A Significant Scene: Travis Visits Betsy (Taxi Driver)

A lot of people talk about this film and a lot of people analyze the protagonist Travis Bickle. One scene that stuck with me, that in ways defines who Travis is, was when he tried to ask Betsy on a date.

The scene involves Travis going into Betsy’s job and insisting her to go on a date. She asks him why and this is his response:

"I’ll tell you why. I think you’re a lonely person. I drive by this place a lot and I see you here. I see a lot of people around you. And I see all these phones and all this stuff on your desk. It means nothing. Then when I came inside and I met you, I saw in your eyes and I saw the way you carried yourself that you’re not a happy person. And I think you need something. And if you want to call it a friend, you can call it a friend".

What Travis says can be looked at in two ways: one, as if he is describing himself and reflecting himself onto her; Travis is a veteran and it definitely took its toll on him, he’s a lonely man that doesn’t fit in with society. He possibly “sees” this in Betsy because he wants to think that he’s not the only lonely person and likes the idea of her, since he doesn’t actually know Betsy. Travis says, “I saw in your eyes and I saw the way you carried yourself that you’re not a happy person” in which he is actually describing himself and also says, "I think you need something. And if you want to call it a friend, you can call it a friend" which he is basically saying that he needs someone to be there for him, to take away his loneliness.

And on the other hand, he could actually be describing Betsy, Travis could sense this about her because he is the same way. But considering what Travis is capable of later in the film, I’d go with my first theory. I think that Travis’ erratic behavior is quite subtle 'til the end and this scene gradually gets us to that point, he is quite a character study.