Movies often portray stereotypes where the protagonist always remains a male and the story will be revolving around this lead character, without attaching any significance to the female characters. In contrast, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, directed by James Cameron, tells the story of Sara Connor, the female lead, brilliantly played by Linda Hamilton, and her son John Connor, who is destined to be the future savior of the human race. The plot involves a concept that Skynet, which is a computer system, is going to take over control of the universe by liquidating about three million people. Skynet sends T1000, a robot made of liquid metal, to eliminate John Connor. On the other hand, John sends the Terminator from the future to protect himself. What entails is a saga of intense action involving both the robots but Sara joins them and she becomes the decisive factor in the events that unfold. Thus, by portraying a female character as a rough and tough individual who fights for the cause of salvaging humankind from a nuclear holocaust, Cameron challenges the traditionally accepted gender norms in Hollywood movie history.
The main point of departure from the conventional perception of female roles in this movie can be evidenced in the manner in which Sara’s significance is highlighted throughout the story. This woman character is predominantly present, determining the plot’s progression, which is unlike the females in other movies. She decides to save humanity from the evils of the Skynet that becomes the crux of the story. With this aim in mind, she fights against all odds, often leading and never acquiescing. While traditional gender perceptions sideline the female leads to exist only to serve the purposes of their male counterparts, this film projects Sara not as a weak and demure lady who waits for her hero to do things for her, but as a woman who takes up her responsibilities and stands up to it, perhaps with an edge over the usual male characters. Her decision to break out from the hospital, all alone, with a club in hand and encountering several male hospital staff, is an example of the sense of purpose this female possesses. Similarly, when a shooting occurs in the elevator, she draws out her gun and fires, rather than allowing the well-endowed and super powerful male robot to handle the situation. Besides, even when they escape in the car she remains in control either by driving the car or by shooting at T1000, thereby remaining an active part of the action. Throughout the action scenes involving her, the audience recognizes an element of pronounced masculinity rather than passive femininity in this character.
Usually, female characters in a movie desist from entertaining the thought of committing murders when the target is not a criminal or has not broken any laws. However, once Sara realizes the significance of Dyson in the operations of Skynet, she decides that he should be eliminated to prevent the purported take over by the machines and to save humanity from a holocaust. She takes this decision when her son and the Terminator were present with her, but she neither consults them nor informs them of her intentions. This is quite unusual for a usual female character in Hollywood movies. Conventional females either leave the decision-making to the males or just join them in the decision-making process. Once she reaches the Dyson home and begins her mission, she displays the attributes of a different kind, deviating from the reactions one would expect from a traditional female character. From how she brandishes the gun and trains it, while the camera focuses on the taut muscles of her shoulder and arms, to how she swears and shouts at the woman and child to get away, illustrates the element of masculinity in this woman. The only aspect that perhaps betrays her feminine qualities is when she spares Dyson after she recognizes the prospect of leaving the family as orphans. But then, this is something any male character that has elements of good in him also will do.
Another instance that delineates the masculinity in Sara is the encounter with the SWAT team at Skynet place where they come to retrieve the arm and chip of the previous terminator. After being wounded she does not seek shelter but instead, asks others to escape and decides to resist the men on her own. The action scenes that follow show Sara fighting like a man, shooting and shielding herself, as if she were a trained male soldier and not as a hapless woman. Again, when T1000 chases them in a helicopter, Sara fights him alone while the Terminator drives the vehicle. The valor and determination that she displays, is such that it strips her of her basic femininity and highlights her masculinity.
However, the full potential of masculinity that ensconces Sara’s character does not come to its full bloom until towards the end of the movie. The scene where T1000 traps T101’s arm inside a machine, which leaves Sara alone to fend for John, is relevant in this context. When the villain comes after them, Sara helps John to climb down from the level they were in and confronts T1000. She is neither perturbed nor afraid of the prospect of having to face this robot alone. On other hand, her determination to succeed is evident from her body language. Similarly, in the final scene when the antagonist impales Sarah’s one-shoulder onto the wall, with an extended finger that turns into a long, sharp weapon, and tells her to “Call to John,” (Cameron) Sarah responds, “Fuck you!” (Cameron). The manner, in which she says this, is characterized by masculinity and not femininity. To top this all, Cameron comes up with the novel idea of hinting at Sara’s masculinity by showing how she controls her emotions. When T101 asks her to lower him into the burning liquid metal because he “cannot self-terminate,” (Cameron) she is not displaying emotional weakness as women usually do. While John is emotionally charged and tries to stop the Terminator, Sarah understands that destroying the chip in T101 is essential for the attainment of their objective and lowers him as he wanted. This characteristic, again, is not typical of a traditional female.
Every art form essentially suffers the disadvantage of being stereotyped because people tend to follow traditionally accepted concepts. However, innovative and creative artists, try to change established norms and set new trends. By producing and directing a movie like this, James Cameron achieves this goal by portraying a female character that has the physical and emotional capabilities of a male counterpart, and by allowing her to determine the course of the story. The way she thinks, speaks, acts, and reacts in the movie makes the audience change their attitude and gender perceptions so far it relates to films. There is no doubt that such innovations are required in all forms of art and humans start thinking differently about gender to eschew discrimination based on sex.
Works Cited
Cameron, James. _Terminator 2: Judgment Day_. Perf. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). Studio Canal in association with Lightstorm Entertainment, 1991.