Thelma and Louise: A Comic or Tragic Duo

As I watched the movie Thelma and Louise for the first time, it was for a class on analyzing gender through the lens of media. Throughout the entire movie, I was perplexed as to what I was going to draw from the film in regards to gender ideology. At first I examined the women in the film.

Thelma is the typical submissive, abused wife of the time. She fears her husband and claims she must ask his permission, as if he was a overbearing father, so that she could go out with her friend. From this angle, I see Thelma as a child because she is not treated like an adult in her marriage and I do not believe she considers herself as an adult - period. She has no concept of how an adult woman should behave. I traced all of the misfortunes in the movie to be Thelma's fault. If Thelma had not flirted with the sketchy man in the bar, Louis would not have had to defend her ditsy friend. Also, when Thelma robs the store, she frames them even more and creates a trail of suspicion that draws more attention to their actions. The icing on the cake for Thelma is when she falls for Brad Pitt's sketchy character. She gives herself to him and then, after knowing of his criminal background, willingly leaves him in a room with an envelope that contains all of their money. Contrary to my argument about how Thelma is the root of the problems in the movie, I see her as the character who grows the most during the duration of the film. She evolves from the confined housewife, to a wild woman, to an adult who is seeking freedom from her husband and the patriarchal society as a whole.

Louise represents the strong feminist character in the movie. She is an unmarried woman and demonstrates that she does not need a man to define her identity. She encourages her friend Thelma to come to the same realization. She is the one who tells Thelma to view her husband as a spouse and not a father. She corrupts her friend to seek freedom and enjoy a little "girl time." She is the one who protects Thelma from the initial problem. If it were not for this daring and caring character, Thelma would have been raped. This scene also reveals the depth of Louise's character. We discover later that she was raped in Texas. With this information, we as the audience can gain a greater appreciation for her action in the beginning of the film. In many ways, I see the shooting as a way for Louise to take revenge on the man who raped her. She becomes a very empowered figure as she represents the justice that should be sought for women's rights. It is Louise who takes it upon herself to solve the problems at hand. She also treats Thelma as a child in a way. She tells Thelma not to worry and sends her to the pool while she comes up with a plan. It is Louise who grapples with the consequences and takes matters into her own hands.

The ideology surrounding these characters reminds me of the figures in Mona Lisa Smile. The girls at Welsley come into their education with the attitude that they are being trained to become sophisticated wives. Their degrees are just a way to pass time until there is an engagement. These college student characters are very similar to Thelma in that their mindset of life revolves around a husband/masculine figure. On the other hand, Professor Watson represents Louise. She challenges the girls to be more than their husband. She inspires them to break out of the shadow of men and gain a name for themselves. Watson realizes that she has the privilege of educating the brightest women in the country, but also realizes that their greatest concerns do not go beyond china patterns and children. One of my favorite conversations is between Julia Roberts (Watson) and Julia Stiles (Law student Joan). Roberts asked Stiles what she will do after college. Stiles replies that she will be married. Roberts persuades her student to be more than a wife. Stiles challenges the professor by claiming that she wants to raise a family properly, but that does not mean a woman does not have depth or intellect. Though I consider the characters in Mona Lisa Smile more developed and stronger examples of women in film, I feel that there is a fair comparison in regards to the attitudes of a woman's role in society.

No, I did not forget men. I see three basic types of men in the movie Thelma and Louise. The husband is an example of an abusive slob who cares only for himself and views his wife as his property. He also treats her like a child instead of an adult. This is part of the reason Thelma has no concept of the role and behavior of an adult woman. When he talks sweetly to his wife on the phone, she immediately knows that the police are listening and hangs up the phone. Before this scene, the husband laughs when the officers encourage him to speak kindly so his wife will not be suspicious. Yeah right! The second type of man in Louise's boyfriend. He is sweet and willing to assist Louise at any cost. He is devoted to her, but is more of an equal than overbearing. Many times I viewed Louis as wearing the pants in the relationship. The final male character, and my personal favorite, is the head police officer. He is kind to the women and wants to try and bring them justice without harsh consequences. At first I thought this was really sweet and a great example of caring men. After a while, I realized that he did not see Thelma and Louise as accountable adults, rather he saw them as children who had no concept of right and wrong. This thought rather disturbed me. He was feeding off of the stereotype that lumps women and children into a universal category. Even in the final scene, he calls them girls. This movie demonstrates three types of men and none are terrible flattering.