The Hidden Symbolism in Animal House

“FOOD FIGHT!”

Yeah, it’s LOL funny. But did you know the all-time-classic frat house movie farce is more profound than that? It has hidden deep meaning. Really.

National Lampoon’s Animal House has been the quintessential movie experience for the last three decades’ worth of college students. It’s easy to quote Bluto Blutarsky and those other hallowed Deltas from the halls of Faber College, but to embody them … it’s important to uncover the movie’s hidden messages. Let’s take a look at three of the flick’s most revolutionary scenes:
 
The Zit
Delta Tau Chi’s next-door neighbors at the Omega Theta Pi house -- commonly referred to as the Omegas -- are led by smarmy, no-nonsense president Greg Marmalard. It’s while Bluto provokes Marmalard with his imitation of a popping zit that the legendary food-fight scene commences.

The symbolism: Things are gonna get messy. Not just in the context of the film, where the hijinks of the Delta boys are contrasted nicely with the Omega subterfuge, but in terms of college as a whole. You’ll make incredible friends and simultaneously meet people you’ll never want to see again.

The Toga Party
After stealing the wrong answer key to a psych test (planted, of course, by those annoying Omegas), the Delta brotherhood celebrates by -- what else? -- throwing a gigantic toga party. The antics lead to their charter being revoked by Dean Wormer.

The symbolism: One could take a pessimistic viewpoint when examining this chain of events and claim, “The fun has to end sometime.” But I’d like to think that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. The Deltas still have plenty of tricks up their sleeve, right up to the very end. ...

The Parade
Bluto’s impassioned speech at the film’s closing rouses the demoralized Delta brethren into action: “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no!” The Deltas hatch a scheme to wreck the annual homecoming parade, successfully gaining revenge on the Omegas and Dean Wormer. As he sees the Deathmobile rocketing toward his location on the bleachers, Wormer fittingly laments, “I hate those guys.”

The symbolism: There are several meanings to this closing montage: Revenge is sweet. Stick it to the man. And … you can never take college too seriously.

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