Paris, Texas and the Merging of Journeys - Elise Gunteski #4

 One thing that struck me while watching Paris, Texas is how Travis seemed doomed to the dreams of his wife. She told him that she dreamed of running. Of sprinting away from the roads, away from him. She felt that in these dreams and in this running she could be free. However, it seems that that fate may have been allotted to Travis. In the beginning we see Travis wandering through the desert. He is following the telephone lines, but ignoring the roads. In this way he seems to be gradually leaving his past self. Rather than relying on manipulation, he is seeking out communication and connection. In this way he is "running." He is leaving behind who he was, while being influenced by the pain that he dealt his wife. The Travis shown at the beginning of the movie is haunted. Not only by his own demons, but by the spirit of his wife fleeing into the wilderness. 

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