'Femme Exposed In The Femme Fatale'

The phrase ‘femme fatale’ originated during early twentieth-century in the English language but existed as an image during the nineteenth-century in French literature, it implied that women consciously seduced and ruined men by using their potent sexual charms for evil. The ‘femme’ was given more distinct qualities by Virginia M. Allen in her book The Femme Fatale. The ‘femme’ is described as a beautiful, erotic, seductive, destructive, exotic and a self-determined independent who is cold hearted, immortal and less of a human. The females portrayed in the noir were primarily of two types - either projected as ethical, loyal loving woman or as ‘femme fatales’ who were duplicitous, deceptive, manipulative and desperate yet gorgeous women. In

Her motivation to hire Marlowe was only because she felt that he could help find Roger. When Marlowe had initially refused, she personally went to him and begged him to help her, she did not try to be deceptive or seductive, she just wanted to see her husband recuperate. When Marlowe eventually finds Roger and brings him to Eileen, she wants to help Roger immediately, “I must go in, Mr. Marlowe, and see if my husband needs anything” but Marlowe does not let her go freely, “I took hold of her and pulled her towards me and tilted her head back. I kissed her hard on the lips. She pulled herself away quietly and stood there looking at me.You shouldn't have done that,” she said. “That was wrong.” Contrary to a femme fatale who would initiate the action herself by using her irresistible charm, Eileen was coerced to kiss him against her will, however because the historical and cultural context did not give equal importance to what women wanted along with the chiefly male influenced audience of the genre this scene is easily overlooked when analyzing Eileen Wade as femme fatale. Similarly, when Roger has a nightmare and shoots a bullet into the ceiling, Marlowe’s makes some potent accusations, “Nuts. You meant to kill yourself. You didn't have any nightmare...You fired a shot not meant to hit anything. And your wife came running-that's what you wanted. Just pity and sympathy, pal. Nothing else.” Eileen’s first reaction is to assist and defend her husband from these allegations when she says, “That's enough! He is sick, and you know it.” followed by “How dare you.” She is infuriated and troubled with Marlowe as she finds his theory preposterous. Although Marlowe’s theory was accurate, her attitude to instantly come to