Suspense And Murder In Cornell Woolrich's Rear Window

Cornell Woolrich in “Rear Window (originally titled ‘It Had to Be Murder’)” is a short story, full with suspense and murder. The short story and the film version take us into the life of a man who is force to live in a wheelchair due to his injured leg. According to Lawrence Howe author of the article “Through the Looking Glass: Reflexivity, Reciprocality, and Defenestration in Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window”’ he emphasizes that “Rear window has been recognize for its thematic of watching, connecting the voyeurism of L.B. ‘Jeff’ Jeffries with spectator’s curiosity about the lives of those one watches on the screen” (Howe 16). The theme of voyeurism is present throughout the film. According to George E. Toles author of the article “Alfred Hitchcock’s

Rear window as critical Allegory” he emphasizes that the “theme treated by the film’s first wave of commentators is the ethics of voyeur[ism]” (Toles 226). This shows that the theme of voyeurism is significant in the film version of the Rear Window. Both in the short story and in the film version focus on theme of voyeurism.
Jeffries watches his neighbor and thinks he killed his wife.

According to Seth M. Blazer author of “Rear window Ethics Domestic Privacy Versus Public Responsibility in the Evolution of Voyeurism” he says that Jeffries “[l]acking any other source of entertainment, he begins to spy on his neighbors across the courtyard” (Blazer 381). This becomes important later on in the story because he watches his neighbors to entertain himself. While Jefferies watches his neighbor, Lars Thorwald, he realizes that “he’d been packing a trunk, packing his wife things into a large upright trunk” (Woolrich 73). This leads him to think that Lars Thorwald has murder his wife because she wasn’t in the apartment. According to Dana Brand author of “Rear-View Mirror Hitchcock Poe, and the Flameur in America” she states that “Jeffries imagines [Lar Thorwald] has murdered his wife and cut her into pieces” (Brand 130). This is important because he imagines it, but he is not sure. Jeffries obsession to watch his neighbor lead him to think his neighbor committed

murder.
Romance plays a big role in the film version of the Rear window.

According to Stephanie Harrison, editor of the adaptations she mentions that “[t]he main ingredient Hayas had to add to the Woolrich story was a compelling romance, a requirement for a film (Harrison 13). They added romance to the film version because in the original story the romance component was missing. According to Lawrence Howe author of the article “Through the Looking Glass: Reflexivity, Reciprocality, and Defenestration in Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window”’ he says that Jeffries is a “trapped voyeur arching for any diversion from his romantic dilemma, Jeff is left with little to do but to look out the window” (Howe 21). This reveals that Jeffries is a voyeur and that he enjoys looking out the window. Furthermore, his lack of mobility encourages him to stay at home and spy in his neighbors. The use of romance in the film version makes it more

fundamental.
Jeff begins to track every move Thorwald’s makes to find out if his suspensions were correct. When Jeff woke up in the morning he saw Thorwald’s “head bob up from somewhere down out of sight in the living room… [then he says] I knew I’d been; he’d spent the night on a sofa or easy chair in there (Cornell 74). Jeff is observing every move Thorwald makes to find out the truth. While Jeff watches Thorwald from his window he sees that “he went to the opposite direction, into the kitchen, and wolfed back something in there, standing up and using both hands. Then he suddenly turned and moved off side, in the direction in which I knew [the entrance is at]” (Cornell 74). Jeff continues to watch him because he doesn’t have anything else to do. Furthermore, the reasons he watches him is because of his suspensions and to see to what hides. Jeff will do anything to find out if his suspensions are correct.
Jeff wants to find out what really happened to Thowald’s wife. According to Seth M. Blazer he emphasizes that “[b]oredom alone does not keep him glued to the window. He becomes obsessed; he must know if Lars Thorwald murdered his wife (Blazer 389). This illustrate that Jeff really wants to know if he murder his wife.