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Dishes Of The Afternoon Analysis

Decent Essays

The short film titled "Meshes of the Afternoon" was a very eerie, perplexing yet symbolic film for me. It holds many components, situations and ideas that are simultaneously woven together to promote a strong message at the time of the creation of the film. As i first viewed the film, I felt scattered and the story line was unclear for me. As I watched the film for a second time, there were many small details that I witnessed again and again, all leading me to the same clear message. This was a film that centralized it's ideas and information, not only around a woman and her many personality attributes and roles at such a time, but the many roles and stereotypes that women face then, in the 1940’s and today within our society. This was a film primarily based around feminism. The woman's character has a predicament of feelings, many being subconscious. The film follows her dreams that represent her inner fears and strengths and how they undoubtedly and somewhat tragically shape the outcome of the film.

The first item that I found to be of great symbolic value, was the hooded figure with the mirror for its face. While I know that there may be many interpretations of what this figure could represent, I firmly feel that it imitates the many roles that she plays in her life. It's mirror for the face, is a direct reflection to her of the dark and mundane thoughts she feels towards all of her …show more content…

While this is quite literal for the meaning of the scene, as she is actually dead and covered in blood, I feel that this scene digs deeper than that. I think that it represents to him, that the old stereotype of her, is no longer alive. That the woman who has been kept down by all of the stereotypes of his own beliefs and society's standards, has been killed. She is no longer the submissive creature he has in his household that he can control, she is now free of those

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