I agree with Kali’s post that the
character of Cathy in Far From Heaven is
quite regressive. The film addresses an array of sexual, cultural and racial
differences. Frank, Cathy’s husband, is a closeted homosexual, and Raymond,
Cathy’s gardener, deals with a plethora of racial issues including his daughter
getting stoned by a group of white boys. However, in the end, life goes on for
everyone except for Cathy, proving that the deepest cutting issue in the end
lies in ones gender.
In the 1950’s, homosexuality and
race were major issues that were looked down upon by many. However, by the end
of the film, Frank is assumed to lead a happy life with his male lover, never
questioned or caught by the ostracizing eyes of society. Raymond, too, is
accepted by the black community, and when they turn against him after learning
about his relationship with Cathy, he has the opportunity to leave and start a
new life for himself and his daughter. Cathy, on the other hand, is not granted
this opportunity. She cannot start a new life for herself because, while she is
a very defiant woman, she is still a woman who must assume the role of a
typical 50’s mother and housewife. No matter how much she has defied society by
engaging in a relationship with Raymond, she cannot just abandon her children
or her womanly duties. Additionally, she was never given the choice to stay
with Frank. He was the one who declared that the marriage was over and wanted a
divorce, despite Cathy’s pleas to try to make the marriage work.
While I do not think that Cathy is
a progressive female character, I do think that this film is undoubtedly
feminist. The portrayal of Cathy as a typical 50’s housewife and the conclusion
that no matter how defiant she is of her gender role she is always stuck in it,
gives the message that gender inequality is always among us, no matter how hard
we try to defy it. Overall, the examples listed above prove that while there
are many deep cutting issues that society faces, a woman’s role in society
(something that is not looked as strongly upon today as issues of race and
sexuality) is a deep cutting issue that must be carefully analyzed and
reformed.
I agree with Arianna that Cathy was the character most ostracized by her surroundings, even though she was perhaps the one most trying to stick to societal expectations. However, her futility in this attempt can be seen in two instances: blatantly in her running to comfort Raymond, but perhaps more subtly in her abandonment of her children.
ReplyDeleteA former classmate of mine, Lindsay Andretta, played the little girl in the movie. When I asked her about her memories of anything Haynes might’ve said about the direction of the piece she responded, “I faintly remember how [Haynes] tried to make me aware of how much the family wanted to keep me safe and out of the whole parent drama...which obviously goes to shit when my dad breaks down in front of the whole family about failing to repress his homosexual urges….The director, Todd Haynes, is gay and he felt very strongly about giving the story a true connection to the old times (along with the old style of film shots/music selection for the film itself) while ALSO making the story really prevalent to today's society.”
While the parents’ attempts to shield their children from the marital discourse are understandable, Cathy takes it to an extreme. She blocks out everyone from her emotions and even seems to care more about Raymond’s daughter having been injured than she does for the sanity and emotional stability of her own children. The ever striving-for-perfection housewife, Cathy puts up a wall against anything that would scratch the surface of her polished lifestyle. In doing so she shuts herself off from everyone and harms her own chances of regaining stability, something that could be done were she able to entirely to break out of her gender roles and move out of town, with or without Raymond. In the end, Cathy is not so much progressive as she is stunted. She has grown beyond societal norms, but does not have enough gumption to rise above them altogether.