{"id":797,"date":"2025-10-27T19:39:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T23:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/wrt118\/?p=797"},"modified":"2025-11-03T21:20:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T02:20:59","slug":"juno-vs-interpretations-how-form-can-be-meaningful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/wrt118\/juno-vs-interpretations-how-form-can-be-meaningful\/","title":{"rendered":"“Juno” vs. Interpretation: How Form Can Be Meaningful"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Let\u2019s go backward for a second. It\u2019s the 1960s, and Susan Sontag writes the essay \u201cAgainst Interpretation.\u201d She argues that people should experience art through observing its \u201cform\u201d and what we immediately sense from the piece rather than interpreting and assigning meanings to it (Sontag 8-9). Sontag claims that people decide to be limited by their interpretations because they can\u2019t accept art without thinking of a larger, \u201cintelligible\u201d meaning (4-5). Fast forward about 40 years or more. It\u2019s 2007, and a movie regarding teen pregnancy comes out. The movie is called Juno<\/em>. The main plot is about a teenage girl named Juno who has an unplanned pregnancy with her high school boyfriend and gives up the baby through a closed adoption. The majority of the movie is what she does, how she lives, and the relationships she deals with as she is pregnant. When Juno<\/em> was released, many people loved the movie, while some people hated it. However, a few from both parties did what Sontag advises against: They tried to assign another meaning to it, overinterpreted it, and essentially \u201ctranslated\u201d it into what makes sense to them (4). Since Juno decided not to abort the baby, some people thought it was a pro-life movie while others thought it supported teen pregnancy and led to a so-called \u201cpregnancy pact\u201d in Gloucester High School (Brown; Kingsbury). Either way, Sontag would have seen these people as misguided because they clearly prioritized meaning over the various angles and experiences one could get from appreciating the film\u2019s explicit details and how it was uniquely put together. Juno<\/em> supports Sontag\u2019s argument about experiencing art through what it is explicitly made of instead of its implicit, interpreted meaning, because to enjoy the film, one can focus on the visuals, music, and dialogue without assigning a grand meaning to it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A defining characteristic of Juno<\/em> is the visual aspects. The movie caters to the viewer\u2019s visual sense and hooks them in through its playful, indie-hipster look and saturated colors. For example, near the beginning of the film, the observer is met with an elaborate opening sequence that looks scrap-booked together, displaying Juno walking through town while credits play alongside her. The sequence is made up of multiple photographs of Juno that were degraded using a copy machine, colored in, cut out, scanned, and put together using a computer (Pearson). The hand-drawn background of the town, accompanied by long, bold, colored-in 3D credits and an animated Juno in the foreground, is very visual. It doesn\u2019t need an explanation. As Sontag would say, \u201cthe sensuous surface\u201d is what is important (9). A viewer can observe the craftsmanship of the layering, photos, lettering, and hand-drawn aesthetics and be visually stimulated without thinking about the meaning behind it. Furthermore, the film\u2019s saturated color palette of bright reds, muted browns, golden yellows, greens, and tinted blues makes it eye candy and eye-catching. The colors can be analyzed, but the viewer doesn\u2019t need to interpret them to feel something from the film. The colors are direct and subliminal, which \u201cfrees us from the itch to interpret\u201d (Sontag 8). People could, however, interpret the colors and visuals as symbolism for each character. Juno could be characterized by reds, browns, and greens. Paulie Bleeker, her boyfriend, could be summarized by bright orange, golden yellow, and red. The Lorings, the couple adopting Juno\u2019s baby, could be watered down to tinted blues and clean whites. The possibilities are endless with symbolism, but too much emphasis on symbolism would distract from the story. People can only hold so much in their brains when Juno <\/em>presents them with so much on the exterior. Sometimes, an art piece\u2019s \u201csensuous surface\u201d that Sontag describes is enough to captivate the viewer because a unique feeling comes with the film’s captivating look (9). The hand-made aesthetic and fall colors give Juno<\/em> a homey, cozy feel that feels soothing. When viewers focus on the soothing visuals, the movie becomes comforting to the viewer, even though Juno’s pregnancy can be seen as serious. By evoking a comforting feeling, they subliminally tell the viewer everything is going to be okay when the situation isn\u2019t what Juno planned for. Part of what makes the film enjoyable is the comforting, unserious tone that the eye-catching colors and playful aesthetic set up.

On another note, Juno<\/em> caters to the viewer\u2019s sense of hearing through various songs that play throughout the scenes. At the beginning of the film, a modified version of \u201cMy Rollercoaster\u201d by Kimya Dawson starts playing when Juno rides her bike to school and continues playing as she walks through the hall of her high school. The song is short and consists of Kimya Dawson playing the guitar and do-do-ing softly. It plays in the background and is not heard by the characters. One could interpret the song as background music or assign a larger meaning, saying that it is in tune with how Juno feels about going to school, knowing she is pregnant, but the viewer doesn\u2019t need to think about the song to understand the scene. Juno is getting from point A to point B, and the song is an extra layer for the viewer\u2019s senses. The viewer can hear the music and be further transported into the film. Much later, when the season changes to Spring, a tiny montage of events is shown while \u201cPiazza, New York Catcher\u201d by Belle & Sebastian plays in the background. The song stimulates the viewer’s sense of hearing while adding to the indie-hipster vibe of the film through its sweet, upbeat, and soft tone. The viewer should refrain from over-interpreting it, so they can focus on their present \u201csenses\u201d and experience the film for \u201cwhat it is\u201d<\/em> (Sontag 10). Similarly, the song \u201cAnyone Else but You\u201d by The Moldy Peaches is a layer of sound that occupies the viewer without much thought. It plays twice in the film (once played in the background as Juno gives birth and once sung by Juno and her boyfriend Paulie Bleeker at the end). The song could be seen as a theme for Juno and her relationship with Paulie Bleeker, but the viewer doesn\u2019t need to understand the theme. On the surface, the song is an acoustic, endearing, soft duet that is just endearing and enjoyable. As Sontag argues, \u201cIn most modern instances, interpretation amounts to the philistine refusal to leave the work of art alone\u201d (5). It is okay to refrain from dissecting Juno <\/em>because the viewer can enjoy it for what is initially understood. When the viewer focuses on what they initially hear from the endearing soundtrack, they can be further engrossed and transported into the cozy, comforting feeling of the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Juno<\/em> has lots of strange, funny, maybe some could even call it quirky, cringey dialogue, which makes the film unique and entertaining. For instance, a key part that allows the plot to continue is Juno deciding not to get an abortion, partly because of a comical conversation she has with her classmate Su-Chin outside of Women Now. The whole conversation is funny and awkward in a weird way since Juno runs into her classmate, Su-Chin, protesting against abortion when she is planning to get an abortion. On top of the whole ironic situation, a majority of the conversation isn\u2019t even about abortion. Juno starts talking to Su-Chin as if she ran into her at school. She asks, \u201c\u2026did you write that paper for Worth\u2019s class yet?\u201d and Su-Chin admits \u201c[she\u2019s] having trouble concentrating,\u201d so Juno suggests taking Adderall (Juno <\/em>00:16:53-00:17:04). But when Su-Chin refuses, Juno says, \u201cIt\u2019s a wise idea\u201d and proceeds to tell her a story about a crazy girl who took too many \u201cbehavior meds at once\u201d (Juno <\/em>00:17:04-00:17:30). In this dialogue, the topic of abortion is only pointed directly at Juno near the end of the conversation when Su-Chin mentions to Juno that \u201c…[her baby]…has fingernails\u201d (Juno <\/em>00:17:37). That statement, mixed with the strange interactions she has at Women Now, freaks Juno out into not getting an abortion. The scene in itself could be interpreted as a pro-life scene and characterize Juno <\/em>as a pro-life film, but as Sontag suggests, \u201cThe task of interpretation is virtually one of translation. The interpreter says, Look, don\u2019t you see that X is really\u2014or, really means\u2014A? That Y is really B? That Z is really C?\u201d (3). Juno\u2019s choice not to get an abortion and the dialogue between her and Su-Chin don\u2019t have to be interpreted into a larger theme of pro-life or pro-choice or abortion. In reality, if the viewer thinks the dialogue is only about such serious topics, the scene can only be viewed in one way and isn\u2019t that funny. In general, the dialogue\u2019s lighthearted and playful nature is distinctive because topics such as abortion and teen pregnancy are often serious topics in the real world. By contrasting serious, implicit topics like teen pregnancy, the humor in the dialogue keeps the film enjoyable while moving the story forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art is an experience that caters to our senses. When the viewer gets caught up in interpreting every single detail, their senses are limited, and so is their experience. For Juno<\/em>, overinterpretation waters down the creative, funny details that make up the film and limits how the viewer can see and enjoy it. The film\u2019s beauty lies in its directness and explicit meanings. The viewer does not need to worry about what one color, song, scene, or piece of dialogue implies. Take Juno<\/em> for \u201chow it is\u2026<\/em>[and]…what it is, <\/em>rather than\u2026what it means<\/em>\u201d (Sontag 10). If we view Juno <\/em>through Sontag\u2019s lens, we can see that it is a colorful, comforting comedy that happens to work around serious, implicit topics, like abortion and teen pregnancy. But what makes Juno<\/em> a successful, comforting comedy is its combination of stunning visuals, playful aesthetics, soothing music, and comical dialogue. Therefore, to experience Juno<\/em> fully, we must appreciate and understand its combinations of forms first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Works Cited<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown, Evan Nicole. \u201cDiablo Cody Meditates on \u2018Juno\u2019 and Its Critics 15 Years Later: \u2018I Am Emphatically Pro-Choice.\u2019\u201d The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>, 15 July 2022, https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/movies\/movie-news\/juno-movie-15-years-later-diablo-cody-roe-1235178240\/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juno<\/em>. Directed by Jason Reitman, Mandate Pictures, Mr. Mudd, & Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2007. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kingsbury, Kathleen. \u201cPregnancy Boom at Gloucester High.\u201d Time Magazine<\/em>, 18 June 2008, https:\/\/time.com\/archive\/6685214\/pregnancy-boom-at-gloucester-high\/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pearson, Ryan. \u201cWhere’d the credits go?\u201d asap<\/em>, Associated Press, 13 Sept. 2007, https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20071012000411\/http:\/\/asap.ap.org\/stories\/1726717.s. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sontag, Susan. \u201cAgainst Interpretation.\u201d Against Interpretation, <\/em>Picador, 1966, pp. 1-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Side Note:<\/strong> I couldn’t find out how to italicize Juno<\/em> in the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s go backward for a second. It\u2019s the 1960s, and Susan Sontag writes the essay \u201cAgainst Interpretation.\u201d She argues that people should experience art through…<\/p>\n

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