie version Up in the Air has some similarities to the book, the changes made reflect a now broken America, a shattered spirit and a desperate need for hope once more. The movie version, although also takes on subtle cosmetic changes, (George Clooney is certainly not 35 and his home is in Omaha, not Denver) the more profound changes resurrect a different sympathy from its  audience. George Clooney, who plays Ryan Bingham, is more focused on saving his ability to fire people face to face, where he can counsel and coddle grief stricken people, rather than on a cold online conversation. The movie plays on the sympathies for the loyal, hardworking and blindsided employees whose lives are shattered with such news, rather than the disconnected Bingham who, after an encounter with a fellow passenger and a daunting task of giving a pep talk to his less than enthusiastic future brother in law about marriage, realizes his need for “company” and companionship. The goal of changing such profound pieces of the book was to reflect an America whose job security, economic growth and prosperity are now deeply threatened, and to give a new kind of hope to viewers.

For more info about the author Walter Kirn

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