John Q Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

John Q - Essay Example â€Å"John Q† is a highly romanticized representation of real world financial trouble that is experienced by normal people such as George Tillman on a regular basis. Denzel Washington’s character in the movie is a common man with a common name who encounters extraordinary problems. John is a factory worker and is experiencing financial hardship in lieu of his hours being cut. At a baseball game, his son passes out and the parents soon discover that the son is in desperate need of an emergency heart transplant. Although the family has health insurance, the coverage will not provide for such an expensive procedure. John is able to convince a heart surgeon to complete the surgery at a lower cost but he is still unable to cover the costs. Faced with the impending death of his son, John holds the hospital hostage in order to complete the surgery. In the end, his son receives a heart transplant but John must serve time in jail. The article about George Tillman deals with a similar circumstance but applies to a real world setting. Mr. Tillman found himself on welfare and living in a shelter with his children after quitting his security job. However, Tillman was able to pull himself out of the system and even founded a successful business enterprise after receiving work training. Tillman was an outspoken critic of the system and continually wrote to government agencies to voice his complaints regarding the inefficient nature of work training agencies. The two men both faced daunting circumstances that could have potentially damaged their families. In the case of John Q, the healthcare crisis in the United States is examined and criticized. A common man took on an unfair system, but was forced to resort to violence when everyone refused to help him. John Q’s story is highly romanticized because in real life situations, holding up an emergency room is not an option. Tillmans