#5
From the start, it is evident that the male lead, Walter Neff, is a weak man in comparison to the charming, young Phyllis Dietrichson. Not in terms of status or wealth, but in his inability to resist temptation from this future love interest. In the 1944 film, Double Indemnity, it is clear that women’s appearance is used to lure in the focus of the man. Dietrichson is constantly being sexually objectified by other lead characters, which is accepted by the audience. There is no doubt that her true motives are shielded by her flowery feminine cover up, as she appears to an outside perspective as the damsel in distress. She directly addresses the situation of being objectified when she notes the lack of respect her own husband has for her. It is not her morals that give her the attention from her male counterparts, but their desire for her based off of the sexual attraction she gives off.
It is evident that the way Phyllis Dietrichson is portrayed in the film is reflective of how the vast majority of women in the 1940’s were treated- not as powerful or dominant, rather, they were seen merely for their outer appearance. This could be noted by the light colors she wears, representing her elegance and femininity or by the sly and flirty tone she uses when speaking to Neff. She also poses in positions showing off her legs rather than staying seated in a productive manner. It is for her looks that the men fall weak, but also the standards for gender that are set by society in this time period. She understands the position she is put in here and acts on it, as she manipulates the men and uses her stature as a woman to her advantage.
Hey Mackinley! I really loved reading what you had to say because I think it was very insightful. In the beginning of the first paragraph you said that Neff was a weak character because of his "inability to resist temptation from this future love interest." While I believe that the reason Neff got himself into so much trouble was because of his involvement with Phyllis Dietrichson, I do not think that his inability to steer clear of her made him a weak character. I do not think that being able to resist temptation makes someone "manly," I just believe society has made us think this way. We have been taught that men are supposed to be strong and fearless, yet these are all societal expectations. Therefore, I do not think resisting temptation makes a person strong or manly. In fact, I would argue that being able to give in to temptation is a hard thing to do, and therefore made Neff a strong character, especially since he was willing to give up his morals for this woman. However, I do see where you are coming from because at this time when film noir was popular, men were believed to behave otherwise. I think that this question could be answered from multiple perspectives based on the time period, therefore, I suggest that you define the context first, but this was a great post! I look forward to learning from more of your blog posts!
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