Violence and Redemption in Scorsese’s Films: A Girardian Reading

The mimetic model begins with human need - an inherent 'lack° within an individual and the search to meet that need. How humans respond to their unformed nature determines their path. We may turn to God and allow God to form and shape us Or, we may turn to others and desire what they possess in an effort to seek our own completion. If we choose another human as the model for our own personal evolution, we seek someone who seems to possess what we lack This lack is often evidenced through one of the seven deadly sins, and specifically in Scorsese films, through lust, pride, envy, greed, or wrath. Why would a human choose to follow another human in order to fill this void and not God? Is this not a clear choice? Charles Bellinger gives a persuasive answer.