In this article, Amitai Etzioni focuses not on the monstrous great white shark, but “Hooper” the oceanographer played by Richard Dreyfuss. Hooper is likened to Dr. Strangelove in his methods with which he tracks the shark. Using these views, Etzioni argues why Hooper is the best role in Jaws.

As opposed to how the traditional scientist is depicted, Hooper integrates emotion and feeling into his job. For example, Etzioni recalls the scene where he shows his humanness after seeing the dismembered girl, but is able to still fulfill his job requirements by collecting the necessary information to help hunt down the shark later in the film.

On the other hand, Etzioni also describes how the other roles in Jaws are somewhat cliché, lacking substance. The mayor cares about the profits from the tourists instead of the safety of his beaches and the police chief shows incompetence when deciding whether or not to follow the mayor’s unethical orders. It is apparent that the nature of these characters further highlights the positive qualities of Hooper, which in Etzioni’s eyes makes him a heroic figure in Jaws.

Possessing the innate traits necessary to capture a man-eating shark, Hooper plays the role of hero while still upholding certain standards from the scientific community. Etzioni also includes in the end of his article that the character of Hooper may not be embraced by all of the scientific community, but he is easily accepted by the audience, as he is the only one capable of ending the terror caused by Jaws.