The Big Sleep Femininity Paragraph

Question 1

1st Femininity Example

Answer 1

Upon meeting Marlowe, the eldest daughter Vivian is depicted as assertive and different compared to other females at that time, using an aggressive tone, “People don’t talk to me like that.” Vivian’s remark displays a possible change in societal attitudes in the 1940s with some women refusing to be subjected to abusive treatment from males, which was commonly accepted.

Question 2

2nd Femininity Example

Answer 2

Brian McFarlane describes the film as “a refreshing sense of equality between the sexes,” supporting the characterization of Vivian throughout ‘The Big Sleep.’ From a contemporary viewpoint, there is still an underlying depiction of female inferiority within the film, as shown through Marlowe’s encounter with the bookkeeper.

Question 3

3rd Femininity Example

Answer 3

Through a mid shot as she takes off her glasses and lets back her hair before a supposed sexual act. This action displays the significance of body image and femininity displayed through appearance and the possible pressure for women to live up to male expectations, which is not accepted in a modern Australian society.

Question 4

4th Femininity Example

Answer 4

The role of women as objects for male satisfaction is reinforced as diction is utilized when Marlowe talks to Eddie Mars, “From what I hear, she’s not the kind of a wife a guy wants to lose.” The use of the word “lose” refers to females as mere objects, implying that they are of little value.

Question 5

5th Femininity Example

Answer 5

The sexual nature of women in 1940s Los Angeles is again conveyed through a panning shot of women working in the gambling house, wearing promiscuous and revealing clothing.