Gender Roles in The Thin Man Essay Example for Free

Gender Roles in The Thin military personnel EssayThe period of the 1930s was an offshoot of the roaring twenties or the jazz age, a time when wo custody gained a heightened understanding of prominence in the society after the First World warf ar saw young men leaving their homes and their work in response to the nations cry to arms (Freedman, 1974, p. 374). Towards the end of the war and at the beginning of the 1930s, women became more in control of their self-direction, proof of which is their freshly recognized right to suffrage (Murphy, 1996, p. 52). They became regular members of the social workforce, thereby giving them a renewed sense of control over their lives.The flapperyoung women who defied the norms of what a conservative woman is by engaging in routine sex and wearing short skirts, among otherstook the center stage, so to speak. As for men, such circumstances only brought them walking(prenominal) to the temptation of pleasing the opposite sex. This is clearly portrayed in the 1934 film The Thin Man. In the film, cut off Charles and his wife Nora represent the behavior of married couples whose lives are characterized primarily by the attitudes of the social elitesfun meant enjoying martinis and sleuthing.In a way, the couple captures the gender usances of each partner during the 1930s. Nora was a wealthy heiress who had almost everything at her disposal. She was beautiful and seemed to have a passion for adventure owing largely to her living a life of liberty. She was the 1930s woman who saw life as the ultimate provider of adventure in on the whole its daring forms. notch was a handsome man and a retired private detective who previously investigated and lick murders. He was the 1930s man who was deeply entrenched with his passion for resolving issues no matter what it takes, ofttimes to the amusement of the female partner.In fact, Nora was more than delighted upon knowing that slit accepted the task of investigating the disappea rance of his friend Clyde Wynant and the death of Clydes former girlfriend, Julia Wolfe. It leaves little room to speculate that Nora was indeed the characteristic 1930s woman who seized her liberty as if it would never run out, putting her self to risky situations together with her man. She portrayed the woman who embraced the flapper culture with open arms, spending her time drinking alcohol or romantically engaging her partner.While she remained supportive of Nick like a female partner might ordinarily commit herself into, she was on her own a liberal minded individual. For the most part, Nick played the character of the adventurous husband which perfectly complements Noras interest in the same. He was someone who lived every risk of infection with such boldness. He was someone who sought the pleasure of his spousefrom accepting her request for him to take the role to completely allowing her to partake in his drinking sessionsno matter what the cost may be.It goes to show t hat Nick was a man who shared entirely similar interests with his spouse and will gladly fulfill whatsoever it is that will make his woman happy. It was his role to please his woman. On the other hand, it was the womans role to act is if she was herself a man, fully absorbed in exactly the same interests as the husbands. hither we see the approximate gender roles prevalent during the 1930s. Men and women had more similarities than differences as far as their inclinations are concerned. To a certain degree, there was no woman.Woman drank, dressed and acted in an unconventional so that they may be desired by the opposite sex, and actively participated in fairly dangerous tasks. Her liberty stood at the very core of her character and this made her more appealing to every man. Towards the end of the film, Nick gives in to the implied gesture of Nora to spend the night together in the same bed. The scene is revealing til now as it gives rise to the idea that women exerted a certain inf luence or power over men especially when it comes to passionate affairs.The 1930s woman had too much liberty, in fact, that she can do anything she pleases and bugger off pleased in the end. Nevertheless, the 1930s man still had a lot to do with her sources of pleasure. References Dyke, W. S. V. (Director). (1934). The Thin Man. fall in States MGM. Freedman, E. B. (1974). The New Woman Changing Views of Women in the 1920s. The Journal of American History, 61(2), 372-393. Murphy, M. (1996). And All That Jazz Changing readiness and Morals after World War I. Montana The Magazine of Western History, 46(4), 50-63.