As the Great Depression and the World War came to a dramatic close during the mid 1940s, the American society prepared for a redefinition of its core ideologies and values. During this time, the idea of a quintessential “American family” was once again reinforced after two decades of social strife. Under such historical context, the 1941 novel Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain and its 1945 film adaptation by Michael Curtiz both carries a strong idea that when one, especially a female, tries to disobey their traditional family roles and social etiquettes, undesirable consequences would inevitably follow. However, the film adaptation, utilizing a slightly different narrative configuration and plot organization, further intensifies and emphasizes …show more content…
Although industry regulations restricted the film to show many scenes described in the book, such as the sexual relationship between Veda and Monty, the film in reality reinforces the theme by showing the tragical climax and denouement at the beginning of the film. Unlike the book, the film takes off with a gruesome murder scene followed by an attempted suicide, instantly creating a dark overtone characteristic of the film noir era. Throughout the film, constant intermission scenes create discontinuities and seemingly attempts to remind viewers of the eventual destination of the plot. Every time when Mildred prepares for a new stage in her life such as being together with Monty and deciding to open a restaurant, the flashback recount is suddenly cut off as the audience is snapped back into reality with Mildred and the officer at the police station. Along with the dark tone created in the very beginning, this narrative design casts a sense of crime on the whole plot, providing viewers with a feeling of desperation for every inappropriate action taken by the characters. Eventually, when the film ends with both Mildred and Veda punished in their own ways, a major release of emotions among the audience lands the final knockout punch on the “unladylike” lives of Mildred and Veda, emphasizing once again the traditional domestic expectations for women in the mid-20th
...nless it was a matter of national security, and she would work to improve its dire state of self deprecation. In the case of family, today’s people are further depreciating the value of such a thing. Disturbing side effects include adultery, fornication, spousal abuse, and rampant amounts of children from unmarried partners. Where Men Win Glory exhibits the influence of family in creating enlightened people and the positive effects it can have on others from being in a loving environment – happiness being one. Finally, change as I explained above is an amazing feat that is life changing. Picture such a movement on a global scale. If one has not perused this book, then one is missing out on life; read this book and interpret your own meanings. Then, I challenge you, as Pat would, to become actively involved in improving yourself. See what happens; you might like it.
“Ah, the creative process is the same secret in science as it is in art,” said Josef Mengele, comparing science to an art. He was less of an artist and more of a curious, debatably crazy, doctor. He was a scientist in Nazi Germany. In general, there was a history of injustice in the world targeting a certain race. When Mengele was around, there were very few medical regulations, so no consent had to be given for doctors to take patients’ cells and other tests done on the patients’ bodies without their consent. This was the same time that Henrietta Lacks lived. Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman who went to the doctor because she had cervical cancer. Her cells were taken and are still alive in culture today (Skloot 41). Hence, her cells were nicknamed Immortal (Skloot 41). Although many, at the time, saw no issue with using a patient without consent issue with what?, on numerous occasions since then courts have determined that having consent is necessary for taking any cells. The story of Henrietta lacks is has similarities to an episode of Law and Order titled Immortal, which is an ethical conundrum. Despite this, the shows are not exactly the same and show differences between them. Both of these stories, one supposedly fictional, can also be compared to the injustices performed by Josef Mengele in Nazi Germany.
The social, cultural and political history of America as it affects the life course of American citizens became very real to us as the Delany sisters, Sadie and Bessie, recounted their life course spanning a century of living in their book "Having Our Say." The Delany sisters’ lives covered the period of their childhood in Raleigh, North Carolina, after the "Surrender" to their adult lives in Harlem, New York City during the roaring twenties, to a quiet retirement in suburban, New York City, as self-styled "maiden ladies." At the ages of 102 and 104, these ladies have lived long enough to look back over a century of their existence and appreciate the value of a good family life and companionship, also to have the last laugh that in spite of all their struggles with racism, sexism, political and economic changes they triumphed (Having Our Say).
Amidst the after war facade of happiness the conventional 1950s woman was created. As exemplified by the writings of Fahrenheit 451 the feminist approach undervalues women. Mildred Montag, a conventional wife in the story is parallel to the ideal woman that was portrayed on television during the 1950s. This is mostly the reason because of the time at which the story was written. Mildred fits this stereotype because she is naive, and expressions the frustrations of a woman at this time. Feminist Literary Theory exposes negative attitudes towards women and exposing the undervaluing of women in literature.
May argues that “the depression thus paved way for two different family forms: one with two breadwinners who shared tasks and the other with spouses whose roles were sharply differentiated.” In the latter form the father would have earned a “family wage” while his wife would have been responsible the children and their home, only working if it was necessary to supplement her husband’s income. This trend was caused mainly by two factors. During the financial strain of the depression, marriage and birth rates were much lower than they had been in the previous decade while the divorce rate was much higher. Young men of the time were afraid that they would not be able to provide for their new families and chose not to get married. While young women on the other hand, encountered an employment boom that allowed them to gain a sense of economic freedom that allowed them to not feel compelled to marry. This new single woman was glamorized by Hollywood during the 1930s. However, families tended toward choosing a life with the husband earning a “family wage” with the wife at home. Why? May concludes, "for all its affirmation of the emancipation of women, Hollywood fell short of pointing the way toward a restructured family that would incorporate independent women." Films from the 1930s like Gone with the Wind and His Girl Friday portrayed strong female leads that had to choose between their independent working life and domestic happiness, as it seemed that both could not coexist in their lives. Another cause for this were the programs implemented during the New Deal Era. Such programs aimed to raise male employment levels and often did nothing for female employment. Men had become embittered during the depression when women
Mildred Pierce, by James M. Cain, begins in pre-Depression California, and ends during World War II times, also in California. The main character, Mildred Pierce, is a very attractive housewife of 29, raising two daughters, Ray and Veda. Although Mildred loves both her daughters, Veda is a particular obsession with Mildred. She constantly slaves away throughout the novel to do whatever she can to make Veda happy, despite the constant abuse and deception Veda inflicts upon Mildred. After a divorce from her first husband, Bert, in the opening pages of the novel, Mildred is forced to sacrifice her pride and become a waitress in order to support her family. If Veda were ever to find out, she would be appalled; a constantly recurring theme throughout this story is Veda’s pride and arrogance, and her condemnation of jobs she deems to be menial. Mildred’s main goal is to nurture Veda’s musical talents, and manages to pay for expensive music lessons from her meager salaries as a waitress and pie baker. However, Mildred’s luck is soon to change, as she takes up with an attorney and former partner of Bert, Wally. Mildred is able to use Wally’s business and real estate savvy to build a restaurant out of a deserted model home, and from there create a thriving chain of three food businesses. After becoming bored with Wally, however, Mildred craves a relationship with another man, a prestigious local man named Monty. Veda highly approves of her mother’s choice, as this makes her feel as if she too were more prestigious and affluent, despite having misgivings about her mother still being so low as to have an average, pedestrian job. All seems to be going well; even through Veda’s constant demands and tantrums, she still gets everything she wants, and Mildred and Monty are happy. Monty, however, falls on hard times with the coming of the Great Depression, and he constantly mooches off of Mildred’s affluence, making it a struggle for Mildred to cater to Veda’s every whim. Mildred soon dumps Monty to focus on making Veda a musical prodigy; this fails, however, when Veda is told that her piano is not up to par from a local famous music teacher. After Veda recovers from this shock, she explores the opportunities offered by an acting career, and begins to spin more webs of deception and selfishness. After Veda forces money out of a local rich family, lying and claiming their son got her pregnant, Mildred and Veda have a major argument, and Veda disowns her mother.
“Deborah Sampson, the daughter of a poor Massachusetts farmer, disguised herself as a man and in 1782, at age twenty-one, enlisted in the Continental army. Ultimately, her commanding officer discovered her secret but kept it to himself, and she was honorably discharged at the end of the war.” She was one of the few women who fought in the Revolution. This example pictured the figure of women fighting alongside men. This encouraged the expansion of wife’s opportunities. Deborah, after the Revolution along with other known female figures, reinforced the ideology of Republican Motherhood which saw the marriage as a “voluntary union held together by affection and mutual dependency rather than male authority.” (Foner, p. 190). This ideal of “companionate” marriage changed the structure of the whole family itself, the now called Modern Family in which workers, laborers and domestic servants are now not considered member of the family anymore. However even if women thought that after the war they would have been seen from the society in a different way it never happened. The revolution haven’t changed the perception of the woman and the emancipated ideal
In Mildred Pierce, Joan plays Mildred, a female protagonist. Bert, the inactive husband, was jobless and Mildred had to support the family. She left the abuses of the patriarchal authority, opened her own restaurant and became a strong woman who was financially independent. Monte, who ended up leaching on her wealth, is also considered the ‘wrong man’. Waldman calls this the ‘wrong man’ solution: the only thing wrong with the heroine’s former situation of confinement is that she fell victim to the ‘wrong man’. The ‘right man’ will correct the problem’. (Williams, 1988) Joan had 4 marriages, in which the first 3 of them ended in divorce. In one of her marriages, her husband had become comfortable with her being the breadwinner of the family. His incompetence and temperate character soon got on her nerves. Mildred’s rejection of patriarchy, taking over the role as a father, showed the independence of women during post-war
Though not immune to criticism, Modern Family and Full House still claim glimpses of societal pressure when showing aspects of the “American family.”
Moreover, the film Mildred Pierce follows the struggles of a hard-working mother, Mildred Pierce, as she divorces her husband and supports herself and her spoiled daughter, Veda, by starting a successful restaurant business chain. In different ways, the film challenges the notions of masculinity and femininity as gender roles are reversed with different characters but identify this, you have to look at the films ideology. Ideology is a system of ideas that structure and make sense of society. If you look at 1940s America, post World War 2, the society at the time adhered to a very hegemonic patriarchy in which men were the ones with power, the ones providing for the family; where as the women of the time were seen subordinate and were more
More than two hundred years have gone by since the discovery of the new world. People of with all types of backgrounds and problems came flocking over the ocean to start anew. Jamestown, Virginia and Salem, Massachusetts, were very early settlements, and perhaps two of the most known names of colonies. Jamestown was known for many things, including Bacon’s Rebellion. And Salem was known for one reason, the Salem Witch Trials. These two pieces of history reflect the tensions of the unstable society and of their beliefs.
Mildred Day and Malitta Jensen had a problem. Often times amazing things can happen when people can find a solution to a problem. These homemakers were leaders of a Campfire Girls group. They needed the girls to make something that they could sell to raise funds for activities. The year was 1939 and these two busy ladies came up with Rice Krispie treats. They have truly become a world wide treat.
A main theme in this small town’s culture is the issue of gender and the division of roles between the two. Not uncommon for the 1950’s, many women were taught from a young age to find a good man, who could provide for them and a family, settle down and have children – the ideal “happy family.” As Harry states after singing the showstopper “Kids,” “I have the All-American family: A great wife, 2 wonderful kids and a good job.”
It’s not easy to build an ideal family. In the article “The American Family” by Stephanie Coontz, she argued that during this century families succeed more when they discuss problems openly, and when social institutions are flexible in meeting families’ needs. When women have more choices to make their own decisions. She also argued that to have an ideal family women can expect a lot from men especially when it comes to his involvement in the house. Raymond Carver, the author of “Where He Was: Memories of My Father”, argued how his upbringing and lack of social institutions prevented him from building an ideal family. He showed the readers that his mother hide all the problems instead of solving them. She also didn’t have any choice but to stay with his drunk father, who was barely involved in the house. Carvers’ memoir is relevant to Coontz argument about what is needed to have an ideal family.
THOSE OF US WHO grew up in the 1950s got an image of the American family that was not, shall we say, accurate. We were told, Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, and Ozzie and Harriet were not just the way things were supposed to be—but the way things were