Essay about Sexual Frustration in Alfred Hitchcock's Rope

This assertion is particularly interesting because of the way in which Hitchcock portrays homosexuals. Almost always the homosexuals are the villains or the ones doing something evil, vile, or wrong. As these are Hitchcock’s films, one may assume that his deliberate inclusion of these types of characters would automatically mean that he is simply another homophobic American, but the truth is quite the opposite. In fact, Hitchcock worked with many queer individuals throughout the span of his career such as Montgomery Clift, Charles Laughton, Tallulah Bankhead, and Anthony Perkins (among others who were suspected, but never proven.) Moreover, the fact that such an extensive amount of Hitchcock films include homosexual lines of thought shows the fascination which Hitchcock held towards the thinking, rather than a blatant hatred as could be assumed by the representation Hitchcock has for homosexuals in his films.

When they were planning the murder the said they would choose anyone, even their fathers and brothers. That day, May 21 1924, the boys drove around the Harvard School for boys looking for someone to murder. The passed by one or two before the choose Bobby Franks, 14 year old cousin of Loeb (Jerome 143). They invited him to get a ride to his home nearby to theirs. One of them bashed the boy on the head with the handle of a chisel and he died. They took the body to a culvert on Wolf Lake, poured a chemical compound not unlike hydrochloric acid, and stuck him in it. Later, a man walking towards Chicago passed by the lake and noticed two human feet poking out of the ground. Police were contacted and they found not just the body but special glasses and a sock (Rompalske 26). The glasses were owned by Leopold and he was brought in for questioning. Later both boys were prosecuted for murder and kidnapping. An intense battle proceded. Clarence Darrow, a famous defense lawyer that saved many from the death penalty and avid opponent of it, was hired by the families of Leopold and Loeb. The rest America watched and waited, during the trial the press had full coverage, calling it the “Crime of the Century” (Rompalske 26). This quote was coined by the press of the trial and was made to show the uniqueness and brutality of the murder. They were given life plus ninety-nine

The case that shocked Chicago ravaged the front pages of newspapers, was the talk of the town, and became infamous throughout Illinois and the U.S. The savage and questionable murder of a young, sweet boy proved all anyone could talk about in summer 1924. The media went haywire when the details about the murder and motive seemed different than any before. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb committed a murder so violent and brutal that their excuse committing it was simply because they wanted to commit the perfect crime. The Leopold and Loeb trial contained so many nuances, twists, and turns that the media rightfully dubbed it the “Crime of the Century.” The trial Chicago v. Leopold and Loeb of 1924 brought together America by bringing awareness to capital punishment in the justice system.

In modern society’s media we find solace in the idea that heroes are able to save the day, whether they have some unexplainable powers or are your average pedestrian that does an act of heroism so extraordinary that it has to be covered. When these acts are performed, whether they are in movies or in our own reality, the question is presented whether or not the action was morally just or not. A form of media that truly represents said moral question is Andre Dubus’ “Killings.” For the father of Frank Fowler, Matt, the idea of killing Richard Strout is justified because of the actions committed onto his son. To analyze the killing of Richard Strout one must first assess why Strout deserved to die.

Men, women, and children from all over the world came to experience the Chicago World Fair in 1893. Little did they know, about 200 of them would fall victim to Herman Mudgett. Herman Webster Mudgett, or more commonly referred to as H. H. Holmes was known as “America’s First Serial Killer”. Holmes had over 200 estimated victims, whom he had specifically picked out from the Chicago World’s Fair crowd. Chicago’s encounter with Holmes changed how people lived their own lives, people’s outlook on America, and even how the law was enforced and dealt with.

“The Haunting of Emile Griffith” by Bob Herbert, presents Emile Griffith as an average individual, briefly describes the Paret v.s. Griffith fight in vivid imagery, and tackles society’s twisted view of homosexuality. Considering the article was printed approximately 40 years after the big fight, tensions have calmed down and people can analyze the surrounding circumstances with logic and rationality rather than emotion. Ultimately, the texts main purpose is to emphasize society’s distorted view of homosexuality and to present Griffith as a victim through the use of tone, diction, and credibility.

High societal expectations are being set on the male gender and due to the pressure they endure they tend to oppose the justice or harm one self. Character Ricko exemplifies this because he conducted a murder towards Tracey Warner at a party because of this, eventually, Ricko was put into jail and he ended up suiciding. It reflects what the serious consequences are when fail to obey law. In the play, Rachel says: ‘It was on the morning news. He hanged himself with a belt’ - Ricko hanged himself, it takes up courage and bravery to choose this brutal method to end his life. He knew that he would be imprisoned for countless years, he doesn’t like the feeling of being locked up and restriction to freedom so he decided to suicide. Another important factor as to why he chose to suicide it because of the overwhelming guiltiness he feels after killing Tracey Warner when he needn’t to. The belt symbolises as a tool to end Ricko’s life. ‘Belt’ is also associated with alcohol violence, it acts as a weapon to torture women because it is handy and most mens wear belts. The visual interpretation coincidentally justifies what Enright is trying to bring attention to the public’s eye. As drinking alcohol can result into alcohol abuse/violence harming other people just like what happens between the three boys who

Having the notoriety for being a vicious and uncivilized decade, the Roaring Twenties created just two serial killers: Earle Leonard Nelson – the serial strangler nicknamed the “Gorilla Murderer” – and the malevolently corrupted Carl Panzram. In the 1930s and 1940s, serial killers were few and far between. The cannibalistic pedophile Albert Fish and the anonymous psycho known as the “Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run” (aka the “Cleveland Torso Killer”) are the only known serial killers having a place with the Depression-era of America (Serial Killers Through History).

In this society being heterosexual is unexceptable. The song “Forbidden” shows a group of couples who escaped society saying that their love will not be ‘forbidden’. This leads into “Painting In The Rain”, one of the most impactful song and video on the album. When Hall gets arrested for being straight, people riot in front of his house holding signs that say things like “God hates straights” and vandalizing property writing “hetero” on the front door. In attempt to rid of the words on the house, Halls lover, frantically paints over the words, but it is no use since the rain is just washing it away. This is a metaphor in itself showing that whatever the minority try to change people's mind the majority just ends up washing their statements away. To see all of society treating the couple that way opens up those who are close minded, showing them that love is love and you shouldn’t be punished or looked down upon for who you

Alfred Hitchcock uses omission to set up suspense and a feeling of skepticism for the viewer. Lighting, dialogue, and distance all are tools Hitchcock employs to aid in his omission of certain details. The main asset Hitchcock exploits is the distance L.B. Jeffries is trapped at in comparison to where the real drama takes place for much of the film. This distance leaves the viewer feeling perturbed.

From Linda Williams’ view, “While the first appearance of the hole and ants emphasized the fear that woman have undergone castration, the excruciation of this same hand caught in a door emphasizes the more present and direct agony of undergoing dismemberment.” (Williams, 1992). According to Freud, when infantile males are able to distinguish the differences between women and men, they think that their mothers’ penises have been cut off, they become anxious because they are afraid that their penises will be cut off as well. However, when we analyze the metaphor behind this shot in a broader context, we will be able to tell that it is about females’ castration. After the first appearance of the hole and ants, a woman’s armpit hair showed up, which indicates the connection between these two shots. The connection could be associated with “castrating ‘feminization’ of the man” (Ramey, 2016). The agency of the ants “has been ‘penetrated’ by what Freud calls the ‘external coercions’ of civilization that turn ‘opponents of civilization into being its vehicles’.” (Ramey, 2016). Instead of demonstrating that the appearance of the hole and ants represent that woman have undergone castration, it is more feasible that they represent the castration of “feminization” that men have undergone. Because of the society turning the opponents of traditions and civilizations into being its vehicles, people

Rupert then says that he does not know what society is going to do to the boys when they find out about the murder, and that they will probably die. In the Short Film “Rope” by Alfred Hitchcock, Phillip is the character that goes through the most change, first because Brandon starts to make bizarre comments that make him sound like he is bragging about the murder .Second because he realizes they will get caught because Rupert knows about the murder, both of these things make him change and regret the murder. Phillip first changes and starts to regret the murder, when Brandon starts making odd comments about their murder of David, which leads Phillip to wonder why they murdered him in the first place. When the murder is committed Brandon starts making comments that make it seem almost as if he is bragging about it. One thing Brandon says is, “Nobody commits a murder just for the experiment of committing it, nobody except us.”

Hemingway has extremely strong opinions on homosexuality, which Gertrude Stein attempts to dissuade by convincing him that those who attempt to assault young boys are not well in their heads. While Stein attempts this, Hemingway proclaims that because homosexuality exists, “you [carry] a knife and would use it when you were in the company of tramps when you were a boy in the days when wolves was not a slang term for men obsessed by the pursuit of women” (Hemingway 16). It seems that Hemingway does not realize that, when objectifying women, he turns into one of the wolves of which he is so afraid. However, Hemingway maintains his fear of homosexuality; he “ridicules an effeminate homosexual named Hal, satirizes Fitzgerald’s sexual uncertainties, and professes disgust at the lesbian practices of Stein and Toklas” (Kennedy 187). Hemingway is horrified by homosexuals, because he is afraid that he will be objectified by homosexual men just as he objectifies the women in his own life. He believes that leering after unsuspecting partners is only okay when he is an active participant; he is just afraid of being objectified and therefore, forced into an action against his own will. However, “homosexuality disturbs Hem, less because it involves alternate erotic practices than because it subvert his fundamental assumptions about sex, gender, and desire” (Kennedy 191). He believes that men are only right to objectify, not to be objectified. He believes that the gender and sexual

Elliot, Alan R (2010b), “There is a look to Hitchcock films and the way they are put together that are really unique signature,” said Steven Mamber, a professor in UCLA’s Film, Television and Digiral Media Department. Elliot, Alan R also wrote in 1939, British director Hitchcock had produced a bunch of movies and sixteen talkies films including “The 39 Steps,” “Blackmail” and “The Man Who Knew Too Much.” According to the “Hitchcock’s Blackmail in Spectacular Hong Kong Outdoor Screening (2013),” From his directorial debut in 1925 with The Pleasure Garden to Blackmail (1929) Hitchcock created a group to films which already revel his genius at work, and show that the brilliance of the Hitchcock tough, so admired in later works, was there at the very beginning of his career” (n.p).

It can be inferred from this that the Marquis had decided the fate of his wife once her virginity was lost, perhaps a reference from Carter that sex could be a death sentence in this era, both socially and literally. This idea resonates around the original sin of Eve. The snake imagery in Lamia provides connotations of temptation and unholy actions. Her transformation from a ‘palpitating snake’ differs from Carter’s depiction of her heroine, in The Bloody Chamber, giving into temptation. The way in which the girl is given a key she must not use, is reminiscent of Adam and Eve in The Garden of Eden and Carter is clearly aware of this; ‘I only did what he knew I would’. Like Eve’. This presents elements of tragedy, as the girls’ destinies are seemingly unchangeable, and fated as a result of their gender. However, in a dissimilar manner to the other texts, Carter allows her heroine to escape her gender allotted tragedy, perhaps again reflecting upon the injustices of the patriarchal society.