Gender Inequality Themes

The following outline reveals how the power of inequality is created through stereotypical female characters, overlooked traditional beliefs, different job occupations, and sexual objectification. With this in mind, I assembled a collage with images, words, and colours that convey these themes. The overall atmosphere of my analysis is established through a fiery red background colour. The colour red depicts the feelings of tension, fear, love, and frustration that are recurrently circulating among the female characters in the film.

Below the image of the couple holding hands, there is an image of a woman who seems to be contemplating how it feels to be loved in a meaningful relationship. Through the appearance of the woman’s dress and hair,

it is easily recognizable that she epitomizes traditional women in the 1950s and 1960s. In the patriarchal time period, many women were housewives who sought assurance and approval from their husband who were the leading figure in the family. Through this connection in the outline, the image of the woman demonstrates how Anne’s character succumbs to the stereotype of how women acted in a historical time period. In terms of the film, Anne is a subordinate character who constantly submits to Jack through her insecurity and inclination of being accepted. Accordingly, her submissive character embodies how traditional women were perceived as frail and needy by society in the 1950s and 1960s time period.
The image of the couple holding hands symbolizes Anne’s strong belief of being a traditional woman.

Jack and Anne’s hands clasping each other manifest the idea of Jack staying with Anne. Instead of Jack appearing at her apartment one night and leaving the next day, the hands symbolize how Anne wishes for Jack to stay with her to pursue a long lasting relationship. Hence, as a traditional woman who desires a meaningful relationship, Anne does not want to be treated as a modern woman. The quote “I’m not a modern woman” demonstrates Anne’s desire to pursue a serious relationship with Jack instead of one night relationships. As analyzed in the outline, this leads to her argument with Jack as she confronts him on how he mistreats her and disregards her as the women she aspires to be. Thus, the frustration of Anne being mistreated is conveyed through the image of a couple fighting. The image resembles the argument Anne and Jack have after Anne professes her love and desire to live with him, while Jack does not. Overall, the image of the couple fighting constitutes the overall tension and incompatible beliefs present in Anne and Jack’s

relationship.
On the other hand, the American bills gliding over the city buildings reflect the conflict of material wealth between Anne and Jack. In this case, the city buildings symbolize how Jack’s occupation as a radio host gives him the opportunity to live in an expensive apartment in the city. In addition, Anne grows tired of her apartment suite and wishes to take a serious step in the relationship as she expresses her desire towards living in a suite at Brooklyn Heights. In this case, residence in Brooklyn Heights is represented through the image of several tall skyscrapers in New York City. However, as mentioned in the outline, Anne immensely relies on Jack financially to afford such a place. Hence, her oppression in wealth is displayed through the bills flying over the city. In other words, the bills act as a guaranteed realization that her lack of financial stability prevents her from being able to afford a suite at Brooklyn heights without Jack’s financial aid.
The left side of the collage focuses on the topic of Anne being sexually objectified and Lydia’s apprehension of being sexually objectified.

The hand holding the ladylike furniture displays how Jack and Parry regard and treat Anne as an object of pleasure. The furniture piece is shaped as a table top supported by exposed female legs. This image manifests Anne’s struggle to pursue a life as a traditional woman as society openly objectifies her through her physical appearance. Referring to the outline, Parry’s remark about her “child bearing body” and her body “going to waste” emphasizes how men view her physique and sexual purpose. In this case, the hand holding the furniture piece represents both Parry and Jack who refer to and use Anne as an object of pleasure in their convenience. The hand emphasizes how Jack and Parry openly objectify Anne, acting as the foundation of the inequality prevalent in the film as examined in the outline. Likewise, the fading image of the hand grasping the lock represents Lydia’s apprehension of being objectified by Parry. In this case, the person in the image is Lydia, where her mind ‘unlocks’ and reveals the conception of what women think of men, and what men ultimately desire from women. In the image, Parry’s hand unravels the thoughts in Lydia’s mind and exposes the scenario she predicts will unfold. The scenario she describes is similar to Jack and Anne’s recurrent one night

relationships.