The Wrath of Johnny Castle -- Part 3

This post follows Part 1 and Part 2.

======

During the movie Dirty Dancing, Johnny Castle loses his temper and acts violently on two occasions.

1) When he finds that his car key is locked inside his car, he uses a post to break through a window of the car.

2) When Robbie Gould mocks Baby Houseman for "slumming" with Johnny, Johnny attacks and beats Robbie.

This post here will discuss the second of those two incidents.

======

 After Jake Houseman came to Penny Johnson's cabin at night to treat her for the side-effects of her abortion, he prohibited Baby to have anything more to do with the hotel's entertainment staff. On the following day, he elaborated about the reason for his prohibition (in a scene that was not included in the finished movie).

Jake insinuates that Gentile boys are bad and mean. For example, young Jake and his brother Dave were attacked by Gentile boys while walking to school.

======

On the day following that discussion, Baby and Johnny quarrel because she still has not told her father about their romantic relationship. Johnny becomes angry at Baby and walks away from her.

Later that day, Baby comes to Penny's cabin and finds Johnny there. Baby and Johnny go out onto the porch, where she begins to make peace with him. Then Robbie walks by and mocks Baby for "slumming" with Johnny. Enraged, Johnny attacks Robbie.

In this scene we see that Jake was right about Johnny. As a Gentile boy, Johnny is bad and mean, and he beats up a Jewish boy. That's exactly why Jake told Baby to stay away from Johnny.

======

In a previous article, titled "Going Steady" versus "Going Slumming", I explained Johnny's thinking about Robbie's mocking remark as follow:

During the movie Dirty Dancing, there is a scene where Robbie is walking past the employees' cabins and he sees Baby Houseman Johnny Castle standing on a cabin porch. When Robbie notices that Baby is caressing Johnny's back, Robbie remarks:

Looks like I picked the wrong sister.

That's okay, Baby, I went slumming too.

Robbie meant that he and Baby shared a perverse willingness to go slumming. Robbie had gone slumming with Penny, and Robbie saw now that Baby was going slumming with Johnny. In contrast, Baby's sister Lisa did not share that perversity; Lisa never would go slumming.

* Robbie perceived that Penny was a low-class woman, and so he called his relationship with Penny as going slumming.

* Robbie perceived likewise that Johnny was a low-class man, and so Robbie called Baby's relationship with Johnny as her going slumming

Since Lisa, in contrast, never would go slumming with a low-class man, Lisa did not share such a predilection with Robbie or with Baby. Since Robbie did share such a predilection with Baby, Robbie and Baby were a better match in that regard than Robbie and Lisa.

In that regard, Robbie should have become involved with Baby instead of with Lisa. That is why Robbie remarked I picked the wrong sister.

To some extent Robbie insulted Baby, but he insulted mainly Johnny.

======

Aside from being angry about Robbie's "slumming" insult, Johnny is angry at Robbie for various other reasons.

* Robbie made Penny Johnson pregnant and then dumped her.

* Robbie refused to help pay for Penny's abortion.

* Robbie is taking advantage of Baby's sister Lisa.

* Robbie is sweet-talking Lisa during Penny's wig demonstration.

This latent anger was detonated by Robbie's "slumming" insult.

======

During the fight -- after Johnny has punched and kicked Robbie several times -- Johnny invites Robbie to punch him in the face. Robbie does so. Then Johnny beats Robbie some more.

Johnny invites Robbie to punch him in the face for two reasons.

1) Johnny had taken Robbie by surprise in the attack, so he feels obligated to give Robbie a brief advantage.

2) Johnny wants a valid excuse for continuing to beat Robbie.

Johnny ends his beating of Robbie by saying: "Get out of here. You're not worth it."

Johnny knows that he is risking his own job by beating Robbie.

======

Johnny's angry attack on Robbie prompts instinctive sexual feelings in Baby. She is excited to see Johnny's power, bravery and aggression.

Baby feels that Johnny would be able to defend and protect her in dangerous situations. Even in a case when Baby might be merely insulted, Johnny's physical presence would inhibit and stop the pest.

Baby is also proud that her own boyfriend, Johnny, was able to beat up her sister's boyfriend, Robbie.

Johnny knows from his own previous experiences that women were privately pleased by his angry aggression even if they express disapproval.

During the fight, Baby does not ask Johnny to stop fighting. After the fight, Baby caresses Johnny's head lovingly.

======

Keep in mind that this fight scene was preceded by a scene where Baby and Johnny quarreled about her hesitancy to inform her father about their romantic (even sexual) relationship. Her father had elaborated to her that Johnny is the kind of boy who is "bad and mean" -- the kind of boy who had beaten him and his brother Dave on their way to school.

Now Baby is considering whether her father might be somewhat right about Johnny. She has seen Johnny break through his own car window and has seen him beat up another person because of a verbal insult. Maybe he is not the right kind of man to become her permanent partner.

======

Later that day, Baby watches Johnny organize the talent show competently and calmly.

Later that night, Baby and Johnny are lying in bed in his cabin. He says to her:

You want to hear something crazy?

Last night, I dreamt we were walking along, and we met your father. He said, "Come on," and he put his arm around me. Just like he did with Robbie.

Baby does not say anything to Johnny about his dream. She knows that the dream will not happen in real life.

Earlier that same day, Johnny had brutally beaten up Robbie, the Jewish young man around whom Jake had put his arm.

=====

This article will be continued in Part 4.