The lack of definition in gender roles is central to a major body of Hitchcock's oevre. Hitchcock usually incorporated the aforementioned theme to the mother-son relationships as seen in: Psycho, North By Northwest, Strangers on a Train, and as well as in Notorious. But, it is in Notorious that this Hitchcock-narrative-staple of undefined gender roles are to appear twice. To elaborate, what I mean to suggest is that the same character traits are overtly expressed in not only in the debonair-Nazi-antagonist, but also sublimely in both of Notorious' lead roles played by Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant. Devlin's exterior typifies stereotypical male behaviorisms such as toughness, which is a staple of the leading male (i.e. Humphrey Bogart in High Sierra) from the Hollywood films of this era. He also personifies cynicism. This remains overtly clear in his inability to profess his love to Alicia, paradoxically being the driving force in the couple's romance. Conversely, Alicia's facade of cynical behavior is slightly more difficult to pinpoint in terms of the cinema. Her cynical exterior may be attributed to her father's entanglement with the law, giving her false justification to her treatment of males. Or, it may be indebted a great deal to the fact that she has to carry out (convincingly I might add) a plot that was fabricated by Devlin to help himself further his career at the expense of the one he loves; yet another favorite Hitchcock narrative staple: love vs. duty. This self-sacrifice (possibly her life) for ideals (love) on behalf of Alicia furthers the romantic, as well as dramatic conflict that is to take place in Notorious.
             At a party in a Miami bungalow is where we are introduced to Cary Grant's character of Devlin, a United States intelligence agent. Hitchcock introduces the audience to Devlin with his back turned to the camera whilst lit-low and in almost complete shado...