Another element successfully used by Tony Kaye in this film is symbolism. The symbolism in the movie shows how separated Derek was from other cultures. Derek, played by Edward Norton, has a very fair complexion. Every flashback the movie would show would be in black and white. The fair skin of Derek shined like a ghost in the black and white film. The blacks or Mexicans or Asians in a flashback looked even darker than their true color due to the black and white film. This way it gives the audience a perspective through black and white being a bigger separation that white flesh and brown flesh. The symbolism is showed throughout the entire movie and shows how much Derek was separated from other cultures.
Another element that director Tony Kaye used well was irony. Before Derek's hate for other cultures began to develop, he had a teacher named Dr. Sweeney. Sweeney was an African American and Derek thought that he was an absolutely brilliant man. While Derek was in prison, Sweeney came to visit Derek once and he taught Derek a very good lesson. He told Derek that there was a reason why he can never find the answers, and that was because he was not asking the right questions. Sweeney proceeds to ask Derek if he has gained anything from being hateful toward people of other races. This makes Derek understand things a lot more clearly and with tears rolling down his cheeks Derek shakes his head, "No." The irony in this is that Dr. Sweeney is an African American, and while visiting Derek, Derek still has anti-black beliefs. It is ironic since it took a black man to get Derek to understand what he was doing to himself and others when at the same time Derek was a racist. Another aspect of irony in this movie is in the very beginning when it shows an empty beach on a cloudy day in black and white. It looks cold, deserted, and unwelcoming. There are some extreme long shots of some buildings down the shore, but they look so far away.
