Harold & Maude Extra Credit

The development of Harold, one of the main characters, transforms from an individual that sees death as something to play with and that life is something that needs to end to valuable the actual essence of existence. His development as a person is aided by the second main character Maude, who sees life as something truly something precious. Through her actions, she involves Harold in activities that develop his mind around understanding his meaning of life.

On the other hand, Harold's mother who is opposed of every decision and choice he makes because she sees his antics pretending to die as childish and inappropriate. She tries to distract him by trying him to date women so he can take his focus off embracing death. This method proves to fail because his only friend that understands him teaches him that what he thinks is not wrong, but at such an early age he should not worry as much about it. In one crucial scene where Harold finally experiences what "real death" is, was at Maude's 80th birthday where she says her farewell to Harold that emotionally breaks him but in a sense is comes to understand what actual death is which is the beauty of it.

In the last scene of the movie, Harold drives his hearse off a cliff symbolizing that he is letting go of his dark morbid perspective of death, and reflecting on Maude's relationship with him embracing a new shade of life.