Custic 1

Dragana Custic
Dr. Miller
EN 325
24 November 2015
Redemption in Million Dollar Baby
Frankie Dunn, a boxing trainer, a father, a lover of Mass, committed an unknown sin that
caused him to lose touch with his daughter. Her silence and ignorance of him builds an immense
amount of guilt inside of him. All that Frankie wanted was to rid himself of the guilt that
consumed his life. In order to attempt to rid himself of the guilt, he attends mass every day of his
life, hoping God will heal him. Unfortunately, Frankie does not seem to comprehend anything
about the significance of religion. He continuously has debates with the priest about the Catholic
Church and everything that surrounds it. His constant questioning allows the priest to realize that
Frankie wants to cleanse his soul. It is through the appearance of Maggie Fitzgerald and his
connection with her that he is able to find the redemption he longs for. Maggie comes from a
harsh life herself; she has been waitressing since the age of thirteen and living in trailer homes
with her dysfunctional family. She wants to set herself free from the stress of her life through
boxing. After long and thorough convincing, Maggie convinces Frankie to train her. Their
relationships transforms into that of a father and daughter. Both help one another cope and
escape the pain that confines their lives. Maggie becomes the first woman boxer he had trained
who was victorious in her boxing. However, she suffers an incident that leaves her permanently
paralyzed. This incident traps Frankie with one of the roughest decisions of his life: to take her
off of life support and end her suffering or to continue to let her live and suffer. Frankie decides
to end her life through the use of

Custic 2
euthanasia. The church does not help him with his decision and deep down inside of his heart, he
recognizes that Maggie has fulfilled her dream and that she is now the happiest she could ever
be. In Clint Eastwoods Million Dollar Baby, Frankie reaches redemption through Maggies vital
influence in his life; he is exposed to the pathway of redemption without the help of religion, but
through his act of selfless love.
Fr. Horvak is a false symbol of Jesus Christ through his actions and interactions with
Frankie; the priest disregards Frankies questions about the obscurities behind the Trinity and
Immaculate Conception, leaving Frankie detached from religious assistance. Frankie attends
Mass every day and always has questions to ask the priest about religious aspects that confuse
him. At first, Frankie asks the priest if Jesus was born a virgin, referring to what he believes to be
the theory behind the Immaculate Conception. However, he is wrong and does not get corrected
by the priest. Marys conception is portrayed through the Immaculate Conception. The priest
grows tired of Frankies questions and does not provide the in depth answers that Frankie is
searching for:
Whats confusing you this week?
Oh its the same old one God-three God thing
Frankie, most people figure out by kindergarten its about faith
Is it sort of like Snap Crackle and Pop, all rolled up into one big box?
Youre standing outside of my church, comparing God to Rice Krispies?

Although Frankie uses sarcasm to depict his views on God and how the Trinity works, he truly
does not know the reasoning behind it. He does not seem to comprehend why there is one God in
Custic 3
three persons. Not even the priest is able to provide him with a solution to that question. The
only advice that the priest is able to give Frankie is that he should attempt to build peace within
himself and God. Frankies comment in which he compares God to Rice Krispies is very
humorous, but also shows the little amount of knowledge he has on the significance of Gods
power in the world.
The appearance of Maggie Fitzgerald has the most tremendous impact on Frankies life;
they both find redemption through one another, forming an unforgettable bond that grants them
the salvation they have been longing for. Maggie enters Frankies gym one day and asks if he can
train her to be a boxer. At first, Frankie says Girlie you aint tough enough. It is through her
persistent determination that Frankie finally agrees to train her. Frankies past experience with
the injuries of the many boxers he had trained continually haunts him. While their relationship is
strictly professional in the beginning, that slowly changes. They grow closer than ever and
Frankies heart grows whole again. They form a father-daughter bond, a bond which replaces the
bond he lacked with his own daughter. He provides Maggie with the nickname Mo Cuishle,
meaning my darling, my blood in Gaelic. Through the use of this name, Maggie is now literally
a part of him. She mixes into his own blood, reflecting the literal presence of Christ: blood, body,
and soul. After Maggies victorious match, she is left paralyzed from the neck down. This
moment forever transforms both Maggie and Frankie. Maggie begs Frankie to take her off of life
support and end her suffering. He listens to his heart when he makes his choice, instead of
relying on any religious support. When persuading him to help her die, she explains that she has

a feeling of having fulfilled her mission, and that were she to die today her last thought would
be: 'I think I did all that.' The feeling of fulfillment, of completing her earthly mission, echoes
Jesus' death words in The Gospel according to John: 'It is finished' (Roubach). By fulfilling her
mission, Maggie
Custic 4
has reached her primary goal in life. She proved that she had the strength it took to fight. Despite
the complications in her lifestyle, she was more than satisfied by how far she had come. When
Frankie injected the euthanasia and ended her life, he knew this was something that Maggie had
truly wanted. His act of selfless love comes from the redemption that Maggies presence
triggered within him. She literally saved him and transformed his weak heart into a heart full of
love. Even if Maggie is no longer physically present, she will forever be spiritually present in
Frankies life.
Suffering is very much part of the human story, but Eastwood finds a way to probe
beneath the details on the surface to illuminate the inner depths (Henderson). Through the
characters of Maggie and Frankie, two very diverse sides of suffering are illustrated. Maggie has
suffered physical and emotional abuse from her family. Frankie also suffered familial issues and
emotional disengagement from society, as a result of his daughters refusal to engage in any
communication with him. Maggies strong bond with Frankie is parallel to Christs bond with
humanity, sacrificing himself and suffering for our sins. The love that is formed through selfless
acts sparks the redemption that takes place. Frankie was a man filled with many flaws from
every angle, but his act of sacrifice was the force that prompted his redemption. His long awaited
peace was attained through his unforgettable relationship with Maggie, giving her peace in
return.

Custic 5
Works Cited
Henderson, Charles. "Million Dollar Baby: One of the Best Movies of Spiritual Substance Ever
Made." GodWeb. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.
Million Dollar Baby. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Filmax, 2005.
Roubach, Sharon. "In the Name of the Father, the Daughter and Eddie Scrap: Trinitarian
Theology in Million Dollar Baby." Journal of Religion & Film. N.p., Apr. 2007. Web. 24
Nov. 2015.