The Man Without a Face

Norstadt starts off his journey by not knowing anything about McLeod.  Many of his friends that he had talked to did not know him and were giving Norstadt false information about McLeod. However, Norstadt had to find himself a teacher in order for him to pass his test that was coming up. He wanted to pass the test so that people would think of him as a genius and so that he would not have to stay home with his current family. So as he finally begins to talk to McLeod he does not know what to expect. All he does know is that he needs a teacher in order for him to do well on the test that he has to take.

As many rumors circled around about McLeod, Norstadt did not believe them because of the trust that the two developed together. They both gained this trust because of the constant amount of work that they did together. Also, Norstadt was beginning to not only look at McLeod as a teacher, but also as a father figure. Reason he was doing this was because, Norstadt’s father was a man who always got drunk and had many problems over his life. He also died when Norstadt was just three years old. So Norstadt basically grew up without a father in his life. So as he received the teachings from McLeod, the more Norstadt grew up into McLeod as a person that he could look up to as a father type figure.

Near the end of the movie, the rumors got even more intense. Norstadt’s mother told him about the time McLeod had abused another boy in the past. That was the reason that McLeod had isolated himself from the town. He was only able to buy his groceries at night when everybody was gone. Norstadt didn’t want to believe his mother, but his mother began to bring the police into the situation after Norstadt said something he should not have. His mom asked him if McLeod had ever touched him. Not understanding the context of the question his mother had asked, he ended up saying that he did touch him. However, he did not mean sexually, but that was the context of his mother’s question. So, his mom ended up contacting the police about the situation. After the police were notified, they gave Norstadt an attorney to talk to. However, it did not make much of a difference because Norstadt did not say much so that event got the police nowhere.

Norstadt winds up stealing his mom’s fiancée’s car in order to drive to McLeod’s house. He ended up asking him the big question on if McLeod abused the boy in the past.  McLeod did not answer the question but asked Norstadt to answer is himself. He had already told Norstadt that he got the scar from a car crash with the boy in the car. Norstadt continues to tell McLeod that he will believe him if he just answers the question. However, McLeod asks him if he had ever laid a hand on him but friendship, and to answer the question himself. Norstadt thinks about the question and realizes that McLeod did not abuse the boy. He was just accused of it because the boy was in the car during the car crash. This keeps the friendship strong between the two as now Norstadt knows the truth among the situation.

After that event, McLeod was then going to attend court; however he was lied to and told that it was just a meeting. During the court, the prosecutors try to see why McLeod had any type of relationship with Norstadt. They end up trying to hide the question at the end on if he had ever abused the boy. After the question comes up, McLeod goes on a rampage on their question. In the end he ultimately tells them that he did not abuse the boy at all. He was just trying to tutor a boy who was in need of help so he could pass his exam. There was not anything else to the situation but a second chance for McLeod. After court, he is told that he is no longer allowed to have any type of communications with Norstadt.  So he does the thing that everybody wants him to do. He ends up moving to a different place and leaves Norstadt a note. He also ends up at Norstadt’s graduation, and that is how the movie ends.