Constructing Interpersonal Relationship through Politeness Maxims Between Violet and Finch in “All The Bright Places”

Abstract

Politeness maxims in film dialogue are often examined only to identify the dominant type across a movie, which leaves little explanation of how these maxims relate to the development of a relationship between two characters. This study analyzes the scripted dialogue between Violet Markey and Theodore Finch in “All the Bright Places” (2020) to identify the types of politeness maxims they use and to interpret how these maxims accompany the development of their relationship. Using a qualitative pragmatic discourse analysis, 50 dialogues were selected from the movie through documentation, classified according to Leech’s (1983) six politeness maxims, and interpreted through Knapp’s (1978) Relational Development Model. The results show that all six maxims appear, with the Tact Maxim occurring most frequently (32%), followed by the Sympathy Maxim (22%), the Approbation Maxim (20%), the Agreement Maxim (12%), the Modesty Maxim (10%), and the Generosity Maxim (4%). When the data are read chronologically, the Tact, Agreement, and Generosity Maxims appear mainly in the early exchanges, where Finch invites Violet without pressuring her, while the Sympathy and Approbation Maxims appear later as concern and appreciation begin to come from both characters. The Modesty Maxim appears in Finch’s most personal disclosures. These patterns suggest that the relational meaning of a politeness maxim changes with the stage and emotional context of the relationship. Because the data are scripted dialogue and the analysis is interpretive, the findings describe how politeness is represented in the movie and do not show that politeness causes a relationship to develop. The study contributes by combining Leech’s maxims, which identify the function of an utterance, with Knapp’s stages, which place that function within a developing relationship.