The Underdog Wears Prada : An Analysis on Miranda Priestly and Villainy
In the beginning of the movie The Devil Wears Prada, Andy Sachs says "She's [Miranda Priestly] not happy unless everyone around her is panicked, nauseous or suicidal." This Quote paints a rather cruel, uncaring, and even villainous character that Miranda Priestly embodies throughout the movie, but despite this negative opinion, we still feel a draw to her, an undeniable intrigue due to the confidence and strength she retains in her daily life. Chuck Klosterman, author of the essay "Villains Who are Not Villains," argues that a character is understood through their own realm, that we see villains contextualized to their situation (48). Miranda Priestly is not seen as a villain
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She proves herself to be a successful and talented leader of "Runway," but her employers still try to replace her, excusing themselves of their sexism by claiming that she is getting old and less up to date with the latest styles. It is apparent that she is actually being replaced because of the common sexist misconception that women get weaker and less able to do their job when they grow older, unlike a man who gets considered stronger and wiser. Miranda in response to this misconception has to hide behind a façade, a persona of power and confidence in order to compensate for the misconceptions held against her and in order to keep her career and the respect of her position. Though, in actuality it is shown that Miranda is not as strong as she may seem because towards the end of the movie, Miranda, unmade up and dressed down in a robe, reveals that she is getting a divorce. She exposes the toll her job places on her life and gives a glimpse to the stress and sacrifice she has made in her own personal life by creating a persona in order to combat the fallacy of sexism. This persona is the root cause of her villainous traits; it is through this persona that she demands so much of her employees and through this ambition and self preservation that she is willing to betray people like Nigel. If she had security and the trust that management naturally gives to men, she would not behave in these villainous ways and not have to fight and hurt others to keep her
In Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, the nurse Miss Ratched is a fine example of a realistic fictional villain. Possession of three key components is essential in identifying what makes Miss Ratched a villian. Motive is what drives the villain to commit the very acts that allow them to be considered evil in the first place, and often drive their entire being as a character. While they must possess motive, they must also have a sense of morals that coincides with their motives (typically evil, or distorted) and follow their moral compass in a way that often causes trouble for those around them. Additionally, a villain is frequently associated with their opposite; the hero who combats them. Kesey’s character perfectly aligns with these three categories of what makes a villain, and it is unquestionable that she is the villain of the novel.
An example of this is when Miranda states, "you have often Begun to tell me what I am but stopped And left me in bootless inquisition." (1.2.35-40) it becomes clear that Miranda is the inferior character in this situation and this is the result of the dependency she relied on from Prospero. Miranda 's need for attachment is a main reason why she becomes inferior to the make characters in the play that plot action in solidarity.
Like a rich man telling a poor man to stop thinking about money,’ and ‘There was always class between us’. This can be seen as a metaphorical representation of the shifting power distribution of the time, the rise of the middle class instigated more opportunities for working and lower class people to gain wealth and power and further blurred the line between the traditional societal divisions. Clegg is representative of the old, caste-bound patriarchy and Miranda is a pioneer of the new, less rigid system. Miranda herself, however, makes reference to her hatred of ‘the new class people with their cars and their money and their tellies and their stupid vulgarities and their stupid crawling imitations of the bourgeoisie.’ and views Clegg as the epitome of ‘the new people’ although it is possible that this view is a result of her idolisation of GP and subsequent adoption of his ideologies and values rather than her own opinion as she also expresses her ‘…despair for days afterwards, thinking how much of their rotten, pretentious blood I must have in me’, in reference to her parents, implying that she feels she does not belong to the class she was born into or that she simply wishes to be free of the class-system altogether.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter revolves around a Puritan community. Hester Prynne, Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, through different, all committed sinful crimes. Dr. Khan argues that Dimmesdale died because of atropine poisoning, but Roger Chillingworth was not trying to kill Dimmesdale, the symptoms was Dr. Khan has stated could be refute, and the guilt that Dimmesdale has suffered, which has lead to his declining death, is what really caused his death. Roger Chillingworth does not want Dimmesdale to die. Chillingworth’s motive and intention has play a big role in Dimmesdale life.
As a Renaissance woman protagonist, she acts within an completely male world: "I do not know/ One of my sex; no woman's face remember" (3.1.48-49). While no other women appear in the play, references are made to other women, but the count here is still minimal and sums up to three. Miranda speaks of the lack of female companionship around her because of her location, but simultaneously the audience sees that the references to women that do occur within the play often have a sinister purpose for appearing within the lines. The other women mentioned in the play seem to provide a sort of dark cloak over the proceedings of the play, even if they are completely absent. Regardless, Miranda, as the only physical woman in the play the audience actually sees and hears, is described by Prospero with kind words, and few, if any, negative imagery revolves around the appearance of the innocent Miranda. For example, Prospero informs Miranda that this "Art" is prompted by his concern for her; "I have done nothing but in care of thee" (1.2.16). Prospero also tells Miranda that his mistreatment and harshness toward Caliban stems from the fact that Caliban attempted to rape Miranda and Prospero wants to protect her from any harm that could come about from Caliban.(1.2.347-51). Prospero also indicates that Miranda, to him, is "a third of mine own life,/ Or that for which I live" (4.1.3-4); therefore after she is
In 2006, David Frankel made a movie version of The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. The book and the movie are both set in New York and tell the story of a girl named Andy. In both versions Andy starts working for Miranda Priestly, editor-in chief of Runway, a fashion magazine. Generally the film version of The Devil Wears Prada, what kind of experiences Andy passes through is similar to what Andy experiences in Weisberger’s novel. However, the movie is different form the book because some characters have a different appeal and image, Andy’s love life might end up positive, and it ends in a different way.
“The Devil Wears Prada” is a movie about a naïve, yet smart young woman named Andrea Sachs, and her journey to becoming a journalist. Andrea, also known as Andy, graduated from Northwestern University and interviewed for a job at Runway, a major fashion magazine in New York City. Being a simple young woman, Andy wasn’t necessarily up to speed with the fashion industry, but ended up landing the job. Miranda Priestly, editor in chief at Runway hired Andy because she was “different” from any of her previous assistants. If Andy worked as an assistant to Miranda for at least a year, she was under the impression that she could easily be hired as a journalist in the future. The only problem was
No one believed that she can stay in this position for long but Andrea proves everyone wrong when she becomes one of the best assistants that Miranda has ever had. However, this came with a price. Late shifts, a constantly ringing phone, expensive clothes and haughty surroundings changed Andrea and became a threat to her personal life. She had to make tough decisions, choosing between what is right and what is desirable. However, surprisingly for everyone, Andrea kept her individuality and didn't break under this pressure. She
Yet her compassion, as real as it is, also has a certain element of shallowness, or at least inexperience about it. She has lived the majority of her life in isolation, on an island known with her only companionship being that of her father. Growing up on this deserted island, Miranda learns to live and abide by the example set by Prospero. He is her only contact with the humanity and therefore he is her only friend and teacher. She knows no other woman and therefore had no female figure to aid the process of raising her. She is naïve and unaware of life's experiences, having been shielded from the rest of the world.
There was one main goal in this movie which was to be the essential assistant to Meryl Streep. As the movie starts, we see that two women are competing for the job title as there can only be one in the end which results in Interpersonal conflicts. As Andy was new, Anne was not so she therefore did the job better than Anne but not for long before Andy steals the show. We see each one of these girls shows a bit of resentment towards the other since they are in competition for the assistant position. The movie, The Devil Wears Prada is obviously based around women. While watching the film, it is easy to pick out that the main characters are women. Although there are a few male characters such as Anne’s boyfriend, Anne’s dad, a male co-worker Nigel, Meryl’s Boss, and Miranda’s husband. The plot focuses a lot on Anne and her boyfriend but as well as the other men, they do however have pretty important roles. The women in the film are not afraid to use their power in the workplace and are dominantly viewed as having a strong work. As Andy starts to work for Miranda and is trying to become her assistant after just graduating from college and moving to New York, you can tell that
As Andrea showed sympathy for her and felt sad with her story, her relationship between her and Miranda (a superior and subordinate) grew bigger. During the beginning of the story they had a rocky start, but as challenging as relationship among co-workers can be, both Andrea and Miranda was a great example between a superior and a subordinate, that could happen in real life. Dealing with the ruthless boss is not easy, but Andrea wanted to solve the problems and found the best way to make herself be suitable in that
Her perception of the real world is only what she has imagined in her dreams. She only knows what she has seen and what she has been told by her controlling father, Prospero. Prospero puts Miranda on a pedestal and treats her like a princess so she has no idea of how the world really is. He only starts to tell her the story of how they became stranded on the island once she turns 15. Miranda’s kindness is demonstrated in the beginning of the story when she is concerned about the people aboard the shipwreck in the storm she witnesses. She has a kind soul and will most likely treat her people fairly but may be too naïve to see through the ones who are likely to plot against her.
Movies often depict a glimpse into the inner workings of organizations which are complex and fascinating entities that consist of a group of people, who work together. Analyzing how the characters, as individuals and groups, interact with one another allows for an understanding of “how people think, feel and act” within an organization, also referred to as the study of organizational behaviour. The movie The Devil Wears Prada, set at Runway fashion magazine in New York City, is the story of Andrea "Andy" Sachs, an aspiring journalist who gets the job that “a million girls would kill for”. She is hired as the second assistant to Miranda Priestly, the powerful and ruthless executive of the magazine. The job is her stepping stone into the
The film The Devil Wears Prada is about the personal transition of Andrea Sachs who is played by Anne Hathaway. In the film, Andrea seeks to get a job working for Miranda Priestly, the Editor in Chief of Runway Magazine, who is played by Meryl Streep. Runway is a fashion magazine, and although Andrea shares no interest in fashion or the fashion industry, she wants the job because she was informed that anyone that works for Miranda for a year without being fired will be given the chance to be promoted to a job position of their dreams. Since, Andrea aspires to be a journalist for The New Yorker; she believes that working for Miranda for a year and with Miranda's contacts, she will able to obtain her dream job. However, with Miranda's
The organization in The Devil Wears Prada is headed by Miranda, her assistant Andy who is also assisted by Emily Charlton. They are forced to quickly learn Miranda’s preferences and behaviors in order to facilitate the smooth running of their business and in addition to that, in order to meet Miranda’s expectations. Andrea is forced to change her behaviors and attitude of a simple and plain style in order to gain acceptance and adapt to the fashion world organization since she is no longer in journalism.