Text/Subtext:
The Double Standard Women Live With Daily In an Action-packed Metaphor
Still relevant decades after its release, Callie Khouri’s screenplay delivers a radical discourse on gender politics that functions on three levels:
- An action story — After shooting a man for insulting her, Louise goes “on the lam” determined not to give herself up.
- A character story — Having had a radical awakening, Thelma becomes unwilling to submit to paternalistic forces.
- A theme story — This world cannot tolerate empowered women who take aggressive action against abusive men.
See how beautifully these three layers weave together in this detailed analysis of the film.
Gain a greater understanding of how to create metaphor through action and character
to strengthen the metaphoric meaning in your own story.
Text/Subtext:
The Double Standard Women Live With Daily In an Action-packed Metaphor
Text/Subtext:
The Double Standard Women Live With Daily In an Action-packed Metaphor
Still relevant decades after its release, Callie Khouri’s screenplay delivers a radical discourse on gender politics that functions on three levels:
- An action story — After shooting a man for insulting her, Louise goes “on the lam” determined not to give herself up.
- A character story — Having had a radical awakening, Thelma becomes unwilling to submit to paternalistic forces.
- A theme story — This world cannot tolerate empowered women who take aggressive action against abusive men.
See how beautifully these three layers weave together in this detailed analysis of the film.
Gain a greater understanding of how to create metaphor through action and character to strengthen the metaphoric meaning in your own story.
About Me
I’m Jennine Lanouette and I have taught screenwriting and script analysis in the classroom for over 20 years at colleges, adult education programs and production companies such as Pixar and Lucasfilm. I am now converting my script analysis lectures into digital books and online courses for greater availability to all. Be sure to check out my other two digital books analyzing Kramer vs. Kramer and The African Queen.
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—Larry Karaszewski, Screenwriter, Ed Wood, Man on the Moon, The People vs. Larry Flynt
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—Anita Monga, Artistic Director, San Francisco Silent Film Festival
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—Don Bohlinger, Screenwriting Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts
