On the other hand, while viewing the film True Lies, I found it very violent and infiltrating to the mind and soul. The protagonist Harry, is portrayed as a white traditional family man, who happens to be the head of his household. On the other hand, Harry’s wife Helen, is portrayed as the traditional mother/housewife character and is employed as a legal secretary, which is considered as a lower paying job in comparison to Harry’s. For this reason, women are treated as second-class citizens by men. According to Cawelti, “The history of violence is pervaded by racism and the violence associated with the protection of white male supremacy” (Cawelti 2004, 211). For example, it has proven by the Bureau of Justice Statistics that a “lower percentage
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In addition, I found it very cruel and degrading as a woman. At first, it seems very humorous, due to her movements as an amateur dancer and the way she reacted. Further into the scene, Harry “forces Helen to strip and dance for him. In the first instance, Helen is stripped bare psychologically; in the second, she is made to physically strip down to a thong writhe against a bedpost, a scene whose sexism is virtually neutralize by the humor Curtis [Helen] brings to it” (Bernard 1995, 105). Hence, Helen felt a sense of fear and is left to over think about exploitation, sexual assault, and the possibility of death. I also asked myself, how would Harry feel if he were to perform sexually or put in the position that Helen was placed in? Would viewers fine that funny or would it just be looked at as normal behavior for a man? But, as the hero in the film, Harry leads and continues live the life of a “privileged” man. In fact, “Helen is three times removed from us, denatured and debased, and Harry does not let up until she is emotionally pulverized” (Bernard 1995, 106). Which explains the reason why, Harry has never expressed a sense of remorse, due to the fact that he’s responsible kidnapping and aggressively manipulating Helen. Instead, Helen falls in love with Harry’s job and decides to join him as a secret
In addition, I found it very cruel and degrading as a woman. At first, it seems very humorous, due to her movements as an amateur dancer and the way she reacted. Further into the scene, Harry “forces Helen to strip and dance for him. In the first instance, Helen is stripped bare psychologically; in the second, she is made to physically strip down to a thong writhe against a bedpost, a scene whose sexism is virtually neutralize by the humor Curtis [Helen] brings to it” (Bernard 1995, 105). Hence, Helen felt a sense of fear and is left to over think about exploitation, sexual assault, and the possibility of death. I also asked myself, how would Harry feel if he were to perform sexually or put in the position that Helen was placed in? Would viewers fine that funny or would it just be looked at as normal behavior for a man? But, as the hero in the film, Harry leads and continues live the life of a “privileged” man. In fact, “Helen is three times removed from us, denatured and debased, and Harry does not let up until she is emotionally pulverized” (Bernard 1995, 106). Which explains the reason why, Harry has never expressed a sense of remorse, due to the fact that he’s responsible kidnapping and aggressively manipulating Helen. Instead, Helen falls in love with Harry’s job and decides to join him as a secret