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English Literature and FilmUnit 2: Rear WindowElements of fiction
Scott DeWaelsche4/2-4/4
Quiz –Elements of Fiction
• This is a test within a test to prepare for midterm.
• Spread Out• Do not CHEAT• If I see you look at another paper or talk to
anyone, I will take you paper and give a zero score.
Conflict
The conflict of the Hitchcock film, Rear Window, revolves around the main character, L.B (Jeff) Jeffries, witnessing strange events in the apartment across from his rear window, and trying to prove that a murder occurred there.
Conflict
The suspected neighbor, Thorwald, carries out suspicious activities and then suddenly his wife disappears. Since Jeff is confined to his wheelchair, he can only sit and observe, and rely on the help of his girlfriend, Lisa, and his nurse, Stella. [man v. man]
BUT, ARE THERE OTHERS?
Many conflicts
• Jeff – Jeff is involved in a conflict with his girlfriend, Lisa, about getting married.Jeff may also be said to be in conflict with himself about the marriage issue. The two also have a conflict about Lisa being wealthy and Jeff being just a working class man. [man v. himself]
• Lisa – Lisa is involved in the same conflict over getting married and being a good match for Jeff. She is also involved in the conflict with Thorwald when she joins Jeff and tries to catch Thorwald. [man v. man]
Many conflicts
• Thorwald and his wife – Thorwald is in conflict with his wife. He has to take care of her and they are always fighting and unhappy. This eventually leads to Thorwald killing her.
• Miss Torso – She is in conflict with the men who talk to her that she obviously does not love. We learn at the end that she has been waiting for the man she truly love to come home from the army.
Many conflicts
• The Newlyweds – The newlyweds seem to be happy in the beginning, but over time appear to be unhappy. Thus a conflict begins between them that is related to the theme of love and marriage that is present in the film. They are just another couple with problems by the end of the movie.
Many conflicts
• Miss Lonelyhearts – Miss lonelyhearts’ conflict is obviously her loneliness. This may be considered a man v. himself conflict type.
Which characters resolved their conflicts? How?
Themes
• The future has many possibilities
• The thrill of being a voyeur
• The problems of love and marriage (and a fear of marriage).
The future has many possibilities
When Jeff looks out his window, a symbolic connection is made between the windows of his neighbors and movie screens. He watches their stories on their movie screens, or through their windows. Each “story” can symbolize a possible future for Jeff and Lisa.
Possible futures
• Throwald and his wife – they represent a future where Jeff and Lisa are unhappy and fighting.
• Miss Torso – This could be a future for Lisa, one where she is waiting on the man she loves (Jeff).
Possible futures
• Newlyweds –initially seem perfect for each other, but at the end we see their marriage become unhappy as the wife begins to nag the husband. Similarly, Jeff is afraid of being trapped by marriage to Lisa.
Possible futures
• The composer and Miss Lonelyhearts – They are depressed and lead frustrated lives, and at the end of the movie find comfort in each other: The composer's new song stops Miss Lonelyhearts from committing suicide, and the composer then finds value in his work. There is a hint in this story that Lisa and Jeff are meant for each other, despite Jeff’s stubbornness.
The thrill of voyeurism
Bored with his uneventful life Jeff becomes completely obsessed with the lives of his neighbors, spending the majority of his time watching them from his window. To get a better view he begins using a camera lens. By watching his neighbors through the camera he assumes the role of both a spectator and a voyeur. This contributes to the creation of a movie being played right outside Jeffries window.
The problems of love and marriage
One of the central themes in Rear Window is marriage, or more specifically Jefferies' fear of marriage. Through his voyeuristic habits he is able to see the difficulties with marriage and relationships in his neighbors’ lives.
The problems of love and marriage
He witnesses both the anxieties associated with the beginning of a marriage and the heartache of relationships ending. The plots of his neighbors’ stories become more important than his own personal life. In fact, Jeffries renounces the idea of marriage due to the scenes he witnesses from within his apartment.
The problems of love and marriage
Jeff's attitude to romance with Lisa changes when she crosses over from the spectator side to the screen: it is only when Lisa seeks out the wedding ring of Thorwald's murdered wife that Jeff shows real passion for her. In the climax, when he is pushed through the window (the screen), he has been forced to become part of the show.
Symbol
• The windows as movie screens – these are the movie screens that Jeff watches the stories of his neighbors on. He is obsessed with these more than his own life.
• The neighbors as future possibilities – The lives he watches are symbols of possible futures for Jeff and Lisa
Setting
The entire film takes place at an apartment building in New York. Specifically, the setting is Jeff’s apartment. This is important because we only see what Jeff sees from his window. We share Jeff’s confinement of his wheelchair, stuck in the apartment and unable to leave. We share his frustration too when Thorvald attacks him.
Characters
• Jeff – Jeff is the protagonist. He is a dynamic character in that he changes his opinion of Lisa and of his relationship by the end.
• Lisa – Lisa gives the appearance of change, but in the end she switches what she is reading back to a fashion magazine, which suggests she may not have changed as much as Jeff would like.
Characters
All of the minor characters Jeff watches are more dynamic than static in that they change and are affected by the environment they live in. Miss Lonelyhearts and the Composer are good examples of this. They change in the end. Thus, most characters are more rounded and dynamic than flat and static.
Next week:
• Watch Watchmen• Pay attention to elements of fiction in
Watchmen-Plot -Setting -Character -Theme -Symbol
