“There are reflexes, like eye-blinking, and drives, like sex. There is no innate drive for children. Otherwise, the enormous cultural pressures that there are to reproduce wouldn’t exist. There are no cultural pressures to sell you on getting your hand out of the fire.”
This quote ultimately speaks volumes to those who actually desire to hear the truth about their relationship with their partner. There is no reason for a person to tie themselves with the childbirth knot if they are not looking forward to it or thinking about how it could change their lives. This is in line with the W. E. movie, as the main character is not sure about how she should proceed in order to remain loyal to her husband while also achieving personal satisfaction in terms of her physical and emotional relationships with the significant other. Even though the movie does not dwell on any kind of adultery, it shows how the question of whether to keep up with the husband’s abusive behaviors or run away from him damages the woman from the inside (Rollin, 1970).
This is where the Madonna complex also kicks in, as the main character of the movie remains sexually frustrated due to her husband not being able to perceive her as someone he would like to please sexually (meaning that she is no longer a “whore” for him, but an angelic Madonna that he does not want to spoil) (Mehta, 2005). It is hard for the main character to stay within this vicious circle because she does not understand the underpinnings of her husband’s behavior.
Another idea that cannot be ignored within the framework of this review is that W. E. touches upon the topic of Motherhood Myth. The main character naturally wants to become a mother because she thinks that is what all the “normal” females want when they become old enough to give birth to a child (Carroll, 2012). Even though she does not realize at first that motherhood has to be earned and not merely achieved biologically, she strives to make it work with her husband. This particular outlook is also directly related to the idea that the main character only had the possibility to develop an identity when she found out she was pregnant.
The movie wants the audience to realize that motherhood is not culturally compulsory, and there are no reasons for a woman to desire becoming a mother only because of her community imposing the ideas of motherhood on her. There are numerous things in life that might be compulsory, but motherhood should never be one of those things because it might lead to unprecedented consequences in the case where the given woman simply gave in to the external interference when she became pregnant.
The story from the movie W. E. shows how important it is to remain flexible and negotiate where possible instead of continuing the circle of abusive relationships that do not lead to any particularly positive outcomes. Traditional values do not always reflect the true needs of a woman, and the film director clearly shows that when having the main character divorce her abusive husband and finally find happiness with the person who cares for her. As a divorcee, she was not rather likely to achieve anything substantial because of societal disapproval, but this is also where the egalitarian views play an important role (Carroll, 2012; Mehta, 2005).
The flexibility that women possess is what makes them question their role within the society as well, especially under the influence of the Marriage Myth that makes some women think that getting married and giving birth to a child is what they actually need (even when they evidently do not). Despite the main character being affected by the external conditioning (societal views on motherhood and marriage), she does not focus on conventional values closer to the end of the movie, and it helps her overcome previous challenges.
References
Carroll, L. (2012). The ‘biological urge’: What’s the truth? Huffpost. Web.
Mehta, M. (2005). The myth of marriage. Alternet.
Rollin, B. (1970). Motherhood: Who needs it? Look, 34(19), 15-17.