"They Treat Objects Like Women, Man." The Representation and Examination of Feminist Attitudes in the Films of the Coen Brothers

Abstract

This essay serves as an exploration of the representation and presentation of the Female in the works of the Coen Brothers – more specifically in six of their films (Blood Simple, Barton Fink, Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Big Lebowski, A Serious Man). A portrayal of the depressing reality and lack which the Female is faced with will be examined along with dependency on the Male in the Coen brother's fictional universe. The essay will mostly be utilizing the works of such theorists as E. Ann Kaplan, Claire Johnston and Anneke Smelik to illustrate its points, using feministic and psychoanalytic approaches. This will be used to critique the all-too-common representation of the Mother-figure and the woman being stuck as a secondary character, mostly as a sexually threatening female. The objectification, exploitation and general suppression becomes apparent in the movie industry as a regular occurring theme in their repertoire. Their films often contain a defeatist attitude regarding the chance of the film industry in improving the representation of real female autonomy. The films addressed in this essay contain their more notable work, and include such issues as patriarchal oppression, religion, silencing of the Woman and the problematic aspect of relegating the female to the margins, often stripping her femininity and presenting her as „not-man“. This essay furthermore takes a look at the relationship between the male and female characters – how in many cases the males are portrayed more favorably by default. The films of the Coen Brothers often serve as a satirical look at the many genres of the film industry and ultimately their representatives for the female gender can be regarded as a reminder of the inherent and insufficient portrayal of a real woman that faces the female audience, depriving them of the possibility to identifying with female protagonists.