FIRST PAPER ASSIGNMENT - Literary Point of View Literary point of view is no different from a lens which functions as a filter controlling the audience’s access to certain information about the characters and the plot. It provides a perspective, a directed interpretation that to the events and characters. James M. Cain’s Mildred Pierce and the Michael Curtiz’s film adaptation of the novel are constructed to be multi-layered, interweaving various themes through the story of Mildred Pierce, yet, they both engages and focuses on the position of women in the bourgeois family and in the American society. The film empowers first person narration from Mildred Pierce to introduce a series of flashback sequences - in a way that it in fact disempowered the female enunciative control and exclude women from power and privilege. The flashbacks are the resolution to the mystery, thus Mildred’s voice-over narration reveals her place, representational of women’s place, in relation to truth. However, Mildred’s female voice is undermined by the masculine ideology of the implied filmmaker. In Mildred’s flashbacks, the camera has the freedom to be detached from Mildred, hence creating an omniscient point of view, providing …show more content…
audience access to information that Mildred is unaware of: the secret meeting between Veda, Sam and Wally; the close-up shot on Veda’s smirky facial expression after Mildred leaves Veda’s bedroom. The camera’s independence of Mildred’s optical point of view denies the authority of her narration and subtly alters our perception on Mildred as one who is unreliable, whose feminine discourse focuses on marriage and home life instead of the crime case, privileging the audience a patriarchal point of view over her. In addition, it is stated by Joyce Nelson that the “false suture” at the beginning of Mildred Pierce - the “absent reverse shot” which did not reveal the murderer - is not present in Mildred’s first-person narrated flashback but is in the present tense of the film noir, exposed by the detective, asserting the male dominance because he is in control of the truth. Conversely, without featuring the flashbacks and the murder to heighten the drama, Cain’s novel is much less melodramatic and hence the ‘masculine” point of view is reduced.
It involves a third person omniscient point of view throughout the story and expansively captures the emotional struggles. The detailed accounting of Mildred’s world and close attention of her thoughts, for example “Mildred felt the quick, hot excitement of a conspiratorial deal” (Cain, 93) emphasizes the all American traits of determination, perseverance and resilience that Mildred exhibits. She is placed in a position with more control, as she asserts her authority over her daughter “By whatever means she would have to take, she knew she would have to get Veda back” (Cains, 247)
which Moreover, similar to the novel’s overall third-person omniscient narrative, the audience are placed within the camera’s omniscient point of view, desiring and appreciating Mildred’s body and at the same time silently witnessing the men’s objectification Monty’s gaze on Mildred’s legs (48:34) as the shot focuses on her legs dangle into the frame - almost an authorial point of view. She is placed in a receptive position not only to the male characters but also to the audience, she has not control over the vision, the unconscious narrative does. consumes and objectifies Mildred and Veda’s body: “a pair of rather voluptuous legs that showed between smock and shoes” “She looked like a successful woman of business, with the remains of a rather seductive figure” The book explores this idea by having long paragraphs of detailed descriptions of Mildred’s legs, sometimes reducing the threat her discourse poses, by taking away its autonomy, making her passively receptive to the male gaze. Both the film and the text examines the fanatic relationship between mildred and her daughter. Veda is the projection of her unfulfilled ego that was manufactured In the book Mildred has more authority and power, her she has more control and desire towards her daughter and it is clear that her daughter is the embodiment of her selfish middle-class status holder and her last hope. ending adds onto the point of view changes therefore a loose adaptation As the film alter the in a more dramatic direction, it also ——————————— The implied filmmaker’s narration encourages a patriarchal point of view : the melodrama of Mildred Pierce, the crime solving mystery and the gender stereotype and corrupting values in an American family.
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.
...iety too, as seen in Mildred’s friends. Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles are similar to Mildred, they say they voted on the last president simply for his looks. They don’t care about any of the important qualities only the superficial ones. Montag is further shocked when they talk so nonchalant about the war and their family’s, saying “(Insert quote here” (Bradbury ). This in addition, proves that not only is television addictive but can desensitize you from earthly troubles. Television allows you to step into a different world, and when Mildred’s friends are forced to come back from it, they cry and are angry. Montag forced them to comfort their disgraceful dismal of family ethics, decline of the upcoming war, and neglect of the high rates of suicide in their society.
Ray Bradbury carefully implements these four important characters to bring a new outlook of life to the reader. Both the branches of Mildred and Faber might lead to joy, but the effects operate in polar contradiction. Though parlor entertainment and books can both allow a reader to place themselves in an imaginary world, the message in books can ultimately improve life, while parlor walls can destroy it upon fiction that consumes the mind. Bradbury essentially questions the foundation of life by defining what happiness should be based on. He is asking reader whether our lives are contracted on fantasy and materialistic desires like that of Mildred, or whether they convey the intellectual power of freedom, knowledge, and wisdom gained from experience that we are afforded as human beings.
As women's studies programs have proliferated throughout American universities, feminist "re-readings" of certain classic authors have provided us with the most nonsensical interpretations of these authors' texts. A case in point is that of Kathleen Margaret Lant's interpretation of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire in her essay entitled "A Streetcar Named Misogyny." Throughout the essay, she continually misreads Williams' intention, which of course causes her to misunderstand the play itself. Claiming that the play "has proved vexing to audiences, directors, actors, readers, and critics" (Lant 227), she fails to see that it is she herself who finds the play vexing, because it does not fit nicely into the warped feminist structure she would try to impose upon it.
In the book Fahrenheit 451 Mildred is the one of the major characters, and she develops a behavior that looked like she did not care about all her problems. Her intent of suicide means that she was stressed, and at the same time she was sad with too much pain inside of her. Although she was looking easygoing inside of her exist a big problem that is increasing conforming is passing the time. But her really feelings are so inside of her thoughts. When everybody see Mildred behavior could not see her true reality, and her really reason of her attempt of suicide. Montag and Mildred meet in Chicago, and they get married when they had twenty years old that was their most big mistake because Mildred get married thinking that her love will be eternal.
Pierce by James Cain, may be a good role model for an entrepreneur or a
While reading Mildred Pierce, I was reminded of my own mother’s relationship with her daughters. One of my sisters, Leslie, in particular, hated my mother in youth. It was strong emotion to extinguish, especially in those formative teen years, but because life is dominated with experiences, things in which we learn from, later one comes to understand the nature of their hate and love and begins to properly delineate the truth of each. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see this in Mildred Pierce and Veda’s relationship.
Optical illusions can appear to be moving, but really are not. At a certain angle they seem different than in actuality. The same is true about people. It is part of human nature to self deceive as some do not necessarily see the truth from both the outside and inside of a person. On the surface appearances are misleading as it does not take any depth into consideration. In Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" Scout, the protagonist innocence leaves her naive to the harsh realities of Maycomb. As she involves herself more with the town, people's true colours begin to unravel. Her eyes begin to open to the mirage of her pure life by rumors and actions of the people around her. Along with the verdict of Tom Robinson. Scout learns that reality is different than it appears through her unassuming neighbors, father and the trial.
In conclusion, most of the female character are often isolated, victimized and ultimately killed by the male characters. Furthermore, it is rather ironic how Mary Shelly, the daughter Mary Wollestonecraft who wrote the Vindication of the Right of Women chooses to portray women. In this novel, the female characters are the exact opposite of the male characters; they are passive, weak and extremely limited. Mary Shelly repeatedly shows women in a victimized position exhibiting to the audience how things should not be. In conclusion, Mary Shelly’s novel is a reflection of how women were treated in the 1800’s.
James M. Cain’s 1941 novel Mildred Pierce is widely recognized as a literary classic. Its 1945 film adaptation starring Joan Crawford has also achieved classic status in the film noir genre. However, there are key differences between the two despite their apparent similarities. Due to various reasons and creative choices, the film can be regarded to as a loose adaptation as the main theme of book is how Mildred is affected by the draw backs of her time such as the Great Depression and her relationships while the film is a glamorized version of the story that translates the text more into an onscreen mystery. This dynamic completely changes the narrative configuration of the film as it changes many of the key plot points in which the book was written.
The films message to viewers about gender and power is that women are meant to take care of the home and play the supportive role, while men go out to their jobs and provide. Men are strong and burly and women are naïve and domesticated. Women need men and men always come to the rescue to save women and give them a happy ending. Power is portrayed in the film both visually and through the film’s script and dialogue. The common idea that women are inferior to men is placed subtly in this movie throughout the plot and how these charac...
Women in the novel are accurately portrayed as they were in the 1920’s. Lewis presents two different scenarios in the novel, but both of these cases can follow the same mannerisms. First, Lewis depicts the loving housewife. Myra, Babbitt’s wife, continually comforts Babbitt throughout the whole novel. Myra even accepts the blame when Babbitt decides to cheat on her. Women are depicted throughout the novel as inferior when...
The main protagonist of the story, Elizabeth Bennet (nicknamed both Lizzy and Eliza), is the second daughter in the Bennet family. Second only to her elder sister in beauty, Elizabeth’s figure is said to be “light and pleasing,” with “dark eyes,” and “intelligent…expression” (24). At 20 years old, she is still creating her place in society. Known for her wit and playful nature, “Elizabeth is the soul of Pride and Prejudice, [she] reveals in her own person the very title qualities that she spots so easily” (“Pride and Prejudice”) in others. Her insightfulness often leads her to jump to conclusions and think herself above social demand. These tendencies lead her to be prejudice towards others; this is an essential characteristic of her role
“Girls wear jeans and cut their hair short and wear shirts and boots because it is okay to be a boy; for a girl it is like promotion. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, according to you, because secretly you believe that being a girl is degrading” (McEwan 55-56). Throughout the history of literature women have been viewed as inferior to men, but as time has progressed the idealistic views of how women perceive themselves has changed. In earlier literature women took the role of being the “housewife” or the household caretaker for the family while the men provided for the family. Women were hardly mentioned in the workforce and always held a spot under their husband’s wing. Women were viewed as a calm and caring character in many stories, poems, and novels in the early time period of literature. During the early time period of literature, women who opposed the common role were often times put to shame or viewed as rebels. As literature progresses through the decades and centuries, very little, but noticeable change begins to appear in perspective to the common role of women. Women were more often seen as a main character in a story setting as the literary period advanced. Around the nineteenth century women were beginning to break away from the social norms of society. Society had created a subservient role for women, which did not allow women to stand up for what they believe in. As the role of women in literature evolves, so does their views on the workforce environment and their own independence. Throughout the history of the world, British, and American literature, women have evolved to become more independent, self-reliant, and have learned to emphasize their self-worth.
Although told in an aloof and anonymous third-person, the narrativeis always shifting, almost imperceptibly, from an objective stance to less neutral observations which, because of their perspective or particular choice of words, appear to be those of Mrs. Kearney. (Miller,...