To start off with the monkey in the beginning of the film really made me think because at first glance it was so strange. I feel the purpose of the dead monkey in the film was to make the audience think. It was so strange it made me think because it just didn’t fit in the story at the first look unless they were going for some kind of David Lynch thing on just throwing something in the story that is weird just for the sakes of being different and strange. (Yes I know the movie was made way before David Lynch came along but that sort of strange scene is what he is famous for having strangeness in his films) I believe the monkey was foreshadowing what was going to happen latter on in the movie. I was thinking to myself during the movie what could be the linkage between the monkey and Joe. The linkage that I believe is that they are both Norma’s pets. Norma can’t be alone and will do anything not to be alone. She will threaten to kill herself to put Joe back into her life by making him feel sad for her. We see the monkey dead right when Joe is enter Norma’s life. The monkey was once Norma’s pet and Joe was quickly there to replace the role. Joe is not allowed much freedom which leads to him sneaking out of the house. To me Joe thought that the house was a prison (a nice prison) and he had nothing there to do by himself. He probably thought that he was living in the past. Joe was sort of her toy to show off if they had a party or just to keep her company.
