Charlie’s Complex

Charlie’s  Complex

A horror, slasher film, set in the 1974, in a small town in Mississippi. Charlie, young

teenage boy, who lives with the estranged parents of his father. Until a year ago, they were

not aware they had a grandchild. He moves out to live with his grandparents after he

witnesses the death of his mother. His father loses his job and his mother becomes the one

to support the family. Living with the pressures of a patriarchal society, his father can’t

handle the humiliation and degradation, one drunken night, in a fit of rage he beats his wife

to death then with a kitchen knife, kills himself. The film starts a year after his parents’

death. Charlie is a shy, introverted type of boy. He behaves in a way that’s different than all

the other kids, he doesn’t speak to anyone, and has no friends. All of the students at his

school make fun of him and his feminine looks. There is one girl, Katelyn, who is always

sweet to Charlie. She develops a small crush on him. She, and a couple of his teachers

are the only people amongst his peers that don’t put him down. The small town gossips

about Charlie and him feel unwelcomed simple because he doesn’t look or act like any of

the other boys. Even his own grandparents neglect him and pay no attention to his needs

and wants. They embarrassed of the ridicule they receive from the people of the town, and

treat him as if he’s a stranger. They have trouble understanding his strange behaviour. As

the days progress, the teenagers and other residents of the town are dying in a string of

mysterious ‘accidents.’ The local police are having trouble finding any clues to a suspect.

Late one night, Charlie arrives at the school dance with Katelyn. They get judging stares

and disdaining whispers from all the kids at the dance. Later when Katelyn and Charlie are

grabbing some punch from the punch bowl, one of the school jocks, Curtis, who was once

Katelyn’s boyfriend, comes up to Katelyn asks what she’s doing with a ‘freak’ like Charlie.

The jock grabs her by the wrists and tries to pull her away. Charlie tries to defend Katelyn

by pushing Curtis away from Katelyn. Curtis grabs the punch bowl throws it over Charlie’s

head and pushes him to the ground. Curtis and all his jock friends laugh at Charlie and

Curtis picks up Katelyn and takes her away. After she finally gets away from him, Katelyn

goes looking for Charlie. She can’t find him anywhere. She looks in the school’s basement

hoping he’d be hiding there and to her horror she stumbles upon the dead bodies of a

couple of the jocks that laughed at Charlie earlier. A frightened Katelyn begins to run away

to find help. She runs into Curtis who is limping with a knife in his leg. He’s yelling out in

terror, his words are jumbled and confusing to understand. All Katelyn can make out what

Curtis is saying, is things like ‘he’s a she,’ ‘he’s a sick psycho.’ Katelyn asks what’s going

on and what happened to his leg. He pushes her out of the way trying to escape and

suddenly a partially nude Charlie is standing over Curtis who has fallen to the ground at this

point. Curtis pleads for his and life and Charlie thrusts the blade from a paper trimmer into

Curtis’ back. Katelyn and we (the audience) discover that Charlie is in fact a girl and all the

other killings were done by him. Through flashbacks of Charlie’s memory we find out that

he is biologically a girl, born with the name Charlotte. After witnessing the murder of her

mother she is determined to hide her sex. She quickly becomes fearful of anything

associated with being a woman. To avoid any discrimination or harassment against her

sex, she dresses as a boy. Her grandparents have not only accepted her transformation,

they enforce it. They hadn’t expected to raise child they never knew before. And they

definitely were not happy with the obligation. But if they had to raise a grandchild it most

certainly wasn’t going to a granddaughter, so they changed her name to Charlie and forced

her to wear boy clothes. They make her act and treat her like a boy. They wanted to

replace their son, who had just died with their new grandson. Which, according to his

grandparents, it was Charlotte’s mother’s fault he was dead, and Charlotte reminded them

so much of her mother, she must become just like her or his father.

A story like this shows the reflection of the society of the time. It’s necessary to

make this story into a film. In the 1970s the sexual identity of anyone is a big issue, much

less for a teenager. Part of the social issues that society has to deal with is patriarchy,

gender inequality, social and sexual identity. There’s the theory of women being the ‘other’

to man. In Simone De Beauvoir’s ‘The Second Sex,’ she discusses this idea. Woman is

basically defined as not man. We know what it is to be a man, therefore, what it is to be a

woman is the opposite of that. As explained in the ‘Cultural Studies’ book by Chris

Barker, Patriarchy is defined as “the structural subordination women.” The idea that males

are superior over females. This idea is embedded into the minds of women in cultures from

around the world. A practice that has been going on since the beginning of civilization.

Women grow up believing they are not equal to man. That it is he who makes the decisions

on how to live, and in what manner. That man has all the power and women have nothing

but the male companion to protect and help them survive. In the article ‘The Patriarchal

Gaze,’ by Laura Mulvey she talks about the look of cinema coming from a male point of

view or gaze. That women live their lives as spectacles and the man is the spectator. The

camera always assumes a males perspective. Women are objecfied in perspective, while

men are usually the subject.

In ‘Using Literature to Help Troubled Teenagers Cope with Identity Issues,’ by Jeffery S.

Kaplan, The

idea of “identity achievement” is discussed. Adolescent children are naturally going to go

through a process of exploration of one’s self. To find their identity status in their society, or

to find out who they are, what they like, their beliefs. As young adolescents this exploration

is more fluid, their feelings and ideas could change. However, as they get older and grow

out of the adolescent stage, they become more committed to what they’ve discovered.

When an individual is successful in exploration and commitment, then they have

accomplished the “identity achievement.” All of the topics just discussed are issues the

society deals with in this time period of the 1970s. Having a story like this told will bring

attention to social injustice. To educate individuals on a male dominant world and to maybe

instill a little fear in the antifeminist,

the person that sees women as an inferior race.

The story relates to all these issues. For example, Charlie/Charlotte lives not only in a home

that is very patriarchal but her all of her surroundings, the town, the people she associates

with, her strange family, all have views and beliefs that women are superior to men. Her

grandparents believe that it’s better to be a man in the world they live in. That they rather

have a young boy to raise over a young girl. In their eyes boys are definitely better than girls

and are definitely not equal. The entire town and everyone in it, with the exception of a few

have this idea embedded in their minds. For example, the gym teacher at

Charlie/Charlotte’s high school has the boys and girls separated, each of them doing

different activities. Activities that are ‘appropriate’ for each sex. The girls P.E. uniform is

much tighter and shorter than the boys uniform. Sexual inequality is prevalent in the story. In

fact, Charlie/Charlotte reason for killing stems from witnessing his mother’s murder. Who

was murdered simply because she was equal, if not superior, to her husband and that is

not the way of life. This causes Charlie/Charlotte to change the appearance of her sex and

anytime she witnesses female discrimination or male dominant abuse towards women she

kills. Men who sexually objectify women or even women who objectify themselves become

Charlie/Charlotte’s victims. In the story , it starts off with the assumption that this is from a

male’s point of view, yet in the end we come to realize that point of view is that of a female.

The story has new perspective in cinema. A perspective that is not the patriarchal gaze.

Women objectivity is an issue, yet it is shown negatively, which is something that is rarely

done. The fact that Charlie/Charlotte has changed his/her sexual identity is a reflection on

the teenagers in society. Always exploring news to define themselves; trying to define

what’s right and what’s wrong. Charlie/Charlotte is your typical teenager trying to define

explore all of these issues. The difference between her/him and the common teen is that

Charlie/ Charlotte takes matters into her own hands. She decides what’s right , what’s

wrong. Unfortunately for some individuals she also decides who lives and who dies.

Orientalism

    Orientalism is the idea of Westerners spreading their ideas and culture into the East. The West made mostly of Europe and the US. The East made up of the far East, China, Japan, India etc, and the middle East, Iran, Syria, Israel etc. The 60s was a time when the Cold War was a fear among all countries. In the 1960s James Bond film "You Only Live Twice, " he travels to Japan, where he womanizes the women and and fights the Japanese villains. The cultures from East are viewed villains or something exotic. The East is new and unfamiliar to the West. That unfamiliarity can turn into fear. Leading them to believe the East ideas and culture is not the right one, that the West has the right idea. Starting since the time of Imperialism, around the 1800s the British were a dominant force in Imperialism, spreading their seed all over countries like India, Japan, Africa, and other countries. For example in the 1970s Bollywood film "Disco Dancer," the main character is a famous dancer that dances to disco music. There's a scene in the film where his dancing to disco music in his room and on the wall is a movie poster of "Saturday Night Fever." The film's language is Hindi, however throughout the film there English words spoken. In this film it is definitely evident of Imperialism that takes place. In the new James Bond film "Casino Royale," there is a new fear that is impacted on society. The fear of terrorism is a real threat. In the opening scenes, an animalistic like Bond is running through a town in Africa, trying catch the criminal. In both the James Bond films, Bond is careless agent that has little respect for the country and it's environment. In the chase scene of "Casino Royale," Bond is breaking through walls, driving bulldozers through construction sites, dropping huge loads of steel from the sky, just be destructive to the land. All in pursuit to catch the suspect. A similar scene happens in "You Only Live Once," where Bond destroys a factory. It's as if all obstacles rather threatening or nonthreatening, will be overcome by any means possible. At the end of the scene, Bond has succeeded in capturing him, however when he's confronted by an army of men, trying to protect the suspect, he shoots him, and kills most of the army with an explosion. He won't take orders from an authoritative figure when the general of the army tries to stop him.  The attitude of superiority that both Bonds have is an evident sign of Imperialism. Orientalism and Imperialism are similar in a sense that the West think their own ideas and believes that are better than that of the individual who is different than them. So in showing them the better way of things, they believe they are helping them. Orientalism are these ideas enforced on those from the East and Imperialism are these ideas enforced on other parts of the world including the East, beginning around the 1800s, I would say even earlier than that.

Below is a clip from the Bollywood film "Disco Dancer." Beginning at 1:00 the main character, Jimmy, is in his room dancing to disco music. Behind you can see the poster of "Saturday Night Fever."

The Radical Side Romantic Comedies

The decades in which films are made usually reflect society at that point in time. And the romantic comedy is no different. In the late 1960s huge changes were happening among American society. Revolutionary movements, radical thinking, civil protests were all apart of the 60s all the way through the 70s. Films were definitely changing with the times. The normal standards of the earlier films, like the nuclear family, were becoming less and less normal everyday. The idea of divorce and single parents became something that was very real among families. Women are starting to be known as an equal to men. In the film 10, the main character that is obsessed with a woman that he believes to at the top, above all other women, including his girlfriend. He has the this image of the perfect girl in his head. He's also going through a mid-life crisis. It seems as though the young girl is a way to hold on to his youth. Through another youthful being. The problem for him is that the youth of his time is way different than the youth of his present. For example in the scene where they are about to commit adultery, she exclaims that she does what makes her happy even if that is cheating on her husband. She wouldn't mind her husband cheating on her as long as it makes him happy. The idea of breaking moral standards is okay, if it makes you happy, is something the main character isn't used to. Going into the 80s and 90s the romantic comedies began to change a bit with times. The film Pretty in Pink is a perfect example. About a love triangle between two poor best friends and a rich boy. In the film Andy, a poor, unpopular girl and Blaine, rich, popular guy, fall for each other despite their differences. Duckie, also a poor, unpopular kid, is in love with Andy but plays it off as joke because they're best friends. When Duckie finds out that Andy is dating Blaine he becomes very angry with them both. He's afraid she'll get hurt. Of course, in the beginning Andy and Blaine go through obstacles because of their differences. The rich kids are seen as selfish, spoiled, and can get away with anything. While the poor kids work hard for what they got and are even discriminated against in the school. This film is reflective of the times where two types of people. Those that were rich and powerful and those that were poor and worked hard for what little they had.

A Place for Women In A Man's World

                     Since the beginning of time there has always been man and woman. Written in the one of the oldest, most universal books all time, it says that woman is made from man's rib. Already, we're taught that man is first. That women come second. Men are the dominant sex and women are the other sex. History has shown us that across time, in most civilizations men have been the dominant sex among humans. It was man who wrote the many different bibles, our religions follow today. In fact, in the Bible, God, the creator of everything, is said to be a male. It's easy for a woman to feel like the other, when the religion they follow, tells them they are. So when societies began to form and structures were made, men were the dominant figures in those situations. The educated controlled the ignorant. For a long time, women weren't allowed to read. The educated race will dominant the uneducated race. Women have become an oppressed group. In Simone De Beauvoir's, The Second Sex, she talks about the slave and the master. It says, "Master and slave,also, are united by reciprocal need, in this case economic, which does not liberate the slave. In relation of master to the slave the master does not make a point of the need that he has for the other [...]; whereas the slave, in his dependent condition, his hope and fear, is quite conscious of the need he has for his master. [...] It always works in favor of the oppressor and against the oppressed. That has been why the liberation of the working class has been slow." In comparison to men being the oppressor, women the oppressed,  the female is like the slave. She is dependent on the male to survive. It's embedded in her mind that she can't live without a man, that she can't have thoughts of her own. She's unaware of the power she possesses. The master needs the slave to make his product and the slave needs the master for shelter, survival. Just like the master needs the slave, the man needs the woman. They need each other. In a biological sense, they need each so humanity can continue.  In modern times, oppression is in the form of a set of standards. Although they have changed throughout the centuries, women have always had a set of standards. From the time we're learning to walk and talk, we're taught to look, act, to be a certain way. Little boys are taught to be a certain way also, but something totally different than the girl. From the beginning we're not equal. A great example if this, my mother raised four boys and me, one girl. I was treated totally different than my brothers. When we were teenagers my brothers had a later curfew than I did. I wasn't allowed to go any on my own. When they'd get in trouble at school they'd get sort of a slap on the wrist. My mom kind of had the attitude that boys will be boys. If I did the same, I'd get the 'I'm disappointed in you' lecture. So growing with four brothers, I became a tomboy. So I was not ladylike at all. My mother would get upset if I ever did anything unladylike, like burp, sit with my legs uncross, or simply wear what I wanted (which wasn't dresses) I'd get an upset look from her. She'd always say and she still says it to this day that it's just different for girls and that as a girl/woman you put in work, double compared to a man, to be successful.

Here is a description of the superhero

The superhero I’ve created is a women. Her name is Spero Armstrong. Her parents gave her

a Latin name, meaning hope. She was born a woman and she identifies as a women. She was

born in Biloxi, Mississippi, United States of America. On July 4, 1954 she was born into a family

of civil rights activists. At a young age her mother was killed during a protest. Her mother used

her powers against a squad policemen abusing innocent civilians. In school she was a loner and

kept to herself, for fear of hurting anyone with her ability. Her super ability is that she has

telepathic powers. She can move things with her mind. She can also see into the minds of

others. She was born with this super ability. It’s a genetic ability she received from her mother.

Her father will not allow her to use her powers. He doesn’t want her to have the same fate her

mother had. After growing up and moving out, she begins to secretly use her powers to help the

weak. Her limitation is that she doesn’t have full control of her power yet. She has a scar under

her left eye, from when she got in the way of her parents during a protest. An army guard cut her

when going for her father. She tries to protect those that are weak and that can’t protect

themselves. The guard that killed her mother and gave her the scar, who is now the Secretary of

Defense for the United States of America. Leaders of the country define superheros as

troublemakers, people that get in the way of real justice. They implement this idea into the minds

of society. A superhero in her world is perceived unnecessary, but is very much needed. The

fear of the unknown is what could hinder her acceptance among her society. She has an ability

that can seem deadly to someone that has an ignorance of the ability. She’s necessary,

because the people of her world need her to protect them from a civilization under tyranny. They

can also relate to her, she’s a woman her grow up on the same or similar streets as they have.

She has the relatable problems that she’s trying to fix for everyone and herself. Innocent civilians

that have an ignorance of the corruption that goes on in their towns, homes, and community. The

corruption that is brought on by the authority figures among them. In identifying who she is the

fact that she comes from a family of civil rights activists suggests that she comes from a low to

low-middle class, yet educated. She’s a half AfricanAmerican, Caucasian female that stands up

for those that are wronged.

I've created a fictional super hero

The Elephant Man and Essentialism

John Merrick known as The Elephant Man in the play, The Elephant Man. He was a man that had physical deformities. Deformities that deemed him different than the society around him. Labeled as a "freak." He made a living traveling with the Circus in the Freak Show. Frederick Treves a surgical doctor takes Merrick in to study his condition. It's there, at hospital, that Merrick is finds his sense of self. Up until then everyone sort of viewed him as inferior to them. Based solely on his looks. His story is put in the Times magazine. Patrons send him money to keep him at the hospital, as a way of showing they care for him, yet only a few actually visit him. Which in the their minds, they still feel superior to him. Even though the contribution looks as if they sympathize with him. The only people that can sympathize with Merrick are the few people that got to know him. In the story those that are closest to him talk about how they see themselves in John Merrick. He is just as normal as anyone else, he has dreams, desires, morals, intelligence, and aspirations. Everything that any human being would have. Yet, he is still sort of viewed as spectacle. It seems as though, no matter how similar Merrick's mentality is to society's, he is always going to be shown as a "freak of nature." All because his appearance is way different than the norm. He would end his letters with the same poem each time:

Tis true my form is something odd,

But blaming me is blaming God;

Could I create myself anew

I would not fail in pleasing you.

If I could reach from pole to pole

Or grasp the ocean with a span,

I would be measured by the soul;

The mind's the standard of the man.

All he ever wanted was to be normal, and had no explanation for why he wasn't. Yet, he still went on with life with optimism. At the end of the play Merrick dies in his sleep, trying sleep like a normal person. Before he'd sleep with his head on his knees, so that he wouldn't suffocate. 

Throughout this story Merrick tries to be a normal person. He's trying to find what his true self is. It's hard for him to see his that, because of what he sees and what society shows him. He doesn't physically look like anyone else at the time, so he's left to wonder who he really is with no one to relate to. 

Just like the then in the Victorian Era,  society still gives their attention to "freak shows" or "train wrecks." It's just in media form now. If you read the news now, the headlines read things like "Man with No Face," "Boy with 8 Limbs," "The Tree Man." It's all over the internet; news programs will cover stories like this.  Society will watch or read about it, probably feeling sorry for the person in the story. But at the same time, in a selfish way, feel better about themselves. It's kind of weird combination of feelings. They usually feel bad for the person in the story and also feel good about themselves, and can make them appreciate what they have or how they are. Society always has and maybe always will want to have something to look at, that isn't themselves. And in that, they can find something that is normal to them. When they find that normal, they find themselves. Essentially their true identity.