Paragraph 2: (gender roles) part 2/2

Question 1

[G]AF EM P

Answer 1

Joe’s growing sense of emasculation is evident, as he finds himself perceived as a “nobody,” and Betty as “just a kid.”

Question 2

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Answer 2

Here, Joe acknowledges how far his career has fallen since his arrival in tinsel town, highlighting the difference between Betty’s youthful “twenty two” and his own disillusionment.

Question 3

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Answer 3

Wilder’s foil character from Norma, Betty who is like a “brand new automobile”, represents a potential escape from the illusions for Joe, who displays genuine affection and hope for a brighter future.

Question 4

GAF [E]M P

Answer 4

However, as Joe becomes increasingly entangled in Norma’s manipulative grasp, he pushes Betty away, symbolising the extent of his emotional and psychological entrapment.

Question 5

GAF E[M] P

Answer 5

Norma’s manipulation of identity and power from her excessive makeup, “trying to be twenty five”, and who “smell[ed] of tuberoses” creates an illusion of youth, highlighting the effects on the gendered expectations within post war America.

Question 6

GAF EM [P]

Answer 6

The power and dependency highlights the effects of Hollywood’s ageism and the shifting gender dynamics in post-war America, illustrating entrapment in a cycle of manipulation and disillusionment.