preview

The Silent Battle Between Society And The Outliers By Alfred Hitchcock

Decent Essays

“It” It’s the elephant in the room, the emperor’s new clothes, and the secret in the closet. As a society, we prefer the “tasteless” things remain unspoken. The word “homosexual” is never uttered in Rope by Alfred Hitchcock, but the silent battle between society and the outliers is delivered through the murder of manhood and the ultimate triumph of the police. David is the representative of straight manhood and society’s expectations, in killing him, Brandon and Phillip hold the upper hand until Rupert flings open the window and brings the wrath of society down on them. David is the societally ordered ideal of straight manhood, and killing him is Brandon and Phillip’s way to triumph over this order. David is established as the successful straight male because of his engagement to Janet and his depiction as the typical male. Janet, his fiancé, complains to Brandon about the role David forces her into. She tells him that David makes her feel like an “‘idiot girl’” and asks herself, “‘why must I try and be so smart with everyone but David?’” (Rope). Literary critic David Greven writes that in killing David, “the lover-killers mete out punishment to the heterosexual male who has abandoned their queer circle” (Greven 15). They choose David instead of Kenneth or a stranger because David has removed himself from the group of arguably queer individuals by his engagement to Janet. Thus, “David’s body within the chest… is the violated, savaged body of normative manhood”

Get Access