Thelma and Louise, a film by Carolyn Ann Khouri, trails the liberations of two working class women in the 90’s. These women plan a weekend away from the men in their lives due to the fact that Thelma’s husband is a misogynistic man who feels that a woman’s job consists only of housework and cooking. In the first scene of the movie Thelma wants to ask her husband, Darryl, for permission to go on the trip with Louise. He yells at her and she quickly changes the subject. In my opinion, this is one of the most crucial scenes in the entire film because it outlines the sexism and discrimination that these two women will face throughout the course of the movie.
One important theme that is portrayed over the duration of this movie is the theme of Freedom. Whether it is Thelma escaping her husband or the two women running from the police it seems as though they are always trying to free themselves of male antagonists. When Louise shoots Harlan in the parking lot for attempting to rape Louise she becomes a murderer, forcing her to run from the police. It is important to note that she was almost forced to shoot the man. He tried to rape Thelma and would not even apologize when held at gunpoint meaning that he did not care, and would gladly try again with another victim, this time one who did not have a friend with a gun. Later in the film, both of the women declare their independence from their men. Thelma tells Darryl to “Go F yourself” after Darryl continues to patronize her, and Louise rejects her boyfriend’s proposal. Thelma’s character, even slept with JD, which meant that she was truly liberated. At the end of the movie when the women are cornered by the police, they choose to embrace their freedom and drive off the cliff rather than go to jail. This ending sends out an important message to all women around the world as it shows that one should be willing to go to great lengths …show more content…
For example, we have read about and discussed the female struggle in reclaiming power and how rape occurs and why it is not always easy for the women to tell the police or anyone else about it. Seeing a situation like the one in Thelma and Louise happen right in front of my eyes really put everything into perspective. Furthermore, in class we have canvassed how women were discriminated against by men in society, but after seeing the way Darryl was treating his wife, or how the truck driver was addressing women on the road, it has in a way, been a mind-altering experience to the truths that lie behind very real scenarios. In Thinking About Women by Margaret L. Andersen, she states that there are “35 rapes or attempted rapes for every 1,000 female college students each year” (Andersen, 277). This statistic shows how prevalent this issue still is today and how Thelma’s rape scene occurs in reality for some women. In conclusion, Thelma and Louise portrays a story of freedom, liberation, and empowerment through a series of unfortunate events. Before I watched this movie I never understood how women have had to endure much abuse and hardships in order to achieve the freedoms that they have today but I can now honestly say that I understand what women have had to go
One important theme that is portrayed over the duration of this movie is the theme of Freedom. Whether it is Thelma escaping her husband or the two women running from the police it seems as though they are always trying to free themselves of male antagonists. When Louise shoots Harlan in the parking lot for attempting to rape Louise she becomes a murderer, forcing her to run from the police. It is important to note that she was almost forced to shoot the man. He tried to rape Thelma and would not even apologize when held at gunpoint meaning that he did not care, and would gladly try again with another victim, this time one who did not have a friend with a gun. Later in the film, both of the women declare their independence from their men. Thelma tells Darryl to “Go F yourself” after Darryl continues to patronize her, and Louise rejects her boyfriend’s proposal. Thelma’s character, even slept with JD, which meant that she was truly liberated. At the end of the movie when the women are cornered by the police, they choose to embrace their freedom and drive off the cliff rather than go to jail. This ending sends out an important message to all women around the world as it shows that one should be willing to go to great lengths …show more content…
For example, we have read about and discussed the female struggle in reclaiming power and how rape occurs and why it is not always easy for the women to tell the police or anyone else about it. Seeing a situation like the one in Thelma and Louise happen right in front of my eyes really put everything into perspective. Furthermore, in class we have canvassed how women were discriminated against by men in society, but after seeing the way Darryl was treating his wife, or how the truck driver was addressing women on the road, it has in a way, been a mind-altering experience to the truths that lie behind very real scenarios. In Thinking About Women by Margaret L. Andersen, she states that there are “35 rapes or attempted rapes for every 1,000 female college students each year” (Andersen, 277). This statistic shows how prevalent this issue still is today and how Thelma’s rape scene occurs in reality for some women. In conclusion, Thelma and Louise portrays a story of freedom, liberation, and empowerment through a series of unfortunate events. Before I watched this movie I never understood how women have had to endure much abuse and hardships in order to achieve the freedoms that they have today but I can now honestly say that I understand what women have had to go