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Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1995.9.W6 H3 1987
In Molly Haskell’s From Reverence to Rape, the role of the female in Hollywood cinema is a topic widely explored. A great emphasis is placed on those female characters who venture from the defined role traditionally assigned to women in classical Hollywood cinema. Haskell argues that Marnie’s role as the center of the film’s narrative constitutes a threat to the male ego, posing a castration complex, which the film and Mark Rutland seek to redress. Marnie robs male employers of not only their money, but through her very resourcefulness and expertise, their sexual identity as well. She is a particularly mysterious and dangerous female predator who must be caught and tamed so that male patriarchy (her bosses from whom she has stolen) may be restored. Her involvement in the narrative with money, false identities, keys, and guns are objects of power typically attributed to the male prerogative; therefore, Marnie must be punished, raped, and rendered submissive within the business world and confined to the ultimate entrapment for women—marriage.
Haskell’s interpretation of the dynamics surrounding this complex character reveals marriage as something a woman is forced into rather than something she wishes to be a part of. The deep threat that Marnie poses for Rutland leaves him feeling out of control and emasculated so he gives her an ultimatum; marry him or go to jail. He feels somehow responsible for curing his new wife, or perhaps from a more sinister perspective, controlling her life will counteract how easily manipulated he felt by her stealing from him. Hitchcock makes it unclear whether Mark is more intent on curing Marnie out of genuine concern for her or for the reward of knowing that he actually has the capability to do so. Either way, his interest in human behavior, coming from his background in zoology, clearly explains why Marnie is just another case study for him.
tagged emasculation feminism patriarchy by lilypb ...on 09-APR-08