Marriage & Voyeurism in Rear Window
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 . . .
Like Jeff, most of us will admit that--regardless of circumstances--9 out of 10 times we are going to continue looking, too. Thus, we are implicated in both Jeff1s and the director1s crime of voyeurism. Therefore, their condemnation of Jeff should not be ignored. Even though it is Lisa's female intuition which defines her, here it is Jeff who is identified as a stay-at-home, chronically unmarried, loner. Lisa and Stella are very witty, insightful, and admirable. " Like a director, Jeff sits in a chair, watches through lenses, and communicates stories based on the pictures viewed. The best Jeff can do is avert his eyes in embarrassment when Miss L. Jeff calls one woman "Miss Lonelyhearts," another "Miss Torso. Furthermore, both are mobile and active. It is the turning point of the movie for their relationship. It is Lisa, not Jeff, who empathizes with Miss Lonelyhearts. However, Jeff1s desire to spy on his neighbors is not fully endorsed by the film. " Instead she is cultured, clever, and talented. Even Tom Doyle, the police officer, will eventually be convinced that the "peeping tom" has the right idea.
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Acceptance Essays
