Seeing "CODA" Through Ruby's Perspective

What struck me most while watching the movie “CODA” was that Ruby was not portrayed just as a girl who wants to achieve her dream.

 Ruby is the only hearing member of her family. She naturally takes on the role of bridging her family and the outside world from a young age. Even everyday tasks—such as making hospital appointments, negotiating fish sales, or handling phone calls—were difficult without her.

That is why, for Ruby, the decision to go to college is not as simple as for typical kids of her age. For her, it felt like leaving her family behind. 

Many people might not easily understand why Ruby is so hesitant. However, from the perspective of a CODA, the situation is far more complex. CODAs naturally navigate between two languages ​​and two cultures from childhood. They live within ASL and Deaf culture at home, while having to adapt to the rules of the hearing world outside. 

That is why CODAs often learn about responsibility from a very young age. 

Ruby is no exception. She loves her family, and they love her back. Yet, love and dependency sometimes become intertwined. The more Ruby strives to pursue her dreams, the more anxious her family becomes, and at the same time, Ruby herself feels a sense of guilt.

A particularly memorable scene in the film is the moment when her father, Frank, touches Ruby’s throat to try to feel the song. Although he cannot hear the sound, he wants to understand just how much his daughter loves music. That scene is not simply about a father who cannot hear, but it illustrates how a family, with members experiencing the world in different ways, strives to understand one another.

 Ultimately, “CODA” is not a film about who is right or wrong. Rather, it is a story that shows how people living between different worlds love, clash, and let each other go. Indeed, Ruby’s greatest growth lay not in leaving her family, but in learning that she could choose her own life while still loving them.