The protagonist's fear of water is irrational, but it's his irrational fear that allows him to be the first to recognize the irrational threat in the form of the shark. Being afraid of water also means he has the biggest hurdle to overcome in order to go after the shark.
In the book by Peter Benchley, it tells about Brody researching sharks. One of the things he reads is that whistling noises attract sharks and shark attacks, because they cause vibrations in the water. Was this worth your time?
Chris Lowe, director of the shark lab at California State University at Long Beach, said the movie caused people to view sharks as malicious toward humans. “'Jaws' was kind of a turning point,” Lowe said. “It got people thinking very negatively about sharks, which just made it so much easier to overfish them.”
Personality… responsible, heroic. Brody's the kind of the man who will do everything to keep those around him safe. Finding this shark is the biggest challenge of his life, and he is not willing to let anyone down.
Jaws: The Individuation of Martin Brody | Video Essay
What is Brody's fear of water?
The most ironic part of his past was that Martin was terrified of the water. When his wife tried to explain the clinical term for his fear to Matt Hooper, Brody quickly dismissed it as simply a fear of drowning. This fear seemingly stemmed from a near-drowning experience when he was a child.
“What we find is that especially with popular media, it influences people's attitudes and perceptions such that it exaggerates the danger that these animals pose,” Hancock said. Most research has shown that sharks do not attack humans unless provoked or threatened.
While Jaws may have initially demonized sharks, this fictional thriller would go on to inspire real-life research and conservation efforts. It became a catalyst for change.
When Hooper goes diving down to Ben Gardner's destroyed boat, we get a jump scare when Ben Gardner jumps out of the boat dead. Quint's death scene is very disturbing as he slides in the sharks mouth and the animal chomps down on him. He screams and gargles on his own blood with Chief Brody watching in horror.
(For all of you movie buffs: The Bowline is the knot Captain Quint reaches Chief Brody in the 1975 classic Jaws—the one Brody successfully ties just before the great white shark they're pursuing makes a sudden, gaping appearance. In Quint's seaman version, the rabbit's an eel.)
In the 30th anniversary DVD edition of the film, all the movie remains the same except for Brody's final encounter with the shark. His famous line is cut, thus, only letting him says, "Smile, you son of a..." before he fires the gun.
“The average bather knew or cared little about sharks,” writes historian Beryl Francis. Any terrifying tales about the creatures were “accepted as simply sailors' lore and legend.” The Navy sponsored a secret program to develop a chemical repellent called “Shark Chaser.”
Both the author of Jaws, Peter Benchley, and the director, Steven Spielberg, regret the negative impact the film had on shark populations and the perpetuation of shark stereotypes.
It was an intentional choice done in part to build anticipation—but it was also the result of technical difficulties with the mechanical shark. “I had to be resourceful in figuring out how to create suspense and terror without seeing the shark itself,” Spielberg tells BBC Radio 4.
Indeed, orcas are the top predator in the ocean and small sharks are a target for some populations. Orcas will even attack and kill great white sharks just to eat their livers which are a high energy food source.
Trapped on the sinking vessel, Brody shoves a scuba tank into the shark's mouth and, climbing onto the crow's nest, shoots the tank with a rifle. The resulting explosion kills the shark. Hooper resurfaces and he and Brody paddle back to Amity Island, clinging to the remaining barrels.
Sharks and dolphins are two of the most formidable creatures in the ocean, but while sharks are often seen as fearsome predators, they are known to be intimidated by dolphins.
Made of very strong and thick bone, dolphin snouts are biological battering rams. Dolphins will position themselves several yards under a shark and burst upwards jabbing their snout into the soft underbelly of the shark causing serious internal injuries. More than Peas in a Pod.
Vaughan and the others refused to accept that the photo is of a shark and the council fired Brody for causing the beach panic, Vaughan being the only one to vote against dismissal.
His attempt to draw the shark into shallow waters is foiled by his pride as, rather than listen to Hooper, he destroys the engine of the ORCA. His reluctance for any help is made clear when he destroys the ship's radio while Brody is calling for help.
Even more than a policeman, Brody's a husband and father whose first responsibility is toward his family. That's important because it means he has same concerns that most of the people in the audience have. He hints that the main reason the Brodys moved to Amity was to get the kids out of New York City: BRODY: […]
Sean Brody is the son of Martin Brody. He appears in the novel and was the only one to appear in the movie. He was killed when his arm is bitten off and is soon dragged under water to his death by Vengeance the shark in Jaws: The Revenge.
