Rocky II Lessons of Manhood and Overcoming Adversity

The summer of 1979 began to heat up with the sequel to a beloved Hollywood classic, Rocky II. The movie takes place immediately following the first. The movie did live up to its prequel. It provides lessons of manhood and something that every person has to overcome.

It picked up where it left off after the much-anticipated bout with Rocky and Apollo being rushed to the hospital after going fifteen rounds for the heavyweight title. Some believe the fight was rigged in Creed’s favor and Rocky should’ve won. Rocky said that there would be no rematch, yet Apollo wanted one. All it took were letters chastising Apollo and the self-centered ambition to get Rocky back into the ring for a rematch.

Meanwhile, Rocky was struggling to establish a life after the fight. He gets married and begins a family. Yet, he struggles to find a job due to a lack of education and a questionable background check. He realizes that being a professional boxer is his calling. Then, Apollo challenges him in a rematch.

Rocky struggles with his training. Then, his wife Adrian is in a coma after giving birth to his son, Rocky Jr which prompts him to take a step back from fighting until Adrian is better. Upon her recovery, she encourages Rocky to win.

Rocky would get the spark he needed to train hard to go toe to toe once again against Apollo. In the end, Rocky would emerge as the new heavyweight champion.

While the first of the six-movie franchise is enjoyable, fans of Rocky would enjoy the second one just as much as the first. Looking back at the movie, it does have some lessons of faith that we can grasp.

Never Stop Being a Man/Taking on Challenges

In the scene where Rocky watches a live newscast of Apollo requesting that he accept his challenge, Rocky realizes that he must take on the challenge. There will be times when we will be challenged to do this. The question is how do we respond? Do we take on the challenge or just let it slip?  

My favorite scene is when Rocky is in the chapel and his trainer Mickey gives him a pep talk. He reminds him that the rematch will not be the same as the first. Yet, Apollo wants to show the world that Rocky was a has been.

Overcoming Adversity

The main theme of Rocky II is how to overcome what life throws at you. In addition to boxing, Rocky had some struggles in his personal life. He had trouble landing commercials because of his illiteracy. He improved on it as he read a book in some of the scenes with Adrian by his side. He found low-end jobs and was laid off. Rocky was doing his best to improve himself while also providing for Adrian who was pregnant with their son.

When Adrian slipped into a coma, he would visit a chapel at the hospital and pray even past visiting hours. He relied on God in the good and the bad. That’s how Rocky knocked out the adversities in his life (pun intended).

When You Get Knocked Down, Get Back Up

Rocky could have easily given in to Apollo after getting knocked down twice in the fight. Rocky chose not to. There will be times that sin will make us fall. When it happens, do we let it knock us out, or do we get back up and fight harder? Everytime we get back up after a fall, it shows that we are willing to persevere. When we persevere, nothing can keep us down. 

Thank God for Everything

The one thing that has resonated through the Rocky movies is how he makes the sign of the cross and other gestures of faith found throughout each film. Yes, we can speculate that Rocky is Catholic.

He asked Father Carmine for a blessing before going to the fight. He thanked God when he won the title.

The main point Rocky gets across is to pray and thank God for everything. St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians that we must, “give thanks” in all circumstances.

Rocky shows us that he is one in a million. We too are like that in God’s eyes. We do that by following him while others do follow his path.

This is a much-watched film. He lives up to the previous film. It’s one in a million. Rocky shows us what it takes to overcome adversity, thank God, and the measure of a man.