This is an in-depth look at horror and science fiction films involving a monster.  The article doesn’t focus on Jaws, however it gives an interesting interpretation about many ideas prevalent in Jaws and how they appeal.  Carrol says, “the horror and science fiction film poignantly expresses the sense of powerlessness and anxiety that correlates with times of depression, recession, Cold War strife, galloping inflation, and national confusion.”  The nemesis in Jaws is an uncontrollable creature, something out of the public’s hands.  The author rationalizes that these unmanageable situations were telling of the current situation of the country in the 1970’s and early 1980’s.  The helplessness that individuals were going through could be seen on-screen and as a result people were drawn to this.  Carrol refers to films such as Jaws as nightmares, something that one has no control over, yet is forced to watch.  He is providing a bleak interpretation of this time period, however this is his rationale for why a film such as Jaws was so successful during this time.  This can be interpreted to mean that people feared the current state of their country, for any number of reasons including the Watergate scandal, the oil problems, or the Cold War.  All of these situations were out of the publics control, similar to the way the audience had no way of controlling what would come next.  In this sense, the monstrous character in Jaws was very realistic, and as a result people took it so literally.  Perhaps this would be the reason so much action was taken against sharks going forward and the film was so moving to the general public.