"Taxi Driver"

ANALYSIS INFORMATION:

 

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General Storytelling:	Complete
Act Order Storytelling:	Complete
Character List:	Complete
Build Characters:	Partial

 

 

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Author:		Paul Schrader
Analysis sources:		Film. Columbia Pictures, 1976. (Columbia Tristar Home Video, 1987.) Schrader, Paul. Taxi Driver. Unpublished Screenplay dated February, 1975. Schrader, Paul. In Brady, John. The Craft of the Screenwriter. Simon & Schuster. New York, NY. 1981. Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. Harper Collins. New York, NY. 1980.
Genre:		Contemporary Western.
Setting:		New York City.
Period:		1976
Analysis by:		Kevin Hindley

Comments:

• Source Material: SCREENWRITER INFLUENCES:

SCHRADER

It's just my feeling that Travis is a familiar character

in international literature. But if he were French he

would, like the character in "Le Feu Follet," put

the gun to his head and shoot himself. But in

America he acts out his personal drama on the

stage of other people's lives and forces other people

to go through what he is going through,

which is a very selfish and aggressive and

frontiersmanlike thing to do. Not very mature.

It's a reflection of the immaturity of the national

personality.

(Brady, p. 272)

BRADY

Why was the Mohawk haircut on Travis in

"Taxi?"

 

SCHRADER

That was a Vietnam thing. Marty Scorcese and

Bobby De Niro interviewed an ex-Green Beret

who told them if a Special Force member felt he

was going to die, he would shave his head into

a Mohawk as a warning to his fellow soldiers.

What he meant was "Don't fuck with me. I'm

going over the hill." It's part of the private Vietnam

language of the film. The film never mentions

Vietnam, but it's full of Vietnam language.

 

(Brady, p. 293)

BRADY

In the film Travis is not too smart, and yet his diary

has a rather literate tone.

 

SCHRADER

I think that's common. The diaries of psychopaths

often have a convoluted vocabulary that suggests

aspirations toward importance. They have learned

a number of words one would think they wouldn't

know. I wrote the script before Bremer's diary

came out, but Bremer's diary is full of those sorts

of things.

 

BRADY

The script was written in June of 1972, one month

after Bremer shot [Presidential candidate George]

Wallace. Did the Wallace shooting help the

screenplay's chances of selling:

 

SCHRADER

No. It had nothing to do with the sale.

 

BRADY

Was there any connection?

 

SCHRADER

Oh, yeah, it was one of the triggers to writing it,

obviously. But I didn't set out to write about Bremer.

He didn't particularly interest me.

(Brady, p. 300)

Brief Synopsis:

"Paul Schrader's gritty screenplay depicts the ever-deepening alienation of Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle, a psychotic cab driver who obsessively cruises the mean streets of Manhattan."

(Video blurb, Columbia Tristar Home Video, 1987.)

Objective Character Mini-Synopsis:

TRAVIS, a lonely taxi driver, has no purpose in life beyond occupying his waking hours. He's inspired, though, by

BETSY, an aloof campaign worker and devotee of the cult of personality. She's particularly enamored of powerful men, like

PALANTINE, a Presidential candidate espousing unity but with no real solutions.

IRIS, a teen prostitute, also looks up to men with power, like

SPORT, a greaser pimp who professes to care for Iris.

TOM, an ordinary average guy, cares for his colleague Betsy, but has no chance with her.

WIZARD, an experienced taxi driver and working stiff, counsels Travis with street advice, while

ANDY, an entrepreneurial hustler, provides him with weaponry.

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THE OBJECTIVE CHARACTERS:

Name: Travis Bickle

Gender: Male

Description:

"TRAVIS BICKLE, age 26, lean, hard, the consummate loner. On the surface he appears good-looking, even handsome; he has a quiet steady look and a disarming smile which flashes from nowhere, lighting up his whole face. But behind that smile, around his dark eyes, in his gaunt cheeks, one can see the ominous stains caused by a life of private fear, emptiness and lonliness [sic]. He seems to have wandered in from a land where it is always cold, a country where the inhabitants seldom speak. The head moves, the expression changes, but the eyes remain ever-fixed, unblinking, piercing empty space.

Travis is now drifting in and out of the New York City night life, a dark shadow among darker shadows. Not noticed, no reason to be noticed, Travis is one with his surroundings. He wears rider jeans, cowboy boots, a plaid western shirt and a worn beige Army jacket with a patch reading, "King Kong Company, 1968-70."

He has the smell of sex about him: sick sex, repressed sex, lonely sex, but sex nonetheless. He is a raw male force, driving forward; toward what, one cannot tell. Then one looks closer and sees the evitable [sic]. The clock spring cannot be wound continually tighter. As the earth moves toward the sun, Travis Bickle moves toward violence."

(Schrader, p. 3)

Role: Taxi Driver

Characteristics:

Motivation: Pursuit; Logic; Control;

Methodology: Certainty; Proaction;

Evaluation: Non-Accurate; Ending;

Purpose: Chaos; Change; Perception; Ability; Speculation; Self Aware;

Name: Betsy

Gender: Female

Description:

"CAMERA FAVORS BETSY, about 25, an extremely attractive woman sitting at the reception desk between two phones and several stacks of papers. Her attractions, however, are more than skin deep. Beneath that Cover Girl facial there is a keen, though highly specialized, sensibility: her eyes scan every man who passes her desk as her mind computes his desirability: political, intellectual, sexual, emotional, material. Simple pose and status do not impress her; she seeks out the extraordinary qualities in men. She is, in other words, a star-fucker of the highest order. Betsy handles her job with confidence and ease. Whether answering phones, giving instructions or directing traffic, she remains the calm center of her hurly-burly world. Nothing threatens her."

(Schrader, p. 16)

Role: "Star-fucker"

Characteristics:

Motivation: Reconsider; Avoidance; Feeling;

Methodology: Potentiality; Nonacceptance; Reaction; Reevaluation;

Evaluation: Accurate;

Purpose: Knowledge; Desire;

Name: Andy

Gender: Male

Description:

"Andy is like the fast-talking, good-looking kid in college who was always making money on one scheme or another. In high school he sold lottery tickets, in college he scored dope, and now he's hustling hand guns."

(Schrader, p. 56)

Role: Gun salesman

Characteristics:

Motivation: Help;

Name: Charles Palantine

Gender: Male

Description:

"Palantine is not a Hubert Humphrey-type professional bullshitter, and Travis' intense reply stops him dead in his tracks. He is forced to fall back on a stock answer but he tries to give it some meaning."

(Schrader, p. 40)

Role: Presidential candidate

Characteristics:

Purpose: Order; Equity; Aware; Projection;

Name: Iris

Gender: Female

Description:

"Travis checks the back seat in the rear-view mirror: there sits a ragged-looking hippie prostitute. The girl is, at best, 14 or 15, although she has been made up to look older. She wears floppy, baggy Janis Joplin clothes. Her face is pallid, her eyes red. Her name, as we shall learn later, is IRIS."

(Schrader, p. 63)

Role: Teen prostitute

Characteristics:

Motivation: Disbelief; Uncontrolled;

Methodology: Acceptance; Inaction;

Purpose: Actuality; Inequity;

Name: Sport

Gender: Male

Description:

"Travis recognizes the voice of the man who threw the crumpled $20 bill on the front seat of his taxi. Looking closer, Travis sees the face of a thirty year-old greaser pimp dressed in a hippie scarecrow costume. He may be shooting drugs now, he may not; whichever the case, his face bears the marks of past use. He has a rash covering one hand."

(Schrader, p. 88)

Role: Greaser Pimp

Characteristics:

Motivation: Temptation; Hinder;

Methodology: Protection;

Evaluation: Unending;

Purpose: Inertia;

Name: Tom

Gender: Male

Description:

"Tom is pleasant and good-looking, but lacks those special qualities which interest Betsy. He gets nowhere with Betsy -- yet he keeps trying. Just another of those routine office flirtations which pass the hours and free the fantasies."

(Schrader, p.16)

Role: Campaign worker

Characteristics:

Motivation: Consider; Oppose;

Purpose: Thought;

Name: Wizard

Gender: Male

Description:

"WIZARD, a worn man about fifty"

(Schrader, p. 22)

Role: taxi driver

Characteristics:

Motivation: Faith; Support; Conscience;

Methodology: Evaluation;

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AUDIENCE AND STORY DYNAMICS APPRECIATIONS:

• Nature as it relates to Actual Dilemma:

Travis' change can be seen in his adapting himself to the environment. At story's beginning, he berates (in his diary) the criminal "scum" who need washing off the streets. At story's end, New York's streets remain as unclean as ever, but Travis, still driving his taxi around them, seems less bothered by that fact.

• Essence as it relates to Negative Feel:

Taxi Driver has a negative feel due to Travis Bickle's moving towards the improper choice of violence as an answer to his problems -- part of his focus on the unending immoral and criminal activities he witnesses daily from his taxicab.

• Tendency as it relates to Unwilling:

Travis doesn't so much want to be a taxi driver; he just doesn't know what else to do with his time:

PERSONNEL OFFICER

So why do you want to be a taxi-driver?

 

TRAVIS

I can't sleep nights.

 

PERSONNEL OFFICER

There's porno theaters for that.

 

TRAVIS

I know. I tried that.

 

PERSONNEL OFFICER

So whatja do now?

 

TRAVIS

I ride around nights mostly. Subways, buses.

See things. Figur'd I might as well get paid for it.

(Schrader, p. 5)

• Reach as it relates to Both:

Women will tend to empathize with Travis Bickle due to his limited options, while men will identify with him as a male main character. While it may seem hard to identify with a psychopathic loner, Travis is the moral center of the story, the only character who truly stands up for what he believes in. As an antihero, his point of view may be different from the rest of society, but he has a strong sense of values and a code of ethics that he lives by -- which is more than many of us can say.

• Resolve as it relates to Change:

Travis achieves some catharsis through the purging of criminals' blood in the climactic slaughter scene. Though he remains a loner with psychopathic tendencies, he's no longer obsessed with the details of the immoral activities on the street, and he's able to interact with Betsy without stalking her. Whereas earlier he complains:

TRAVIS V.O.

Twelve hours of work and I still cannot sleep.

At story's end, he tells Betsy:

TRAVIS

I just sleep more, that's all.

His infamy has changed him from a misfit into a media darling and hero.

• Approach as it relates to Do-er:

When he can't sleep nights, Travis goes out and gets a job driving taxis; attracted to Betsy, he walks into her office and volunteers in order to be near her; seeing a stick-up man holding up the deli, he shoots him; feeling down, he goes to Wizard for advice; etc.

• Direction as it relates to Stop:

Travis needs to stop being God's policeman -- obsessing over the kind of people he dislikes doing their thing, on the streets of New York City or in the back seat of his cab -- and get a life of his own.

• Mental Sex as it relates to Male:

When Travis decides to act on the idea of "True Force" that's been building up in his brain, he gets "organezized" and breaks the job down into steps: he buys an arsenal of guns; he does physical exercise; he practices at the shooting range; he clips articles on Palantine; he practices drawing his weapons; he cuts his hair into a Mohawk; etc.

• Outcome as it relates to Success:

Travis succeeds in making progress in his mission to clean up the streets by killing Sport and his cohorts, and by getting Iris out of prostitution and back to her parents in Pittsburgh. As the Screenwriter notes:

"The slaughter is the moment Travis has been heading for all his life, and where this screenplay has been heading for over 100 pages. It is the release of all that cumulative pressure; it is a reality unto itself. It is the psychopath's Second Coming."

(Schrader, p. 117)

• Judgment as it relates to Good:

While Travis is still a lonely guy, and one with psychopathic tendencies, at story's end he is a more relaxed taxi driver. He's no longer writing dangerous thoughts in a diary, has elevated status amongst his peers, and is a hero to the media. He's even able to accept Betsy for what she is, "a star-fucker of the highest order," and no longer has the desire to stalk her. But his last desperate glance at her in the rearview mirror begs the question -- for how long?

• Work as it relates to Decision:

Travis' decision to become a taxi driver, especially one who will work anywhere, exposes him to lowlife "scum":

PERSONNEL OFFICER

We don't need any misfits around here, son.

 

TRAVIS

You kiddin? Who else would hack through

Bed-Sty or Harlem at night?

 

PERSONNEL OFFICER

You want to work uptown nights?

 

TRAVIS

I'll work anywhere, anytime. I know I can't

be choosy.

 

(Schrader, p. 5)

Travis' decision to pursue Betsy leads him to volunteer; Betsy's decision to go to a porno movie with Travis makes her reject him, which in turn ramps up his alienation; Iris' choosing of Travis' taxi to seek refuge in brings her and Sport to Travis' attention; Sport's decision to pay Travis with the "dirty" $20 bill leads Travis to pay back the "wages of sin" with death; etc.

• Limit as it relates to Optionlock:

Travis first seeks fulfillment in a woman, Betsy. When that fails, he goes to Wizard for counseling. When he has no answer, Travis can't take it any more and seeks an outlet in violence, trying to kill Palantine. This option fails and he wreaks mayhem on those in the pimp business, finally running out of options when surrounded by police.

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THE OBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

Throughline Synopsis:

"Taxi Driver ushered in a new era of graphic moviemaking as social criticism. Paul Schrader's screenplay depicts the ever-deepening alienation of Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle, a psychotic cab driver who obsessively cruises the mean streets of Manhattan. [...] Taxi Driver is a seamless and provocative portrayal of the nightmarish disintegration of a wounded American psyche."

(Video blurb, Columbia Tristar Home Video, 1987.)

Backstory:

"In the early seventies, the system seemed out of control -- it could not hold the loyalty of the public. As early as 1970, according to the University of Michigan's Survey Research Center, "trust in government" was low in every section of the population. And there was a significant difference by class. Of professional people, 40 percent had "low" political trust in the government; of unskilled blue-collar workers, 66 percent had "low" trust. [...] Undoubtedly, much of this national mood of hostility to government and business came out of the Vietnam war, its 55,000 casualties, its moral shame, its exposure of government lies and atrocities. On top of this came the political disgrace of the Nixon administration in the scandals that came to be known by the one-word label "Watergate," and which led to the historic resignation from the presidency -- the first in American history -- of Richard Nixon in August 1974."

(Zinn, p. 529-30)

• Domain as it relates to Universe:

All the characters are concerned with the level of crime and corruption on the streets of America's cities: Travis wants to flush the streets of "filth and scum, scum and filth;" Wizard and the other drivers are worried about attacks on cabbies; Sport and Iris depend on the unchanging situation for their lifestyle; Tom wants to push the issues that will change society, while Betsy wants to push the man -- Palantine, who offers only empty promises in order to get elected:

PALANTINE

I know what you mean, Travis, and it's

not going to be easy. We're going to have

radical changes all throughout city and

municipal government.

(Schrader, p. 40)

• Concern as it relates to Progress:

Betsy and Tom are involved in drumming up more and more support for Palantine as the election approaches; like Travis, they are concerned with improving society; the sign in the campaign HQ window reads "Only 4 More Days Until Arrival of CHARLES PALANTINE"; Travis develops in stages toward becoming an assassin; etc.

• Range as it relates to Security:

A sign in the taxi garage reads:

BE ALERT!! THE SANE DRIVER IS

ALWAYS READY FOR THE UNEXPECTED.

Fellow taxi drivers ask Travis if he has a gun:

DOUGH-BOY

You carry a rod? You need one? [...]

 

WIZARD

I never use mine. But it's a good thing to

have around the house.

(Schrader, p. 25-26)

Travis assures Betsy she'll be safe going for coffee and pie with him:

TRAVIS

It's just to the corner, mam. In broad daytime.

Nothing can happen. I'll be there to protect you.

(Schrader, p. 30)

Palantine surrounds himself with Secret Service Men; Sport provides protection for Iris; etc.

• Counterpoint as it relates to Threat:

Betsy feels sexually threatened by Travis' choice of a porno movie for their date; afraid of Sport, Iris tries to escape in Travis' cab; the Secret Service Man senses danger in Travis, takes his address and tries to get his photo; Sport perceives danger in Travis, figuring him for a cop; etc.

• Thematic Conflict as it relates to Security vs. Threat:

Betsy finds Travis too dangerous and stops seeing him, which launches him in attack mode. Though he's no match for the Secret Service Men protecting Palantine, Travis is able to carry out his threat on Sport and his cohorts. As American history has proven, there's no protection from a crazed loner with a gun.

• Problem as it relates to Process:

The process of government is failing to keep the streets safe and clean, perhaps because the efforts of Palantine and supporters like Tom and Betsy go into the process of getting him elected. Travis comes up with his own alternative process -- killing the offenders. Sport has his own seductive process for keeping Iris content in prostitution, slow dancing with her and telling her how much he needs her.

• Solution as it relates to Result:

Palantine's winning the Primary allows him, Tom, and Betsy to move on to the Presidential election; Travis' putting an end to Sport's operation "saves" Iris from being exploited.

• Focus as it relates to Cause:

Betsy's standing out from the crowd in her white dress causes Travis to become infatuated with her; Travis sees Palantine as a factor in Betsy's dumping him and starts to stalk him; Travis believes Sport to be the reason Iris can't escape prostitution; etc.

• Direction as it relates to Effect:

Travis somehow believes that effecting the death of Palantine and/or Sport will result in an inner peace for him; he mistakenly believes that removing another glib candidate from the Presidential race, and some pimps from the street, will make a significant change in society; Palantine and his supporters, Betsy and Tom, believe his winning the elections will result in a better society; the young man in the taxi with a problem with "The Pussy and the .44" expects his wife's violent death will make him happier; etc.

• Stipulation as it relates to The Future:

Palantine's speech mongering promises solutions to society's problems, as his election gets closer and closer; Travis at first believes that:

TRAVIS

Someday a real rain will come and wash all

this scum off the streets.

Later, he gets another notion of how things will go:

TRAVIS

An idea had been growing in my head for some

time. True Force. All the king's men cannot put

it back together again.

After he gets "organezized," Travis looks forward to assassinating Palantine:

TRAVIS (V.O.)

June 11. Eight rallies in six more days. The time

is coming.

(Schrader, p. 80)

• Catalyst as it relates to Fact:

While Travis insists that "Swedish Marriage Manual" is a respectable movie, Betsy breaks off with him when she witnesses the lurid truth; Travis is encouraged by the truth he recognizes in Palantine's statement:

PALANTINE

I know what you mean, Travis, but it's not going

to be easy. We're going to have to have radical

changes.

 

TRAVIS

Damn straight.

• Inhibitor as it relates to Worth:

Travis' appraisal of Betsy diverts his attention away from the crime on the streets:

TRAVIS

She appeared like an angel out of this open sewer.

Out of this filthy mass. She is alone: they cannot

touch her.

(Schrader, p. 21)

Doughboy tries to get Travis to occupy his time with selling a treasured memento of Errol Flynn's bathtub; Travis' respect for Wizard's opinion lead him to seek his help for his problems; Travis tries to shoot himself after the slaughter, due to low self-esteem; etc.

• Goal as it relates to Progress:

Making progress in the goal of cleaning up the city streets and removing crime from them concerns everyone in Taxi Driver. Betsy and Tom achieve it through Palantine's reform efforts; Sport and Iris make efforts not to be entrapped by cops, which would curtail their livelihood; Wizard, Doughboy, and Andy own guns in readiness; Palantine represents the civilized, sane approach, while Travis takes direct vigilante action.

• Consequence as it relates to The Preconscious:

If the "scum and filth" is not washed away -- by a righteous rain of vengeance or otherwise -- city residents may become inured to the crime and corruption all around them, and accept it as normal. This may lead to exploitation of more "Irises" by other "Sports."

• Cost as it relates to Being:

Tom must endure the humiliation of not being taken seriously by Betsy, and acts macho to win points with her; Palantine must tell the voters what he thinks they want to hear; Travis suffer the indignities of being a taxi-driver:

TRAVIS

Each night when I return the cab to the garage I

have to clean the come off the back seat. Some

nights I clean off the blood.

Travis has to act like a "john" to get to see Iris, and must endure her professional sexual advances.

• Dividend as it relates to Doing:

Tom takes satisfaction in physically asserting himself against Travis; Palantine's speechifying to the people pays off in his Primary victory; Andy benefits financially from selling guns to Travis; vigilantism pays off in a fitter body and more sleep for Travis; etc.

• Requirements as it relates to The Future:

Travis needs to get fit, disciplined, and armed in order to perform as an assassin; Palantine must win the confidence of voters to win the Primary, and win that before the Presidential election; the Secret Service Men must be able to identify potential assassins in order to protect Palantine; etc.

• Prerequisites as it relates to The Subconscious:

Travis must develop a taste for killing in order to perform as an assassin; he must convince Sport that he wants some "action" with Iris in order to lower his guard, while suppressing his disgust; the Secret Service Men must be ready to sacrifice themselves for their charge.

• Preconditions as it relates to Becoming:

Travis is transformed from disgusted loner to optimistic suitor and back, fueling his rage and bloodlust; his hope dies along with the returned flowers; he must turn his body into a killing machine.

• Forewarnings as it relates to Obtaining:

Travis' acquisition of an arsenal of guns indicates his intent and capability of killing; his getting a Mohawk haircut warns that he's not to be messed with, he's going over the top and is preparing to die; buying a card for his parents indicates a final goodbye; the effortless taking of a robber's life demonstrates ruthlessness; etc.

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THE SUBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

Throughline Synopsis:

The alienated Travis sees beautiful Betsy as an angel sent from heaven: together, they won't be lonely and he'll have someone to spend his money on. He volunteers to work for her, and convinces her to go for coffee with him. She's intrigued enough to go on a movie date with him. But he chooses a porno movie, alienating her from him.

Backstory:

Both Travis and Betsy have impossibly high expectations in a potential mate. Betsy's:

[...] eyes scan every man who passes her desk as her mind computes his desirability: political, intellectual, sexual, emotional, material. Simple poise and status do not impress her; she seeks out the extraordinary qualities in men. She is, in other words, a star-fucker of the highest order.

(Schrader, p. 16)

Travis looks for his ideal woman to give him a sense of direction:

TRAVIS

I do not believe one should devote his life to

morbid self-attention, but should become a person

like other people. [...] I first saw her at Palantine

Campaign Headquarters at 58th and Broadway.

She was wearing a yellow dress, answering the

phone at her desk.

Suddenly, out of the congested human mass, IN SLOWING MOTION, appears the slender figure of Betsy in a stylish yellow dress. The crowd parts like the Red Sea, and there she is: walking all alone, untouched by the crowd, suspended in space and time.

TRAVIS

She appeared like an angel out of this open sewer.

(Schrader, p. 20-21)

• Domain as it relates to Mind:

Betsy's a believer in law and order, and change through electoral process -- committed enough to be organizing canvassing efforts -- and believes society will be better once Palantine is President. Travis doesn't follow political issues much. He believes that a President should clean up and flush out the mess in the city, and even prefers vigilantism -- taking the law into his own hands. He believes porno movies are relaxing; she has a hard time looking at them.

• Concern as it relates to The Preconscious:

Betsy's immediate response to Travis' taking her to a porno movie is shock, which in turn triggers confusion in him:

BETSY

But these are dirty movies.

 

TRAVIS

No, these are the kind that couples go to. They're

not like some others. All kinds of couples go.

All the time.

(Schrader, p. 44)

These differing points of view escalate to Betsy's impulsive response:

BETSY

Taking me to a place like this is about as exciting as

saying "Let's fuck!"

 

Range as it relates to Confidence:

"Betsy handles her job with confidence and ease. Whether answering phones, giving instructions or directing traffic, she remains the calm center of her hurly-burly world. Nothing threatens her."

• (Schrader, p. 16)

Her confidence is, however, shaken a little by the strange Travis, who reminds her of:

BETSY

That song by Kris Kristoferson, where it says,

"he's a prophet and a pusher, partly truth, partly

fiction, a walking contradiction."

(Schrader, p. 34)

Travis approaches Betsy confident that she, like him, is a lonely person who needs a friend.

• Counterpoint as it relates to Worry:

Betsy's worried enough to wonder about Travis:

BETSY

Why has that taxi-driver been sitting across the street

without moving, staring at us?

 

(Schrader, p. 18)

Travis diffuses Betsy's concern about going for coffee with him by offering to protect her; Betsy's apprehension about Travis' choice of movie proves to be well-founded.

• Thematic Conflict as it relates to Confidence vs. Worry:

Betsy's confidence that Travis has the extraordinary qualities she desires in a man causes her to ignore her concerns brought about by Travis' assumptions:

TRAVIS

I thought maybe you could play it for me on

your player.

Betsy's face backtracks a bit. This is the first indication she has had that she may be getting in a little too deep with this fellow she does not know.

(Schrader, p. 43)

Letting her confidence take the upper hand over her worries gets her into trouble at the movies.

• Problem as it relates to Unproven:

Betsy's fascinated by Travis without being sure why:

Betsy doesn't quite know what to make of Travis. She is curious, intrigued, tantalized. Like a moth, she draws closer to the flame:

(Schrader, p. 29)

BETSY

Travis, I have never met anybody like you

before.

He expects to go to her place, to play the record, on their first date:

TRAVIS

I thought maybe you could play it for me on

your player.

Betsy accepts Travis' assurances that the movies are not dirty:

TRAVIS

No, these are the kind that couples go to. They're

not like some others. All kinds of couples go.

All the time.

• Solution as it relates to Proven:

If Betsy listened to Travis' answers to her questions, she would realize earlier that:

BETSY

We're just two very different kinds of people,

that's all.

He doesn't know the person or politics of Palantine, the man he's volunteering to help; Travis agrees with his stand on welfare, whatever it is; he claims his stereo is broke; etc.

• Focus as it relates to Cause:

Travis thinks that buying Betsy gifts and flowers will endear her to him; that getting her into a porno theater will somehow turn Betsy on to him; that physically holding her back will prevent her from leaving in a taxi, etc.

• Direction as it relates to Effect:

Travis thinks that being with Betsy will end loneliness and bring happiness to both of them; that giving her an unopened record will result in being invited to hear it at her place; that sending her flowers will result in her changing her mind about him; etc.

• Stipulation as it relates to The Subconscious:

When Travis first sees Betsy, he's moved down to his righteous roots, comparing her to an angel; he successfully appeals to the basic drives of companionship and happiness in an effort to woo her; Betsy's desire to be with a "star" leads her to date the enigmatic Travis; his libido runs rampant, prompting him to take her to a "dirty movie;" she responds, ending Travis' dating career, by lashing out with crude language herself.

• Catalyst as it relates to Value:

Travis feels that while Tom's energies are in the wrong place, his own are not, making him worthy to approach Betsy; he thinks he has something to offer to Palantine's campaign; when their relationship's over, he downplays the value of his vigilantism:

TRAVIS

Oh, I got over that. It was nothing, really. The

papers always blow those things up.

• Inhibitor as it relates to Fantasy:

Travis has a fantasy image of Betsy as an untouchable angel, which disappoints him when it later proves true in his case; he believes exposing Betsy to instructional sex movies will bring her closer to him, but it ends their relationship; he buys into Betsy's story about being ill, not wanting to believe it's over.

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Travis Bickle's THROUGHLINE:

Role:

Taxi Driver

Description:

TRAVIS BICKLE, age 26, lean, hard, the consummate loner. On the surface he appears good-looking, even handsome; he has a quiet steady look and a disarming smile which flashes from nowhere, lighting up his whole face. But behind that smile, around his dark eyes, in his gaunt cheeks, one can see the ominous stains caused by a life of private fear, emptiness and lonliness [sic]. He seems to have wandered in from a land where it is always cold, a country where the inhabitants seldom speak. The head moves, the expression changes, but the eyes remain ever-fixed, unblinking, piercing empty space.

Travis is now drifting in and out of the New York City night life, a dark shadow among darker shadows. Not noticed, no reason to be noticed, Travis is one with his surroundings. He wears rider jeans, cowboy boots, a plaid western shirt and a worn beige Army jacket with a patch reading, "King Kong Company, 1968-70.

He has the smell of sex about him: sick sex, repressed sex, lonely sex, but sex nonetheless. He is a raw male force, driving forward; toward what, one cannot tell. Then one looks closer and sees the evitable [sic]. The clock spring cannot be wound continually tighter. As the earth moves toward the sun, Travis Bickle moves toward violence.

(Schrader, p. 3)

Throughline Synopsis:

Leading an empty life as a taxi driver and disgusted by the city's lowlifes, Travis Bickle tries to relate to a woman -- but fails. Driven by a sense of religious righteousness, he attempts political assassination -- but fails. Desperate to clean up the city, he succeeds in murdering some pimps and rescues a teen prostitute -- but fails at suicide. Recovering from his injuries, he's hailed by society as a hero.

Backstory:

Travis has a spotless record, as far as fitting into society goes:

PERSONNEL OFFICER

How's your driving record?

 

TRAVIS

Clean. Real clean. As clean as my conscience.

 

PERSONNEL OFFICER

Listen, son, you gonna wise crack, you can

leave right now.

 

TRAVIS

Sorry, sir. I didn't mean that.

 

PERSONNEL OFFICER

Physical? Criminal?

 

TRAVIS

Also clean.

 

PERSONNEL OFFICER

Age?

 

TRAVIS

Twenty-six.

 

PERSONNEL OFFICER

Education?

 

TRAVIS

Some. Here and there.

(Schrader, p. 5-6)

• Domain as it relates to Physics:

Travis endlessly drives his taxi, anywhere, anytime:

TRAVIS

I work a single, which means there['s] no

replacement -- no second man on the cab. Six to

six, sometimes eight. 72 hours a week. [...]

Sometimes 76 or 80. Sometimes I squeeze a few

more hours in the morning. Eighty miles a day,

a hundred miles at night.

(Schrader, p. 34)

He finds purpose in his life in his endeavor to clean the streets of crime.

• Concern as it relates to Doing:

Travis wants to get organized, but to no particular effect; he passes the time by going to porno movies he has no interest in; he takes long work shifts to keep busy; he lacks a sense of purpose in his life.

• Range as it relates to Enlightenment:

Travis sees himself as the true savior, gifted with insight from God; he tells the Secret Service Man he'd make a good agent, able to discern suspicious looking people; he has a special comprehension of girls:

TRAVIS

Well, Iris, I look at it this way. A lot of girls

come into my cab, some of them very beautiful.

And I figure all day long men have been after them:

trying to touch them, talk to them, ask them out.

And they hate it. So I figure the best I can do for

them is not to bother them at all. So I don't say a

thing. I pretend I'm not even there. I figure they'll

understand that and appreciate me for it.

 

It takes Iris a moment to digest this pure example of negative thinking: I am loved to the extent I do not exist.

(Schrader, p. 102)

• Counterpoint as it relates to Wisdom:

Travis seeks wisdom from the experienced Wizard, but gets only a trite answer about fitting in:

TRAVIS

That's just about the dumbest thing I ever heard,

Wizard.

 

WIZARD

What do ya expect, Bertrand Russell? I been a

cabbie all my life, what do I know? I don't even

know what you're talking about.

(Schrader, p. 75)

Iris tells Travis she understands her situation and options as a prostitute completely, but that's not an acceptable answer to him.

• Thematic Conflict as it relates to Enlightenment vs. Wisdom:

Unable to make sense of the world surrounding him, Travis tries to tap into the experience of others around him, but gets no help. From the worldly Palantine, he seems to get confirmation of what he believes God wants him to do: effect radical change. The special insight afforded by an insane mind dominates in the absence of any wisdom.

• Problem as it relates to Process:

Travis feels pulled toward the very sickness and violence he professes to abhor; he gets organized, working toward becoming a killing machine:

TRAVIS

May 29, 1972. I must get in shape. Too much

sitting has ruined my body. Twenty-five push-ups

each morning, one hundred sit-ups, one-hundred

knee-bends. Total organization is necessary.

Every muscle must be tight.

(Schrader, p. 60)

• Solution as it relates to Result:

Travis feels that the impact created by his killing Palantine will somehow satisfy him:

TRAVIS

The idea had been growing in my brain for some

time. True Force. All the king's men cannot put it

back together again.

(Schrader, p. 66)

• Focus as it relates to Unending:

Travis can get no peace from his body:

TRAVIS

Twelve hours of work and I still cannot sleep.

The days dwindle on forever and do not end.

(Schrader, p. 15)

He seeks solace in the all-night porno theaters; he keeps sending Betsy flowers, even though they come back, unable to accept that life with Betsy is over.

• Direction as it relates to Ending:

Travis' efforts are funneled into ending the lives of the deli robber, Palantine, Sport (thus ending Iris' life of prostitution), and finally, himself.

• Stipulation as it relates to Obtaining:

Once he's failed to get the girl of his dreams by buying her records and flowers, Travis moves into acquisition mode as part of his plan as God's lonely man: he obtains a cache of weapons from Andy, he struggles to achieve control over his body, he collect info on Palantine's activities, and finally takes some lives.

• Unique Ability as it relates to Wisdom:

A genius in his own mind, Travis tries to get Iris off the streets by impressing upon her his version of her reality:

TRAVIS

But you can't live like this. It's hell. If you ain't

sick now, you'll soon get hooked or die or

something or another. Girls need protection.

--and:

TRAVIS

That fellow "Sport" looks like a killer to me.

(Schrader, p. 98)

Travis gives Palantine the benefit of his peculiar wisdom regarding street cleaning, but the "We are the People" candidate doesn't take him up on it.

• Critical Flaw as it relates to Thought:

Travis can't keep his thoughts to himself at Palantine's first rally, alerting the Secret Service Man to his suspicious demeanor:

TRAVIS

Is it hard to get to be a Secret Service Man?

 

SECRET SERVICE MAN

Why?

 

TRAVIS

I kinda thought I might make a good one.

I'm very observant.

(Schrader, p. 79)

His thinking that Betsy would play the record for him on her player gives her cause for pause.

---

Betsy's THROUGHLINE:

Role:

"Star-fucker"

Description:

CAMERA FAVORS BETSY, about 25, an extremely attractive woman sitting at the reception desk between two phones and several stacks of papers. Her attractions, however, are more than skin deep. Beneath that Cover Girl facial there is a keen, though highly specialized, sensibility: her eyes scan every man who passes her desk as her mind computes his desirability: political, intellectual, sexual, emotional, material. Simple pose and status do not impress her; she seeks out the extraordinary qualities in men. She is, in other words, a star-fucker of the highest order. Betsy handles her job with confidence and ease. Whether answering phones, giving instructions or directing traffic, she remains the calm center of her hurly-burly world. Nothing threatens her.

(Schrader, p. 16)

Throughline Synopsis:

Betsy, a powerful woman working in a lowly assistant's job, prefers powerful men like Palantine to her amusing but dull colleague, Tom. When Travis shows her he's a go-getter, she's strangely intrigued by him -- until he shows the sophistication of a 15-year-old when it comes to dating. She retreats behind the protection of good old Tom, and concentrates on the campaign.

Backstory:

Betsy comes from a background of:

America's chosen youth: healthy, energetic, well-groomed, attractive, all recruited from the bucolic fields of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

(Schrader, p. 16)

• Domain as it relates to Psychology:

Betsy has co-worker Tom twisted around her little finger, toying with his affections; she puts Travis on the spot, inquiring about his view (or lack thereof) of Palantine:

Betsy is interviewing Travis, but she is also teasing him a little, leading him on in a gentle feminine way.

(Schrader, p. 28)

• Concern as it relates to Being:

Betsy is fascinated with powerful men like Palantine, but only for the duration of the campaign she's a volunteer for:

BETSY

After this job, I'm looking forward to being

alone for a while.

(Schrader, p. 32)

She's interested in slumming it with the sexually dangerous Travis, but puts an end to the game when he attempts intimacy.

• Range as it relates to Thought:

Betsy considers every man who passes her desk in terms of his desirability; she contemplates the taxi driver who's staring at Tom and her, prompting Tom to go and investigate; she wants to know what Travis thinks of Palantine and what he stands for; she ponders Travis' invitation to have coffee with him; etc.

• Counterpoint as it relates to Knowledge:

Betsy knows what it takes to get a candidate elected, and to her it's pushing the man not the issues -- she accepts Tom's idea that they're selling mouthwash. She's also aware that she's being taken to see a "dirty movie" by Travis, but goes ahead anyway.

• Thematic Conflict as it relates to Thought vs. Knowledge:

An intelligent, capable woman who should know better, Betsy allows her lusty thoughts of Travis as a poor woman's Palantine -- a powerful, sexy guy who knows what he wants and goes for it -- to overshadow what she knows: that he's crude, unsophisticated, and dangerous.

• Problem as it relates to Non-Accurate:

Finding Tom inadequate as a love interest, Betsy dismisses him with sarcasm and compares him to a two-fingered paper boy; her seeking of more dynamic mates who are out of range -- far above or far below her on the social scale -- makes her unhappy and lonely.

• Solution as it relates to Accurate:

If Betsy's appraisal of Travis' quirks and liabilities were more accurate -- after all, she did see him stalking her -- she would avoid an unsuitable suitor; or, if she accepted Travis' movie choice as a one-time faux pas, she might get "edumacated" as she sucked on Travis' Ju-jukes.

• Focus as it relates to Cause:

Betsy is dedicated to a political cause -- Charles Palantine -- and the campaign is the center of her life. When she takes time out for r&r with Travis, she soon realizes her mistake and abandons him for Palantine again. Sucked into the campaign as the fan of Betsy, Travis comes into conflict with the two men in her life, Tom and Palantine.

• Direction as it relates to Effect:

As Palantine's advocate, Betsy concentrates on the end result of getting him elected as President, where he'll be able to clean up the streets by legislative methods. Travis has the same outcome in mind, but intends to use more direct means of achieving it, getting the idea to assassinate his rival Palantine when he becomes involved with the same woman, Betsy.

• Stipulation as it relates to Becoming:

There's a saying that behind every great man is a great woman, and both of Betsy's heartthrobs achieve greatness in different ways. She's there at every step of Palantine's campaign, helping transform him from senator to President -- even seated next to him as he speaks at the podium. She inspires Travis' reincarnation as an assassin, though is blissfully ignorant as he stalks her candidate. She's fortunately absent as he wreaks carnage, reappearing after his transformation into hero is complete.

• Unique Ability as it relates to Knowledge:

Betsy knows exactly what she wants in a man, which leads to her dismissal of Travis when he doesn't fit the profile. Their romantic interlude ends, and Travis goes back to his problem, the process of cleaning up the streets.

• Critical Flaw as it relates to Enlightenment:

We Are The People -- in the audience -- and if only we could talk to Betsy about Travis. Where she picks up the scent of sexuality, we smell a rat; when she's reminded of a poetic "walking contradiction," we recall the manic-depressive; while she's flattered by his "lonely and unhappy" insight into her personality, we detect projection of his own feelings. If only she would "Thimk" more deeply and comprehend the "True Force" acting on Travis, she would never get involved; but she lacks that insight.

---

ACT PROGRESSIONS:

The Objective Throughline Act Order:

Objective Story Signpost #1 as it relates to The Present:

We meet Travis -- dealing with the daily grind of driving a taxi and not sleeping, putting up with the "scum and filth." We meet Betsy -- and Tom, struggling with the day to day operations of Palantine's campaign.

Objective Story Journey #1 from The Present to Progress:

Frustrated by failing to woo Betsy and disgusted by the street scum, Travis prepares for his mission from God. Flattered by Travis' praise, Palantine seeks the common man's advice.

Objective Story Signpost #2 as it relates to Progress:

Palantine gears up for the Primary, making TV appearances. Travis makes no progress in his advice-seeking from Wizard; Travis gets organized -- getting his body in shape, training with guns he bought from Andy, etc.

Objective Story Journey #2 from Progress to The Past:

Inspired by Palantine's talk of "radical change," Travis prepares to stalk him.

Objective Story Signpost #3 as it relates to The Past:

Tom points out Travis to Betsy at Palantine's rally, remembering him from the office. Iris doesn't recall getting into Travis' taxi to escape from Sport.

Objective Story Journey #3 from The Past to The Future:

Distressed by his failure to kill Palantine, Travis slaughters Sport and those in the pimp business instead, "rescuing" Iris.

Objective Story Signpost #4 as it relates to The Future:

In their Letter From Pittsburgh, Burt and Ivy Steensma are optimistic about daughter Iris' future, and invite Travis to visit them; Palantine wins the Primary, and Betsy looks forward to the election in 17 days time.

The Subjective Throughline Act Order:

Subjective Story Signpost #1 as it relates to Memory:

Travis recalls how he has driven by Betsy's office and notices she's lonely, and offers to be her friend.

Subjective Story Journey #1 from Memory to The Preconscious:

Intrigued by Travis' forthright behavior, Betsy agrees to meet him for coffee.

Subjective Story Signpost #2 as it relates to The Preconscious:

Travis' instincts tell him he and Betsy were made for each other:

TRAVIS

I felt that when I walked in, there was something

between us. There was an impulse that we were

both following. [...] Did you feel that way?

BETSY

I wouldn't be here if I didn't.

Subjective Story Journey #2 from The Preconscious to The Subconscious:

Travis fascinates Betsy as a walking contradiction, and she succumbs to his offer of a movie date.

Subjective Story Signpost #3 as it relates to The Subconscious:

Travis takes Betsy to a porno movie, revealing the chasm between them when it comes to expressing desire:

Compared to the movies he sees, this is respectable. But then, there's something else, too: deep inside, he really want to get her into that porno theater.

(Schrader, p. 44)

BETSY

Taking me to a place like this is about

as exciting as saying "Let's fuck!"

Subjective Story Journey #3 from The Subconscious to The Conscious:

Betsy votes two thumbs down to Travis' movie choice, but thumbs up to his vigilante behavior.

Subjective Story Signpost #4 as it relates to The Conscious:

As Travis takes Betsy for a taxi drive, there is the implication that each considers renewing their relationship, but it never makes it past a passing fancy.

The Main Character Throughline Act Order:

Main Character Signpost #1 as it relates to Obtaining:

Travis gets a job -- driving a taxi and acquiring an attitude toward "the scum;" he sees Betsy, the object of his desire, and gets a "sense of direction, a sense of someplace to go."

Main Character Journey #1 from Obtaining to Learning:

Sickened by the "filth" he encounters on the job, Travis discusses security with his fellow taxi drivers. Encouraged by Betsy, he ventures on a Date Night.

Main Character Signpost #2 as it relates to Learning:

Travis learns that pornos are not always good date movies. The Wizard Speaks -- but Travis learns nothing from him. Travis does learn that guns are readily available.

Main Character Journey #2 from Learning to Understanding:

Devastated by Betsy's rejection, Travis turns his attention to Iris -- and to Palantine.

Main Character Signpost #3 as it relates to Understanding:

Travis grasps the meaning of Betsy's rejection:

TRAVIS

I realize now how much she is like the others,

so cold and distant. Many people are like that.

Women for sure. They're like a union.

Travis makes Iris understand he wants to save her, not make it with her, while not understanding that she's content with Sport.

Main Character Journey #3 from Understanding to Doing:

Despairing but convinced that:

TRAVIS

My whole life has pointed in one direction. I see

that now. There has never been a choice for me.

Travis prepares to meet his maker, saying goodbye in letters.

Main Character Signpost #4 as it relates to Doing:

Feeling the need to act as God's Lonely Man, Travis attempts to assassinate Palantine but fails, then performs the senseless slaughter on Sport and his cohorts instead.

The Obstacle Character Throughline Act Order:

Obstacle Character Signpost #1 as it relates to Conceptualizing:

Betsy explains to Tom her plan of pushing of pushing Palantine's image rather than his issues, selling mouthwash. She challenges Tom to come up with a way to light a match using only two fingers.

Obstacle Character Journey #1 from Conceptualizing to Conceiving:

Bored with baiting Tom, Betsy's stimulated by Travis' sudden appearance.

Obstacle Character Signpost #2 as it relates to Conceiving:

Betsy tries to conceive of how Travis will fit into the campaign as a volunteer, but finds he only wants to date her.

Obstacle Character Journey #2 from Conceiving to Being:

Disgusted that the Swedish movie's not by Bergman, Betsy runs out on Travis, taking refuge in a taxi.

Obstacle Character Signpost #3 as it relates to Being:

Betsy feigns fatigue and illness -- a 24-hour virus or something -- in order to escape further contact with Travis.

Obstacle Character Journey #3 from Being to Becoming:

Impressed by Travis' display of True Force, Betsy seems in awe of him.

Obstacle Character Signpost #4 as it relates to Becoming:

In the final taxi ride, Betsy's speechless at the change in Travis' demeanor that her throwing him over has indirectly brought about.

---

Miscellaneous Other Storytelling Items:

All Concerns:

While Betsy, Tom, and Palantine work toward a better society, Travis idles away his life as an alienated loner. He finds purpose in Betsy, who comes down off her pedestal long enough to date him. Her reaction to his porno movies reveals their irreconcilable differences, setting him on a path of self-destructive mayhem.

Master Plot Synopsis:

Travis Bickle fills his empty life by driving a taxi, while Betsy has a full life organizing the Presidential campaign for candidate Charles Palantine. Smitten by her, Travis volunteers but really wants a date. Intrigued by his approach, Betsy has coffee and later goes to a movie with him. He blows it by taking her to a porno movie, and is devastated by her rejection. He buys guns and trains his body to be a killing machine in his God-sent mission of "True Force." He stalks Palantine as a potential target. Between assassination opportunities, Travis tries to rescue Iris from teen prostitution, but she's content to be with her pimp, Sport. Travis can't get next to Palantine, and on the rebound, takes out Sport and his associates instead. Out of bullets, he fails to end his own life. Recovering from injuries, he's hailed as a hero, especially by the reformed Iris' parents. Betsy rides in Travis' cab once more, but he wants no more of her -- or does he?

Master Theme Synopsis:

The streets of America's cities can be dangerous and unsavory, especially at night. While politicians get elected on promises that they're the answer to the problem of crime and corruption, they have no real solutions to address what's causing it. In a society where handguns are readily available, a frustrated alienated individual who decides to take the law into his own hands -- trained in killing by the government's military branch -- can commit heinous crimes, yet be rewarded by society because his victims are socially undesirable criminals.

Subjective Character Synopsis:

Betsy's interested in Travis for his latent sexual energy and its potential to turn into something powerful. But when he shows he's only interested in unleashing that raw energy through her, he no longer intrigues her. Rejected and frustrated, Travis does go on to sublimate his pent-up lust into murder. Betsy respects what he's been able to achieve, but too late to "save" Travis.

Master Character Synopsis:

Travis Bickle is sick. Sick of the disgusting people he deals with every day. He sees Betsy as a ray of hope in his meaningless existence -- his fantasy girl. She sees in him some of the same qualities that attract her to Palantine -- power, energy, sexiness, and danger that comes with inscrutability. In short, everything Tom lacks. Wizard tries to help the sick Travis fit into society, but doesn't know how. His friend Andy prescribes handguns as a cure. Iris thinks Travis' problem is he can't make it. She doesn't particularly want to be saved from Sport, who's at least capable of expressing some form of love for her.