John Muller Blog 1: Finding a Nation

In the film Passing Through by Nathan Adolfson, the protagonist searches for answers about fitting in and longs for a sense of community. Nathan, an adopted Korean, grows up in America but never feels as though he fits in. He later travels to Korea where he is equally unable to make connections. The story leads us to think about what nation Nathan should associate with and how Nathan can benefit from each. Nathan certainly does not feel a strong connection with either nation and this leads us to also search for the purposes of a nation to discover why Nathan cannot form a connection.

A nation is any group of people living in common proximity who share common traits. These commonalities could vary from history, language, or preferences. The reason Nathan never felt a huge sense of nationalism toward either country is because he grew up with common beliefs and preferences as his adopted family but shared his looks and heritage with his Korean family. This ultimately led to confusion throughout Nathan’s life and often caused him to avoid those who looked like him and also those who acted like him because he knew he was different from them as well. The purpose of a nation is to provide a community of common people working together to be part of something far greater than any individual. Nathan struggles to find this commonality that allows him to feel a part of something that he could be proud of, something much larger than himself. You know you are a part of a nation when you can make connections with those around you and realize that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This means that you are proud of your nation and are committed to reaching the goals of the nation.

Ultimately Passing Through provides us with a glimpse of somebody searching for a sense of nationalism. Nathan has a number of barriers to overcome, he looks different than those around him and his culture differs from those who look like him. The film shows how these barriers prevent him from making connections his whole life. However, towards the end we see Nathan figuring things out on his own and forming communities. Overcoming these barriers is how Nathan will truly become part of a nation and reap the benefits of becoming part of something great.