as i was watching "far from heaven," i could help thinking of mulvey's writings because they had been so center to our discussion recently. i found it confusing to pin down 1 person we objectify and 1 person we identify with. how could i reconcile this while still sticking to mulvey's ideas? i decided that there were almost 2 separate movies taking place. it sounds kind of odd, but it helped me make sense of the movie. the first movie is the story through kathy's point of view. in this plot we are obviously invited to identify with kathy who takes on a male role in both her marriage (having her husband go to the doctor and finally ending it altogether) and her ensuing love interest. with kathy, we objectify raymond, gaze at him.

the other story is one where we are a member of the community. in this second movie we identify with the community and objectify kathy. different scenes from the film are pieces of 2 distinct stories. for example, the scene where kathy has a "breakdown" is part of the movie where we identify with her. nobody else is there, and there is a definite gaze on raymond. however, the scene in the art gallery forces the audience to identify with the community and objectify kathy. we even watch everybody watching her, like a piece of art in the gallery (how fitting).

i then wondered what effect the setting (mostly in reference to the date) had on these interpretations, or at least what significance it had. i think the objectification of raymond was certainly enhanced by the decade. the fact that he was the only black person who tried to fit into white society already directed everybody's gaze at him. the time setting also made the control that kathy had in her relationships and her forward manner stand out more, because this was a time when women rarely were so bold. the decade also helped set up the facade of the perfect family. to a modern audience, language like "aw shucks" seems fake. however, it fits in the context of the story, while also still calling the viewers' attention to it. this made the family seem falsely perfect right from the start. it's hard to stay perfect while the world is constantly gazing.