Gender Roles In Alfred Hitchcocks Rear Window And...

Gender roles have been, and unfortunately still are, evident in our everyday lives for quite sometime. Women are often portrayed as sexual objects, or delicate individuals; a body with no brain or strength. These traits are easily found within many novels and movies- old and new. In Alfred Hitchcock’s films, Rear Window and Strangers on a Train, Hitchcock begins his films representing women with the same characteristics as stated above. They are very stylish, attractive and presented as second-class individuals to males. But after examining these two films, Hitchcock does something that many directors in his time would not have dared to do. By making the women the heroine and arguably the protagonist of the storyline, Hitchcock proves to†¦show more content†¦Bruno goes through with this plan and strangles Miriam at a local county fair. While Guy doesn’t want to kill Bruno’s father, Bruno threatens to blame him for the murder of his wife, while using a li ghter that Guy left behind on the train as evidence against him. Guy receives help from his true love, Anne Morton, and her sister, Barbara, by devising a plan where he won’t be accused of murdering his own wife. In this movie, the male castration is that Guy is unable to get out of the trouble he has come across without the help of Anne and Barbara. Again, the representation of a man being helpless and powerless are traits commonly assigned to female characters. Whereas the representation of women being smart and helpful are commonly assigned to male characters. Hitchcock purposely gives the â€Å"male† characteristics to women characters and â€Å"female† characteristics to male characters in order to challenge the stereotypical gender roles. Even though Hitchcock presents women as heroes and has taken them outside the so-called â€Å"norms,† women still tend to fall in line with gender-role stereotypes at one point or another. For instance, in Rear Window, Lisa is introduced as this beautiful, a high-society fashion consultant in New York City. She is in love with Jeffries, but Jeffries insists that they cannot marry because she cannot live his lifestyle, which involves traveling around the world and livingShow MoreRelated Sexual Innuendoes in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock Essay example3477 Words   |  14 PagesSexual Innuendoes in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock When watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie, have you ever found yourself sympathizing with a deceptive seductress or a soon-to-be sex offender? If so, you may have felt guilt from watching such sexual innuendoes, but don’t feel too bad. This is just one of the intents of Alfred Hitchcock as he weaves many of his tales with sensual characters. His films portray a vast array of sexuality from showing a battle of the sexes and tales of romance toRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesin diverse settings. She places special emphasis on the important but often overlooked roles they played in politics, particularly those associated with resistance movements, and their contributions to arts and letters worldwide. Drawing on the essay collections and series on women in world history that she has edited over the past decade, Smith’s fully global perspectives make clear that even though gender parity has rarely been attained in any society and there have been major setbacks or few