Sling Blade's main theme is the redemption of Karl's lost childhood. Karl Childer's overly religious parents believed he was a punishment from God. They severely abused him, treated him like an animal, and forced him to live in a shed in solitude. Everyone in town picked on him and called him names. He was seen as a "retard" or slower than others. He had little to call his own. His only possessions were a Bible and several books on Christmas and carpentry. Karl was taught the Bible as a child, but it wasn't really the Bible. The stories they told him were not in the Bible. His parents had made up their own stories and had led him astray on the rights and wrongs of life.

When Karl was 12 years old interrupted what he believed to be the raping of his mother. He took charge and killed the man with a "sling blade". He than found out his mother had wanted it so he killed her too. When he killed his mother and her lover he thought he was doing the right thing. Karl believed that if you have to sacrifice to do the right thing than you should do it. Karl was locked away in a "nut house" for the next 25 years for rehabilitation and correction.

The other characters' scripts related to Karl's redemption, too. Doyle's script reminded Karl of his father. Doyle often called Karl a "retard" and his father did the same. Linda's script reminded Karl of the wonderful mother he never had. She told him she appreciated him and was glad he was staying with them. Frank's script dealt with his friendship with Karl. They talked about football, Doyle, and other childhood worries. He allowed Karl to be a child again.

Karl had read the Bible and believed he knew the difference between right and wrong, but was faced with the problem of protecting Frank from a painful future with Doyle. Karl knew that Doyle would manage to poison Frank's life, or worse, just as Karl's parents did to him. He tried to reconcile his own simple moral code with everything he had been taught about right and wrong, and must decide whether to stand by and watch, or step in to protect the child. He decided to rescue his best friend, Frank, from his destiny. He attacked Doyle with two chops of his switchblade.

The sound also supported the theme. In the beginning the music was low and turned into the sound of a heartbeat. It expressed the beat of life going on and on. After Karl was released, upbeat music began in the background to show he's free. Karl felt lost so he returned to the hospital with sad, slow piano music. Towards the end of the movie an electric guitar played to show Karl was "electrified" or confused. He was trying to decide whether or not to kill Doyle. He felt he needed to do it, but wasn't sure if he had the right. The music got louder and faster as he approached the house, but slowed down as he entered and sat down on the couch. The music was very dull while the men were talking and stopped abruptly at the murder. At the end of the movie calming harp music played as Karl looks out the window of the "nut house" towards heaven. He believed he made the right decision. He is guiltless and happy because he was able to catch a glimpse of what childhood really is. Throughout the movie the music sets the mood for the scenes.

The first element I found that supported the theme was the script. The actors' dialogues shaped the characters' roles. Karl adopted a new dialect. He picked up a backwoods, disturbed, monotone, punctuated by a throaty "um-hmmm". Karl's d

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Approximate Word count = 1555
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)