Some may argue that the movie The General conforms to traditional patriarchal gender roles. Annabelle Lee, the heroine, is kidnapped (albeit inadvertently) by hostile soldiers and needs the heroic exploits of her lover to rescue her. She is portrayed as submissive to her father and brother, ineffectual in plotting her own escape (such as throwing a stick of wood into the train furnace or failing to stop the engine so her lover can board it), and often exhibiting domestic inclinations ( as when she sweeps the engine with a broom).
Do you agree with this picture of Annabelle Lee -- or is it more complicated? Is Annabelle a stereotypical damsel in distress or is she a more progressive figure? Is there something about her a feminist could admire? What is this film saying about gender roles?
In the movie The General I believe that Annabelle Lee does play the role of the damsel in distress due to characterization however there is evidence that she is not always in need of others help. She is a woman that inevitably has been programed to understand the honor that comes with a uniform and the importance in having a man that is in one. She is able to identify what she wants in a man and not conform to his current standings. However, while she is kidnapped, even though Johnnie is not a soldier, he is the one that comes to rescue her because she cannot do it herself. She needs his help in a variety of situations such as getting out of the sack in the train. She is seen as inferior to her father and brother in that they have more honor and patriotism than she does because they are strong and can fight for the South. She is shown as ditsy when she starts sweeping on the train instead of helping him keep it running and in not knowing how to correctly work the train. However, I believe that she does not show signs of being a typical damsel in distress because she does attempt to help in situations. Although she could not correctly work the train, she figured out how to operate it, she had the ideas to disconnect the trains and to tie the rope to the two trees, both as ways to slow the north down.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Annabelle Lee is more than just the stereotypical damsel in distress. In the film, The General, Annabelle Lee does more than wait around for Buster Keaton to rescue her. Although she does need saving in the beginning, her quick wit and her successful ideas, portray her as a more independent woman. One scene that depicted this strength was when she tied a string to two trees in order to stop the Northern train. Although Keaton judged her for this move at first, it ended up being successful in hindering the progression of the Northerners. Also, she helps throw hings onto the track with Keaton throughout the film, and knows how to even maneuver a train with no prior experience, which is pretty cool. For a woman in the Twenties, the time era in which The General was made, this movie really demonstrates that women are more than just useless damsels in need. In many ways, this movie was progressive for women in this era. While Twenties women were expected to be proper house wives, it must have been refreshing to see a woman steering a train, stopping opposing parties in war, and sneaking behind enemy lines- and in heels too! Feminists can admire the way the character thinks for herself. In this time period especially, women were always told what to do. How to look, how to act, and what to portray. Here, we see a woman create her own path. Even though she is thrown into the situation, she still takes charge and helps defeat the North. She is vital to the story, Keaton would not have even made it up the burning bridge without her help when she backed up the train. She also derailed a train by taking out the pin that connected the cars- and this was her own wit. In contrast, Keaton was just lucky, he advanced in the story through luck alone, not his own intelligence. This film shows that women can do more than what was expected of them, and that they can be strong. Annabelle is actually a strong person to bravely execute all the little plans between Keaton and her. She really shows that women can do more than just sweep and cook, they can also steal trains, defeat bad guys, and help save the day.
ReplyDeleteAbove all else, I do think that Annabelle Lee is your typical damsel in distress. I don’t just say that based on only one reason but on multiple. When Annabelle Lee was kidnapped by the hostile northern soldiers, it was as if she didn’t even put up a fight. There was a mere struggle, however there was nothing that really showed that she intended to get away. Also, when the soldiers reached their generals home, they locked Annabelle Lee in a bedroom. A relentless woman with an escape plan would have tried to open a window and run. However, Annabelle Lee just laid in the bed and cried helplessly. When looking at Annabelle Lee from a more feminine perspective, I think most of her actions would disappoint a feminist. However, there were very few scenes in which Annabelle Lee did portray herself as an independent woman. One of these scenes was when Johnnie fell of the train, and in an attempt to return to get him, Annabelle Lee put the train in reverse by herself, even with her unsubstantial knowledge about locomotives. Another scene that depicted Annabelle Lee taking initiative was when she tied a rope to two trees; with hope that it would slow down the enemy train following her and Johnnie. But, despite these few moments of independence and strength, her actions portrayed a helpless and passive woman. Over all, I think The General is a film in which gender roles are very present and even supported. From the very beginning of the film to the very end, there are many instances throughout the film where men are portrayed as patriarchs –they are expected to go out and deal with the labor intense activities and women are expected to obey the patriarchal society and be the ones that stay at home and deal with the chores there.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the depiction of Annabelle Lee in The General is much deeper than it seems. While she often is perpetuated as the stereotypical woman, – cleaning, being captured, and overall acting helpless – there are times in the film in which she asserts herself as a strong woman of her time. Annabelle shows high self-esteem when she refuses to speak with Johnnie Gray until he is enlisted in the army. By doing this, Annabelle is standing up for what she believes in, fighting the war. She demands to be appreciated by Johnnie and will accept nothing less than the upmost respect. In doing this, Annabelle can be seen as a feminist of her time. Although she was still perpetuating the idea that men and only men could gain honor through fighting in the war, she begins to see her own self-worth and forces Johnnie to see it as well. Another instance where Annabelle breaks stereotypes is when she is able to run the train on her own. While Johnnie Gray is removing obstacles from the tracks or gathering wood to burn for fuel, Annabelle is forced to conduct the train on her own. She is able to do this with little difficulty, showing her underlying intelligence. Although Annabelle is able to demand respect and learn on the go, she is still a very conventional woman in some ways. She shows no sign of trying to save herself from her captors and simply breaks down crying while waiting to be rescued. There are also cases in the film in which Johnnie accidentally hits or pushes her, and she seems to have no problem accepting the abuse. Annabelle also is shown tidying up around the train when she is left to her own devices. This part of her identity was most likely propagated by her own family, seeing her own mother and father follow these stereotypes in the past. Though Annabelle is slightly more progressive than the average woman of her time, she still has a long way to go to truly become a role model for feminists.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Annabelle Lee is a stereotypical damsel in distress because of her lack of independence except for a few select moments. Moments in which Annabelle was viewed as a progressive character were when she slowed down the enemies by tying two trees together, and when she was able to put the train in motion by herself. Although she was able to pull a booby trap on the northern soldiers, it was poorly executed. The trees she chose to tie together, were extremely flimsy and delicate and did not hold the train back as well as planned. Also when she put the train in motion, it was poorly timed and tended to go the opposite way Johnnie needed it to go. There are numerous moments in which she portrays the typical woman during this time era and is very dependent on others. She is kidnapped by the northern spies and is unable to defend herself throughout the process. When they brought her to the house in which she was going to be held hostage, instead of planning an escape, she laid on her bed crying hopelessly. She depended on Johnnie to save her and to direct her during their process of escaping. Also while on the train she was portrayed as ignorant when adding wood to the fire. Annabelle added the skinniest pieces of wood and Johnnie eventually took over her job. Feminist would not approve of Annabelle’s character. While on the train there is a moment in which Annabelle picks up the broom and sweeps as if it’s her duty to clean. This is a stereotype of women during this time period and does not show the independence that Annabelle would have if she was a feminist. Overall I believe Annabelle is a damsel in distress because of her inability to think independently and go against the stereotypes.
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