Control is one of the most egregious forms of domestic abuse seen in the film. Tonya’s mom LaVona was particularly tyrannical. LaVona is constantly emotionally in command of every circumstance she finds herself in, most notably with Tonya. She lacks pride and affection for her daughter, often calling Tonya names when she loses a challenge or acts inappropriately. She goes to great lengths to accompany Tonya on her first date with Jeff, interrogating him inappropriately. She mocks Tonya for believing she earned Jeff’s rage. LaVona asserts her dominance by demanding a kiss before Tonya leaves. Moreover, she bribes a patron to antagonize Tonya prior to a contest. Due to LaVona’s controlling nature, Tonya marries jeff against her wishes. It is, therefore, apparent that LaVona abuses her daughter Tonya by being too controlling.
In the film, physical assault is shown as another prominent form of domestic violence. When Tonya’s boyfriend Jeff begins to abuse her, she does not take it seriously since it is what she is accustomed to, and she, therefore, thinks that she is to blame. She is tough and would strike back, yet she constantly justified the violence by claiming that her mother abused her but still loves her. The breakup of Jeff and Tonya leads to an upsurge in Jeff’s aggressive conduct, which compels Tonya to have him placed under banning orders. He arrives with a rifle in hand, frantic, and threatens to crush Tonya’s legs, thereby eliminating her ability to earn a living. Her most significant connections used her as a pounding bag to vent their frustrations.
Domestic violence in the film also takes the shape of male privilege and harassment. Jeff is pulled over with firearms in his vehicle and beer spilling over the seat. The policemen notice Tonya’s head is covered in blood but allow Jeff to accompany her when he threatens to murder her if she says a word. Masculinity and the notion that weapons are for self-defense undermined Tonya when she most needed police. Tonya was unable to trust anybody at the time, even authorities, highlighting her deserving of the violence. Nevertheless, the ultimate smack in the face came when she discovered Jeff was behind the assault on Nancy. She would approach the judges on the rink or even approach a referee to inquire about her results. She was always dissatisfied with their restrictions and their discriminatory perception of how women must dress. Her revolt was against chauvinism and misogyny, arguing that skill is the only yardstick that matters in a sports field. Shawn is a bizarre and delusory individual. His destructive masculinity became inextricably linked to Jeff’s. Jeff bemoans that he wishes he could harm Nancy to demonstrate his method of adoring Tonya. However, Shawn’s perverted thinking transformed that first intention of sending letters into a military attack. He envisioned himself as a counterterrorism specialist.
Systems theory closely relates to the problem of domestic violence. This theory postulates that the household as a unit is better comprehended by recognizing how close relatives connect with each other in such a way that these connections acquire predictable behavior through time (Komissarova et al., 2021). Each close relative within this household is classified as a sub-unit. Parent-parent, parent-child, and child-child are the three primary subsystems. Generally, what occurs in the parent-parent connection affects both the parent and child relationships. It is natural for adults and kids to differ and argue. However, these conflicts may occasionally escalate into violence. Children often resort to aggression in an attempt to exert dominance over or intimidate them. Typically, this aggression happens when the child antagonizes, bullies, or violently harms someone. It may include the use of harsh words or the threat of using weapons. Children may become violent due to the parent’s violence being normalized by the other adult in their family. Tonya, for example, is accustomed to domestic violence as a result of her father’s abuse. Tonya, therefore, takes her father’s violent behavior as a model for her behavior against other people and rationalizes her conduct solely based on what she witnessed in her family. Parental aggression towards their children affects that subsystem because it breaks it down (Stanley & Humphreys, 2017). The parent-child connection is strained as a consequence of continued disagreement and harassment between the child and parent.
References
Komissarova, E. G., Krasnova, T. V., Zimneva, S. V., Gorina, N. V., & Shershen, T. V. (2021). Problem of domestic violence: international scope and national perspectives on legislative resolution. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 108, p. 03003). EDP Sciences.
Stanley, N., & Humphreys, C. (2017). Identifying the key components of a whole family intervention for families experiencing domestic violence and abuse. Journal of gender-based violence, 1(1), 99-115.
write