Hayes 1

Katherine Hayes Erin Dietel-McLaughlin Writing and Rhetoric 13300 10/8/13 The Rhetoric of Success Success is an idea that does not have a clearly defined meaning. Some may measure it monetarily while others measure it in time spent with loved ones. However, even with its lack of definite meaning, success is a concept that is universally understood and that every person appreciates in his own way. In the movie The Social Network, differing definitions of success are demonstrated by different characters points of view. Through rhetorical features of the film, we are led to believe that certain definitions of success are more important than others because of the way that we learn to perceive the characters who represent the definitions. Rhetorical features are those that follow five characteristics as defined by James A. Herrick. He states that rhetoric should be: (1) planned, (2) adapted to an audience, (3) shaped by human motives, (4) responsive to a situation, and (5) persuasion-seeking (7-8). When a symbol or idea fits to all five of the listed characteristics, it can be categorized as pertaining to rhetoric, or effective symbolic expression. (Herrick 7) The director of The Social Network, David Fincher, uses rhetorical features throughout the film to indicate which characters should be perceived as trustworthy and honest by his viewers, and which should not. The viewers are more likely to adopt the definition of success in accordance with the view of a character whom they trust,

Hayes 2

therefore Fincher is allowing the viewer to choose a definition based on the trustworthiness of the characters. Eduardo Saverin is one of the characters in the film that Fincher would like us to see as trustworthy. In the scene when Eduardo is first introduced, his relationship with Mark Zuckerburg is immediately made apparent. Mark says to Eduardo, I need you, and Eduardos first instinct is to open his arms and offer comfort to Mark, who has just gone through a breakup. His gesture is rhetorically valuable because it is one of genuine concern and friendship, which gives the audience a very positive first impression of Eduardo and allows for the viewers of the film to feel a sense of trust in him without having any additional information on his character or his personality. When Eduardo offers consolation to Mark, the audience also realizes that Mark is not as emotionally connected to Eduardo as Eduardo is to Mark, because he seems confused at Eduardos response to his request. He clarifies, telling Eduard o that he needs an algorithm to hack into a dorms private website. Eduardo seems concerned at Marks true wish, but willingly explains the algorithm and writes it out. Through this exchange, the audience can see that Mark is taking Eduardos loyalty and friendship for granted, which rhetorically adds to Eduardos appeal, because there is a sense of sympathy for his unappreciated position in their relationship. After his introduction into the storyline, we realize that this is the same Eduardo that Mark had been referencing in the first scene of the movie during his conversation with Erica in the bar. Upon watching that scene again with the knowledge of Eduardos loyalty to Mark, the words that are spoken of him seem very much like backhanded compliments. Mark speaks highly of Eduardo in one train of thought, telling Erica about the money that Eduardo made

Hayes 3

over the summer. When Erica seems impressed, Mark shrugs it off, saying that Eduardo is simply good at reading weather patterns. Here, the audience is given two more reasons to like Eduardo. The first is that he made his own money. He was not given any legs up in the business world and he was not born into an extremely wealthy family. All of the money that he has, and that Mark will later ask to borrow, is money that he earned himself. His strong and honest work ethic makes him a more likable character and rhetorically invites the viewers to think of him as a trustworthy person because of it. Marks comment makes Eduardo more likable for a second reason, which is sympathy. Mark is putting his best friend down and passing his achievements off as if they were something anyone would have been able to do. This is not a good way to make or keep friends, and the audience is inclined to feel bad for Eduardo because of Marks harsh words about him and lack of consideration for his hard work. When Eduardo comes up later in the conversation, Mark is telling Erica that he does not think that Eduardo could get into a final club unless it was the clubs attempt to increase diversity. This statement is repeated by Mark later in the movie when Eduardo is explaining that he was asked to rush for the Phoenix, which is the most prestigious final club. The fact that Mark has such little confidence in Eduardos ability to make anything of himself without help again hints at the idea that Eduardo is putting much more into the relationship than Mark is, and that Eduardo is a much better friend. That sense of giving more than is received is one that again rhetorically speaks to the audience and lends itself to more empathy and a stronger personal connection toward Eduardo. With the knowledge that Eduardo made his money through a summer of hard work, there is no surprise at Eduardos hesitance when Mark asks him to supply the startup funds for

Hayes 4

his new social networking site, The Facebook. However, being the reliable friend that he is, Eduardo eventually gives Mark the money, then continues to supply monetary support as the site grows. As he invests more and more in Facebook, Eduardo naturally begins to wonder when he will begin seeing the profits of his investment. He suggests to Mark that the company should begin to sell advertising in order to begin making a profit, but Mark is worried that it will make the site seem less cool. Worried about the fiscal stability of the company, Eduardo ignores Mark and begins searching for advertisers. It soon becomes apparent to the audience that Eduardo measures the success of Facebook against whether it can financially support itself. Because the viewers of the film have come to see Eduardo as a trustworthy person, it is easy for most people to accept and adopt his idea of success. That being said, it is possible that there is another point of view the one held by Mark Zuckerburg throughout the film. In order for Mark to view Facebook as being successful, it must be cool. This is something that he spoke of from the very beginning of the movie, and that perpetuates throughout the plot. If anything happens to jeopardize the coolness of Facebook, Mark will not allow it. Advertisements are the factor that Mark feels will most alter the public perception of his website, and for that reason he is extremely cautious about permitting Eduardo to seek outside financial support. Mark is nervous, probably rightfully, that if the site were to lose its coolness, that it would seem less attractive to users and therefore not spread as quickly. Despite the sound logic with which Marks argument resonates, his character does not appeal to the audience as well as Eduardos does and therefore his viewpoint gains less traction.

Hayes 5

Mark is less liked by the audience of The Social Network for a number of reasons. The first of which is the fact that Fincher so frequently drives in the fact that Mark does not treat Eduardo as well as he should. Mark often ignores Eduardos opinion, such as that on the idea of advertisement, and takes Eduardos money for granted. Eduardo is Marks best friend, and the fact that he is treated so poorly lends lots of rhetorical power to their relationship, making Mark a less likable character because of it. In accordance with Marks treatment of Eduardo is his treatment of his girlfriend, Erica Albright. In the opening scene, he is shown having a conversation with her in a bar. Throughout their interaction, Mark continually discounts Ericas contributions to the conversation and makes her feel inferior by explaining and re-explaining parts of the conversation that she doesnt seem to understand. However, she is not having trouble understanding them because she is intellectually inept; she is having trouble understanding them because Mark is expressing several different trains of thought at once and Erica cannot discern one from the other without clarification. The final blow that causes Erica to break up with Mark and leave the bar is when he tells her that she doesnt need to study, because she goes to BU. This is a very clear statement of Marks views, not only of Erica, but of anyone who does not study at Harvard with him. This singular statement has extreme rhetorical force behind it and immediately causes the audience to have negative sentiments toward Mark Zuckerburg and his attitude toward other people. It is that initial lack of likability that ultimately makes it very difficult for the audience to take his side when deciding how success should be defined. The conclusion of the argument between financial success and popularity-related success arrives during the final sequence of the film, when Mark is sitting alone in the board

Hayes 6

room. He is on Facebook, trying to add Erica Albright as a friend. The movie concludes with text flashing over the image of Marks face, informing the audience of the legal settlements between characters. The last words on the screen make known that Mark Zuckerburg is the youngest billionaire in the world. While that text is on the screen, the camera is focused on Marks face. In that moment, there is a sudden feeling of sympathy toward Mark that the audience has not yet felt. He is alone, in an empty room, waiting for acceptance from a woman who left him years before. The fact that his loneliness is paired with text explaining the success of his business, both financially and popularly, gives extreme rhetorical value to the closing frame of the movie. From both Marks and Eduardos perspectives, Facebook has become a successful business. However, Mark is still unhappy. This conclusion leads the audience to believe that success is defined neither by money nor by fame, but by happiness: a feeling with which Mark is obviously not connecting at the completion of The Social Network.

Hayes 7

Works Cited Herrick, James A. "An Overview of Rhetoric." The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Beacon, 2001. 1-30. Print.