On the Waterfront ending explained

What happens

Terry testifies against Johnny Friendly, is shunned, then beaten bloody in a showdown with him. He gets back up, and the dockworkers refuse to work unless he does. He staggers toward the warehouse and they follow.

The last image

Terry, barely standing, walks into the warehouse as the dockworkers fall in behind him, leaving Friendly alone outside.

Two readings

1 · Triumph of conscienceOne man's courage breaks the grip of fear and the community reclaims its docks.

2 · Defence of informingMany read Terry's testimony as Kazan and Schulberg justifying their own naming of names to HUAC.

What it says

Silence kept the union in power, so the workers' choice to follow Terry is what ends it. Courage turns from private act into shared action. The ending is uplifting, but it also makes an argument about informing that viewers still dispute.