Some may argue that the movie The General conforms to traditional patriarchal gender roles. Annabelle Lee, the heroine, is kidnapped (albeit inadvertently) by hostile soldiers and needs the heroic exploits of her lover to rescue her. She is portrayed as submissive to her father and brother, ineffectual in plotting her own escape (such as throwing a stick of wood into the train furnace or failing to stop the engine so her lover can board it), and often exhibiting domestic inclinations ( as when she sweeps the engine with a broom).
Do you agree with this picture of Annabelle Lee -- or is it more complicated? Is Annabelle a stereotypical damsel in distress or is she a more progressive figure? Is there something about her a feminist could admire? What is this film saying about gender roles?
Anabelle Lee is a more progressive figure than the typical damsel in distress because she helps the protagonist or “hero” throughout The General instead of completely relying on said hero. In this film, Annabelle isn’t completely helpless and doesn’t fully depend on Johnnie Gray. Because Johnnie is clumsy and his character is satirical, Annabelle partially ends up saving herself. An example of this is when she is stuffed in a luggage sack and swiftly pulls out a rod that connects the locomotive and the cargo. This later helps their escape when Johnnie steals the train. Additionally, while Johnnie is gathering firewood, Annabelle is tying two trees together which creates an obstacle for the train chasing them which ultimately helps their escape. In my opinion, the average damsel in distress wouldn’t be helping the “hero” at all in these situations. Mary Jane Watson from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy is a great example of the stereotypical damsel in distress because she is always found in situations where she needs to be saved by Spider-Man. In the first of the three movies, Mary Jane gets kidnapped by the Green Goblin, but then she gets saved by Spider-Man. Hanging from a tethered web, Mary Jane is continuously told by Spider-Man to climb down for her own safety, but she keeps refusing to do so. When she finally starts climbing to save herself, she is attacked by the Green Goblin and is put in danger once more. Eventually, she gets aid from Spider-Man and some local civilians and is temporarily saved. This is a great example of a stereotypical damsel in distress because she is unable to help or save herself and fully relies on the hero, Spider-Man, or outside help to rescue her. Although Annabelle heavily relied on Johnnie and his expertise with trains to escape to the south, she wasn’t completely dependent or helpless. Annabelle’s escape can be seen as more of a joint effort between her and Johnnie, therefore, she is bolder and more dynamic than the stereotypical damsel in distress.
ReplyDeleteSpider-Man Clip: https://youtu.be/Xt0Fv0W-CSo
Annabelle Lee in The General mostly portrays the traditional gender role because of how she acts during the enlistment in relation to Johnny and her family; however, there are moments in which she can be seen as a more progressive character. Most of the time she plays more of a traditional character like when Johnny has to save her from the Union soldiers, when she is generally unhelpful on the train, and when she starts sweeping the train as they are being chased. These examples support the idea that Annabelle needs the man to survive. and can only help by sweeping. However, there are times during the movie though that she is clever and smart as opposed to the aloofness of Johnny. For example, when she ties the rope around the trees to stop the chasing train. However, I think a lot of these moments are for comedic purposes to poke fun at Johnny when he is unable to do something like when he tries to put wood on the train or when he tried to shoot a cannon at the enemy train. The scene where Annabelle ties the trees together can be seen from two angles, one where, Annabelle is independent and progressive or the other where it is saying that Johnny is even more under qualified. However, in the end, Johnny is celebrated as a hero not only for helping with the war, but also for safely bringing Annabelle home which supports the 'damsel in distress' idea, and makes the movie feel more traditional than progressive.
ReplyDeleteI think Annabelle is not a very stereotypical damsel in distress, although the film does portray her as a stereotypical woman of the 1800s. In the main plot of the story, Annabelle gets kidnapped and put in a situation of distress, and Johnnie comes to save her and return her to her family. When he wakes Annabelle to alert her of the escape plan, she seems to be genuinely surprised and even thanks him. This shows that she wasn't just waiting for or expecting him to come save her, as most damsels in distress do. During their escape from the Union residence, Johnnie attempts to excessively help her many times, such as when he carries her, but this seems to have an intended comedic effect rather than showing that women are weak and need to be supported at all times. Also, there are moments when she assists Johnnie when he is in distress, such as when he gets his hand stuck in the window and she lifts it for him. She also removes the rod connecting the train cars to help them escape, and ties two trees together which delays the Union soldiers chasing them. Later, Annabelle is seen to have some domestic tendencies, such as when she takes the broom and starts sweeping the floor, although this may have just been included for comedic effect. At the time, women were thought to have skills in housework, as many were not afforded opportunities to engage in different tasks. This scene may not be related to her being a damsel in distress, but rather the most stereotypical vision of a woman. I think one of the most progressive scenes in the film is when she figures out how to stop the train and operate it to make it move backwards, with no previous education. This scene may have been necessary for the corresponding gag, but it also portrays that women are capable of learning new skills. Overall, the film is structured on a plot line with Annabelle's character based on a damsel in distress, but Annabelle herself is not a typical damsel because many of her actions stray from the norm.
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