Feminism in Film -- Thelma and Louise

Thelma and Louise, final scene

   

 In the film, Thelma and Louise, we see a powerful side as well as a delicate side of our two main characters.

 Louise, the more independent one of the two, takes on the role of a man. She is the one with the job, who lives on her own and is more assertive. On the other hand, Thelma is more emotional, she was married to someone who thought of her as a possession, and in some ways could be thought of as the weaker one of the pair. Throughout their story, they both change because of the obstacles they face.

 In the beginning, they were both two women who wanted a vacation and a piece of freedom. What they got instead was a cop chase and charged with murder. How did this happen? When Thelma was about to get raped, Louise stepped in, pointing the gun at Thelma's attacker and shot him when he refused to apologize. Knowing they would get caught, they immediately drive off, without looking back. Louise, the stronger one, became the leader of their escape and took charge. She told Thelma she would be going to Mexico and it was her choice if she wanted to come along or not.

 Louise, who had been raped when she was younger, never really trusted a man in her life. The audience can see that she has built sort of wall to protect her from the men in her time. Towards the end of the movie, Louise begins to break down and we see an emotional side of her. While on the other hand, Thelma becomes stronger. She begins to grow and break from all the possessiveness she has underwent while with her husband and also from every guy that has took advantage of her. We see these changes in the scenes where she robs a store to return the money that the guy they picked up robbed them and also when she shoots the rude truck drivers truck, making it explode.

 By the end of the movie, Louise doesn't know if she wants to come out of his alive. While being chased by the cops, they reach the edge of a cliff. Do they go for it or turn back and surrender? Go for it. In what can be seen as a powerful ending, our two main characters chose their own deaths instead of being killed by the cops. This last scene also symbolizes an act of power, as if they were saying that they'll choose their own fate rather than being given one.