podcast ep} femenine rage through film and media

 Cira Flannery Garza

February 2024

Feminine Rage Through Film and Media

According to the novel “Rage Becomes Her- The Power of Women’s Anger” By Non-Fiction author Soraya Chemaly “Anger is the demand of accountability, It is evaluation, judgment, and refutation. It is reflective, visionary, and participatory. It's a speech act, a social statement, an intention, and a purpose. It's a risk and a threat. A confirmation and a wish. It is both powerlessness and power, palliative and a provocation. In anger, you will find both ferocity and comfort, vulnerability and hurt. Anger is the expression of hope” This statement by Chemaly applies to much more than Feminine rage in Literature, it applies to Women becoming exhausted and emptied of their patience after centuries of oppression. Whether you identify as male or female, Ask yourself- What frustrates you? And why exactly is it so frustrating? Feminine rage is an aspect of gender expression rendered unappetizing to the feminine image, maybe because societal standards prefer women to be Gentle, Kind, patient, and submissive so anything contradicting those personality characteristics is presented as undesirable and therefore, discouraged. 

In today’s episode listen as we cover the Contemporary Media surge that defines and explores feminine rage, the many reasons why feminine rage is empowering and meaningful and How do female expectations create Feminine rage and other emotional expressions through literature and film? 

The 2017 Psychological Horror film “Mother!” directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem, is about a married couple living in an old house in a desolate forest highlighting the countless crossing of boundaries and invasions of privacy on Lawrence’s character Mother, permitted by her husband referred to as “Him” portrayed in terrorizing and infuriating fashion. Oftentimes, Feminine rage is dignified as a theme, when it comes to protecting other girls, or Children, because Maternal Love is paired with Feminine rage when a Woman is forced to Over the decades, more ethical dilemmas have arisen and feminists have advocated for laws that allow them the equality they want. As Philosopher Alexander Spirken said, “In a certain sense, art, like philosophy, reflects reality in its relation to man, and depicts man, his spiritual world, and the relations between individuals in their interaction with the world.” 

In other words, art somehow reflects reality, reflects real experiences and real people are real revelations that took place somehow in history. As a writer myself, I always am told to write what I know, and compared to all there is to offer, I don’t know a lot, but the few things I do know are relatable, intriguing, and motivating to the ears that wait to hear about them. In the case of feminine rage, female authors may describe experiences that enraged them, exactly how they enraged them, and how other women can relate and bond over those shared experiences. 

As stated in the novel “Burning Women” By Lucy H Pierce “The Dalai Lama says that the world will be saved by Western women. Not any women, perhaps not all women, but Burning Women. Women who have stepped out of silence and into the fullness of their power. Angry women who love the world and her creatures too much to let it be destroyed so thoughtlessly for a moment longer.

Burning Woman is the heart and soul of revolution – inner and outer. She burns for change, she dances in the fire of the old, all the while visioning and weaving the new.” 

Conceptually, Feminine Rage 

Novels

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath- Originally published in 1963, The Bell Jar chronicles the psychological deterioration of Esther Greenwood, set in Boston, Massachusetts. Esther has a love interest at the beginning of the novel named Buddy Willard. Buddy signifies everything that Esther is not and because of his near arrogant demeanor and thoughtless attitude towards approaching women, it infuriates her, and she abruptly loses interest in him. 

• Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh-  Published in 2015, Eileen tells the story of Eileen Dunlop. Trapped between caring for her alcoholic father and her job as a secretary at the boys’ prison, she tempers her dreary days with dreams of escaping to the big city. In the meantime, her nights and weekends are filled with shoplifting and cleaning up her increasingly deranged father’s messes. 

• The Power by Naomi Alderman- Published in the UK in 2016, a manuscript of an imagined history of the tumultuous era during which women across the world developed and shared the power to emit electricity from their hands, making them the superior gender. In 2017, “The Power” won the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and was put on the Top 10 Best Books list of 2017 in the NY Times.

• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Published in 1985 is a dystopian futuristic novel set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian state known as the Republic of Gilead, which has overthrown the United States government and forces Women into a hierarchy based on their fertility.

The 2017 movie "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," directed by Martin McDonagh, follows the perspective of  Mildred Hayes, a grieving mother played by Frances McDormand, who takes bold action to protest the local police department's failure to solve her daughter's murder case when she believes they are withholding resources useful to the investigation. 

There are a few elements of feminine rage that accompany it, as neighboring themes, 

• Determination and the Refusal to Admit Shame- Mildred is driven by grief and anger over her daughter's brutal murder, and she refuses to passively accept the lack of progress in the investigation. Instead, she channels her rage into action, renting three billboards outside of town to call attention to the unsolved case. This demonstrates her refusal to be silenced or sidelined by the authorities, asserting her agency and demanding justice on her own terms. 

• Confrontation and Challenging Authority- Mildred's campaign puts her in direct conflict with the local police chief, Willoughby, played by Woody Harrelson, and his officers. She fearlessly confronts them and sheds a light of doubt on their competence and integrity, refusing to back down even in the face of intimidation and hostility. Her defiance against the male-dominated establishment highlights the power dynamics at play and how women are often marginalized and dismissed.

• Transformation and Redemption- While her initial actions are driven by anger and a desire for vengeance, the main character ultimately finds a sense of closure and healing through unexpected connections and acts of compassion. This evolution underscores the cathartic potential of feminine rage, It may ruffle feathers, whether or not the death was meant to be, but the resolution allows Mildred’s anger and insurmountable persistence, and leaves her with peace, despite the tragedy. It sends a message to the audience that, anger can be a force for good.

Marxist Feminism and Socialist Feminism are critical theories that analyze the intersections of capitalism, patriarchy, and gender oppression. While Marxist Feminism emphasizes the exploitation of women's labor within capitalist systems, Socialist Feminism expands its focus to address broader social and economic challenges.