Throughout
the film 12 Angry Men
(1957) (as well as the other plays and films, I assume) the jurors do not know
each other by name, only number. That is until the final scene when jurors 8 (the
protagonist) and 9 (the old man) share their names of Davis and McCardle,
respectively.
Is there any significance of these names, or
even of the act of name swapping itself?
A jury usually
withheld names in order to remove any effects of names, castes etc into the process.
Inside the jury room, the people are simply humans trying to impart justice. When two
people swap names, it signifies a bond, especially if it is done
after passing through an experience together. The men, after having
gone through a emotional, social and philosophical awakening inside the room, share a
common realization of the darkness inside every one of them. They have now formed a bond
because they believe each of them has contributed to the right by
voting not guilty. When the two men exchange names, it is their
belief and respect in each other, as well as the implication of a beginning of a bond or
friendship between the two. When (in the old times), strangers came to town, the names
would be exchanged only when they had gathered respect or became enemies. Thus, the name
exchange signifies the human social element in the men, that
outside the jury room, they are just ordinary people in their lives.
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