A House is Not a Home: The Facades and The Truth Underneath
  I. Introduction Our discussion of Atom Egoyan's The Adjuster targets at finding out what's going on beneath the destroyed facades.II. The Adjuster

A. The Meanings of the Names

1. Noah: Extracted from the Bible; to save the homeless

2. Rend: To tear up; to ruin

3. Renders:

a. To interpret; to cause to be
b. DestroyerB. Profession: the Adjuster: to give and to take (advantage)

C. Allegorical Meaning

D. Janus Face

1. The relationships between Noah & the fire victims  a. Noah & Hera
b. Noah & the old couple (Tim & Rorin)
c. Noah & the woman
d. Noah & the gay couple  2. The relationship between Noah and the host of the motel

3. The relationship between Noah & the waitress

E. Related Images 1. Fire
2. Hand
3. ArcheryIII. The Censor A. Censorship: maintaining the moral standard 1. To censor and to classify

2. In mass media (removable) & in reality (irremovable)

B. Hera, her sister & her son 1. Only survivors a. No return to the past
b. Realization of the fact (about Noah & his job)2. Home & family a. Complete & incomplete
b. Fake and realC. Related Image
      1. Voyeurism: Everybody has the desire to peep at others. People peep and are peeped. Hera, her sister, the director in the censor office, the new comer & Noah and all involved in the act of voyerism.
IV. Bubba and Mimi A. Significance: Mirroring Noah and Mimi and embodying the extremes of human desire

B. The Showering Theory

1. Bubba
2. MimiC. The Realization of the Ideal

D. Related Images: Mask, Fire and Photography/Filmmaking

V. Conclusion
    1. Reality vs. Appearance
      1. Home: Noah's actual family vs. Bubba's subjective perception of Noah's family
      2. House: Model house vs. model home
      3. Motel: Shelter vs. a second home