Woody Allen and Philosophy by Mark T. Conard

Author:Mark T. Conard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Court
Published: 2011-03-31T16:00:00+00:00

The irrationality of Alvy’s provincialism is apparent in this scene because neither Annie nor Rob reciprocate his criticisms. In fact, both Annie and Rob do their best to ignore Alvy and try to get him to stop being so negative. The incongruity between the attitudes of Annie and Rob, and that of Alvy, is the source of the humor in this scene. However, this humor also has a rather pathetic feel to it as it indicates the distance that Alvy is creating between himself and his best friends, due to his provincialism. Both Annie and Rob are expanding their cultural range and appreciating new and different social settings, while Alvy’s provincialism prevents him from joining them in this adventure. This will eventually take its toll on Alvy’s friendship with both Annie and Rob, as we see at the end of the film when Alvy visits Annie, after she eventually moved to California, and he also gets to see Rob. On this trip Alvy finally realizes that two of his closest friendships are over after he experiences, and perhaps better understands, the cultural limitations created by his provincialism.

In this scene, Annie and Alvy arrange to meet at an outdoor health food café in Los Angeles, and we see that Alvy is way out of his element. Alvy arrives before Annie, and while he is waiting, we witness Alvy awkwardly trying to order from a menu with which he is clearly unfamiliar. He nonetheless disingenuously tries to act as if he knows what he is doing, and orders what he believes to be normal: alfalfa sprouts and a plate of mashed yeast. His order seems absurd and ridiculous, and this immediately reminds us of Annie’s unusual food order in a New York deli; however, there is an obvious and important difference between the two. While Annie took her unfamiliarity with Jewish delicatessens all in her stride and just ordered whatever she wanted, Alvy was obviously distressed over his inability to understand and control his current situation (a New York trait), and he makes his order intentionally “hyper-normal,” in the sense that it is meant to exemplify the typical, ridiculous Californian (lack of) culture. Alvy’s provincialism makes him incapable of enjoying unfamiliar environments, whereas Annie enjoys the challenge of learning new cultures, and as a result, continuously grows as a person. This becomes ultimately evident when Annie appears.

Upon Annie’s arrival, it becomes instantly apparent that the cultural incongruities between her and Alvy have grown considerably. Annie is not only dressed like a native Californian, but she also acts more like a Californian. She is relaxed, in good spirits, and her confidence and new level of independence are undeniable. Life in California has made Annie happier and stronger than she has ever been as long as Alvy has known her. Annie’s appearance clashes noticeably with that of Alvy, who looks and acts like a New Yorker, and makes no attempt to acquiesce to his surroundings. Annie has obviously assimilated the Californian way of life, while Alvy remains an extremely provincial New Yorker.

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