Marriage & Voyeurism in Rear Window essays

Marriage & Voyeurism in Rear Window essays All of the characters in Rear Window are described at one point or another in terms of their marital status and in terms of their relationships with the opposite sex. This represents a central theme in the film. The crime on which the plot pivots is the result of a failed marriage. The hero of the film, L.B. Jefferies, tosses the proposal of marriage around throughout the film despite his opposition to commitment. Like other Hitchcock movies, this one gives a gray light to marriage. The viewer sees Jeff's hesitance to get married for no real reason, as well as Thorwald1s miserable marriage to a wife who laughs at him after he brings her dinner in bed with a rose. From the Thorwalds, the institution of marriage looks like entrapment. Even the newlyweds have problems at the end of the movie. The wife says "I wouldn1t have married you if I had known you would quit your job," which seems like the beginning of trouble. Thus, the outlook of marriage is very negative. Examining this theme further, we can look at individual couples and examine the many parallels the film offers. To begin with, there are striking similarities between Jeff and Lisa's relationship and the Thorwalds. However, gender roles are reversed. Lisa and Lars strive for a peaceful and loving relationship with their partner, and are active and mobile. On the other hand, Jeff and Mrs. Thorwald are constant complainers confined to one place. The viewer is forced to question why Jeff and Lisa won1t end up just like the Thornwalds. Despite the parallels, there are differences. When Lisa climbs into Thorwald's apartment we finally see her do something significantly opposed by Jefferies, but this is when he is really turned on by her spunk and spontaneity. It is the turning point of the movie for their relationship. When caught by both Thorwald and the police, she offers a wedding ring on her finger to Jeff1s admiring gaze. She has solved the murder, found the key clue, an...