Compare the characters of Thelma and Louise at the beginning and end of the film Essay Example
Compare the characters of Thelma and Louise at the beginning and end of the film Essay Example

Compare the characters of Thelma and Louise at the beginning and end of the film Essay Example

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  • Pages: 7 (1734 words)
  • Published: December 8, 2017
  • Type: Case Study
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The film 'Thelma and Louise' is about two women, who originally intended to go on a quiet fishing weekend in the mountains to have a break from their respective partners, but owing to a string of tragic circumstances Louise becomes a wanted criminal and Thelma is quick to follow suit.

In the beginning of the film, the two women are shown in stark contrast. Louise, an independent woman, clean and precise in appearance, she is a dominating woman and only feels comfortable being in control.Conversely, Thelma is an immature woman, over dominated by her husband, and a passive submissive, child-like person, trapped in a relationship since the age of fourteen. This point of contrast between the two women is again raised by their occupations. Louise works for all her income as a waitress (the a

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udience is given the impression she has worked in this place for a long time because of the way she move around the room with a controlled speed, showing her efficiency at the job.

Whereas Thelma is fulltime housewife, she is shown to the audience as a well-intentioned but an incredible naive woman, who is weak willed and needing keeping; shown by the way she takes small bites out of the chocolate bar determined not to finish it, flitting back and fourth to the fridge, but eventually she consuming it. So in the beginning of the film there is a fundamental difference between the two women. In the film there is a wide use of connotation. In the opening shots the mountains are shown to symbolise the element of impending danger.

The road down the centre is used to symbolise a long journey

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both physical and metaphorical, and the open space of the desert represents the freedom both women eventually gain. The music in the film is used to set the mood, and often gives clues as to what is being thought or said in a particular scene. The titles of the songs often reflect the mood of the scene. Again later on in the film, connotation is used very subtly when the shot swaps between the women and their partners back home; where the women are is open, bright and free, but where the males are it is dark, crowded and usually raining. Read the answer on what is not a physical security measure for your home?Summing up the moods of both places, one more preferable to the other.

In the beginning of the film Louise is clearly the character in control (Louise is more the dominator in the friendship) she is the one to suggest that they go on holiday, she drives the car and she is the one to organise the whole trip; we know this because one of the first questions the Thelma asks after getting in the car is "so where exactly is it we're going? " Another way we know that Thelma is an ingenuous character is the way that she pleads with Louise to stop at the bar, monotonously whining like a child.Again the contrast between the two women is raised in the way they pack. Louise is very conscious about the way she packs her clothes, (assumingly because she's been on holiday before) so she pack's

her suitcase very meticulously, putting certain things in smaller plastic bags. Thelma, who by her own admission has never been away without her husband before, simply hurls all her belongings into a large suitcase. Louise checks each item of clothing in the mirror to ensure she doesn't take anything she won't need, again showing her experience and common sense, where as before Thelma obliviously piles in all her clothes regardless.

The sheer amount of baggage the women take is again a contrast, Thelma take masses of bags and cases and a few hand held items like the gun and the lantern, whereas Louise takes only one large case and her handbag; a minimalist. Through the physical 'baggage' the characters take the director gives us a subtle insight into the characters personalities, Thelma clinging to all her worldly possessions for security, and Louise being the practical person, boxed and wrapped in self certainty. The changes that the two characters go through are communicated to the audience in both obvious and non-obvious ways.One conscious way the dominance in the relationship changes is when J. D takes Louise's money from Thelma's room.

Louise is overcome by grief and cannot think straight, so Thelma steps in and seizes control. This is a landmark in the film, as from this point on Thelma really comes out of her shell; this new desire to survive is fuelled by the years of oppression by her husband, and her anger at both him, and at herself for not standing up before, and it is partially her gratitude to Louise for showing her that she has this side to her personality that she has this

brutal attitude.This newfound ability to rebel is what helps them remedy a few awkward situations, like the policeman who was imminently about to inform the local station about the whereabouts of the women, when Thelma takes him at gun point and locks him in the boot of his own patrol car; an idea that she could only have got from the television. This is an obvious change on Thelma's side. Also Thelma says she blames her aggression on her husband 'my husband didn't treat me nice and look how I turned out' Another conscious way the changes are shown is in the conversation between the two women, for example when Thelma says "Something's crossed over in me.

I can't go back, I mean, I just couldn't live. Things have changed, everything's changed" or "I feel so awake," saying to Louise that if things go wrong, she has no desire to go back to her old life and has accepted her new one. Another obvious way in which the characters change is in the way they talk; their tone and lexis alter and become more masculine, more aggressive. At the start of the film Thelma was very conservative about cursing, but towards the end of the film she uses coarse language almost freely.

Louise, conversely uses less bad language towards the end of the film faintly depending on Thelma be aggressive. The sub conscious way in which the characters change is in things such as their dress sense. Before they leave Thelma dresses in a large flowing flowery dress, wears her hair loosely and in essence looks very feminine, but as the film progresses Thelma becomes more and

more masculine, swapping her off the shoulder dress for jeans and a T-shirt; post change, she gives off an aura of confidence and strength.Louise begins with a crisp clean appearance, tight, neat hair and well-ironed cloths. The further along the film goes she becomes progressively less feminine, swapping her self- conscious appearance for one again of confidence and strength. Both women start with their own personal styles but migrate to the rough, practical and somewhat masculine look.

In other ways of personal appearance, such as changes in their walking style are apparent. Thelma starts by tottering along in her heeled shoes, very girlishly, but post shooting, she walks dauntingly, leaning slightly forward in an empowered posture.Louise also changes her walking from a controlled walk; she loosens up and starts to stride. Both women change their walking styles, and so both women show the ability to change after thirty odd years of control, showing malleability. They started off how society had made them, Louise felt she had to wear make-up to look pretty and Thelma never questioned the flowery dresses and fluffy slippers which I can only suppose she felt she had to wear.

Another less than obvious way the characters change is in their conduct.In the packing scenes Thelma handles the gun with trepidation, as if it were dangerous or diseased, but later on when Thelma needs to use the gun (to rob the store or to create air holes for the policeman) she uses it with skill and precision, a natural gunwoman. Louise's changes in this way are about persona, she takes great care in preparing her make-up before she leaves to pick Thelma

up in the dawn of the film, but in the concluding half she act's like her make-up (and so her appearance) is an irrelevance, throwing her lipstick away; she instead concentrates her effort on contemplating the future and blanking out the past.As before mentioned the two characters alter their appearance to a more masculine form, so this could coincide with the lack of enthusiasm Louise has for her appearance. Additionally, it is shown to the audience that in many cases it is Thelma's idea to use the gun (as if it was her original thought) but in fact she has been "taught" that it is appropriate to use the weapon by certain characters and other sources, namely her television; J.

D teaches her how he uses his gun, and she observes Louise using the gun a well, so it could be said that Thelma may not have originally thought of using the weapon but her behaviour is a result of outside influences. So to put this in context, 'society' has taught Thelma that guns are not necessary and evil to an extent which would explain her original trepidation in using it, so 'society' has it's good points. In the end of the film, Thelma and Louise are very alike, both very confident, both experienced in he criminal art and both have accepted the fact they have very little time to live.Thelma sees Louise as an equal, no longer as a surrogate mother, she no longer depends on Louise to make the decisions in their relationship, Thelma has gained self-respect and courage and is now the independent woman she always wanted to be.

Louise sees Thelma

finally as her own woman, whereas before she saw her as her husbands puppet; this is shown by the first phone call to Thelma, Louise greets her "hey, housewife". But post robbery, Louise is awed by Thelma's transformation from a lonely housewife to a wanted outlaw. In every way the women have changed, and at the end they finally got what they really wanted, oppressionless freedom.

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