Monkey Business

Ever heard the saying "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil?" It's an ancient proverb for being of good mind, speech and action…and it's usually graphically depicted by three wise monkeys: one covering its ears, one covering its eyes, and one covering its mouth

One of George's possessions is a sculpture of the three wise monkeys. Why not, right? It's kind of the same thing as having an inspirational quote framed in your living room, or having a poster that reads "Hang in there!" in your office.

But the monkeys are also a metaphor for George, who's resistant to change (so kind of deaf), refuses to see the future (blind), and literally refuses to speak on screen.

The first time we see the sculpture, it's sitting in front of a rainy window right after George has heard about the stock market crash (bad news, for sure). With the monkeys behind him, George speaks into the phone, another nifty tool of communication.

"It looks like we've gone bust," he says, defeatedly.

The sculpture haunts him later, when he whips it out from under a sheet at Peppy's house. Cue major zoom factor on the camera work.

Later, when George is contemplating suicide, he sits in his chair with his hands clutched over his mouth and then his ears. A direct reference to the sculpture, this is another instance in which life imitates art in The Artist.