The Maternal Action Heroine in Popular Cinema. Jon Dahl-Nielsen

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1 The Maternal Action Heroine in Popular Cinema Jon Dahl-Nielsen Abstract The Maternal Action Heroine in Popular Cinema provides an in-depth look at the way in which the female is represented within the action genre, particularly through the figure of the action heroine, by comparing a contemporary action heroine with two iconic examples of the action heroine and their surrounding work. Focusing on the problematic theory of maternity, which is said to be apparent in the early iconic examples, this Journal will unveil the extent in which this issue is apparent in a contemporary text, revealing how far the representation of gender through the action heroine has (or has not) progressed. Key Words: Maternity Gender Binaries Stereotypes Introduction The representation of gender and sexuality within the action genre is constantly being discussed, and female action heroines that were once seen as sporadic (Tasker, 1998: 67) has since been described as forming an entire sub-genre of film known as the strong woman sub-genre (Bergot, 2007: 65). This sub-genre is said to have formed in the science fiction and fantasy genre, films such as Alien (1979) and The Terminator (1984) are significant examples of this, however as Bergot explains with films such as The Silence of the Lambs (1992) and Thelma and Louise (1991) the subgenre has begun to conquer the drama genre (Bergot, 2007: 65). Today this sub-genre is now apparent in various genres including children s films such as Frozen (2013) and the action genre with The Hunger Games (2012). Alongside these depictions of strong woman however, are representations of patriarchal gender binaries which many suggest are there to make these women s heroic actions plausible (Good, 2007: 70). The masculinisation of the female heroine, maternalisation and sexualisation are all examples of this, Yvonne Tasker puts it best femininity which is defined by passivity and hysteria, the female action hero offers a fantasy image of (proletarian) physical strength showcased within narratives that repeatedly seek to explain her (and to explain her away). Female action heroes are constructed in narrative terms as

2 2 The Maternal Action Heroine in Popular Cinema macho/masculine, as mothers or as Others: sometimes even as all three at different points within the narrative (Tasker, 1998: 69). This article will explore the way in which these heroines are represented as the mother and what affects this has on the representation of gender. Alien and Maternity The female protagonist Ripley is positioned in the Alien (1979) films as an active, heroic figure with maternal characteristics, this Jill Good proposes is a way in which creates her as an over determined character that both male and female audiences can identify with (Good, 2007: 70). Penley takes this further suggesting that this maternal instinct marks her with a difference that is automatically taken to be a sign of femininity (Penley, 2004: 132). This maternal instinct that differentiates her as a woman can be seen to represent the patriarchal fantasy of the mother as serves to make her heroic actions plausible (Penley, 2004: 132). Ripley could therefore be seen an example of what Grant describes as the re-inscription of gender onto female women who appear on the surface to be strong, countering stereotypically female roles (Grant, 2013: 169) as are, arguably, the strong women of The Terminator (1984) and The Hunger Games (2012). Examples of maternity are most apparent in the sequel to Alien (1979); Aliens (1986) however as Jill Good makes clear themes of maternity are apparently in all instalments of the franchise. In Alien (1974) Ripley is positioned as a maternal action heroine evident in the scene where she returns to the alien infested spaceship to recover her cat, strikingly similar to this we also see this in The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1 (2014) where the protagonist Katniss returns to her destroyed home district and recovers her cat. Secondly in Aliens (1986) Ripley becomes surrogate mother to girl survivor, Newt, again similar to Katnis s relationship with her sister, and even more reminiscent of Katniss s relationship with the young female character Rue in The Hunger Games (2012). Clearly this shows how Ripley is presented as a maternal figure, and what affects this has on the representation of gender as the fantasy of the mother makes her heroic actions plausible (Penley, 2004: 132). Ripley and Katniss If we compare Ripley to Katniss from The Hunger Games (2012) further, we can see how she, like Ripley, is presented as maternal. In the first

3 Jon Dahl-Nielsen instalment of The Hunger Games, for example, Katniss becomes surrogate mother to a young girl she meets in the games; Rue. This relationship is reminiscent of Ripley s maternal relationship with Newt in Aliens (1986). It is through this relationship that Grant argues Ripley is transformed into a mother, exemplified most overtly with Newt even calling Ripley Mommy (Grant, 1993: 170). It is through Katniss s relationship with Rou in which I argue reinforces, in the same way, Katniss as a maternal figure, building upon her maternal relationship with her sister, exemplified most overtly when Katniss cradles Rou and sings her a lullaby like she did at the beginning of the film with her sister. Similar to Ripley it is this transformation to motherhood that could be said to be Katniss s unmaking as a strong woman. Katniss s power, strength and courage, which could be seen as progressive, now becomes clearly connected to her desire firstly, to protect her sister, and then to protect Rou. This, as Grant argues, in reference to Ripley, invariably transforms her power to a traditionally constructed gendered power (Grant, 1993: 170). 3 Terminator and Maternity Sarah Connor in The Terminator (1984) films is another prime example of both the strong woman and the maternal heroine. Again this role has been acclaimed as a positive, strong role that, in the words of Chotiner, feminists should welcome (Chotiner, 2009: 74). Chotiner states that the film displays unexpected things with sex roles, challenging the stereotypical woman (Chotiner, 2009: 74-75). The elevator scene in Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) is used as an example of this, as Sarah Conner is seen taking on the masculine, active role by shooting at the T-1000, thus deifying femininity that is defined through passivity. However her established maternal tendencies could be seen to make this action plausible; Jeffords says She (Sarah Connor) is an animal, she bares her teeth, she snarls she has an animal voice. Like an animal, she does anything to protect her young [ ] Her emotions as a mother are primitive, stemming from her animal instincts (Jeffords, 1993: 252). Therefore we

4 4 The Maternal Action Heroine in Popular Cinema could easily attribute this heroic action, albeit a masculine one as, as example of transgressive motherhood that cinema portrays with hysteria. Sarah Connor and Katniss Sarah Connor shows more similarities too with Katniss Everdeen. Like Ripley and Sarah Connor, Katniss is presented, on the surface, as strong woman, countering stereotypically female roles (Grant, 2013: 169); she shows traditional masculine traits such as bravery and physical strength, and commits masculine acts such as Hunting, and Violence. The film also has within it, however, clear maternal themes reminiscent of those found in Ripley and Sarah Connor; which could be said to be reinscribing the traditional gender role of the mother and making her heroic actions plausible. An example of this can be found when Katniss s younger sister is randomly selected to fight to the death in the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers in place of her sister, risking her life to save her sibling. At the surface level these activities represent Katniss as a strong women, (Grant, 2013: 169), from her traditionally masculine action of hunting animals, to her sacrificial bravery in volunteering for her sister, these actions could also be seen as challenging the stereotypes attached to femininity (Chotiner, 2009: 74). However, through the overt maternal relationship she has with her sister these actions could be said to be validated and made plausible by the stereotype of the hysteric mother whose maternal instinct is to protect. (Good, 2007: 69-70). Conclusion Katniss might remain be seen to be a progressive character and avoid being gendered through maternity; Firstly, Like many male heroes, she cares about things beyond her family (Chotiner 2009: 75), her position in the overarching narrative could be read as more than just a mother as she becomes the figure head of a rebellion against the capital. Also, the fact that she is not actually mother, she is a sister, this could be viewed as an

5 Jon Dahl-Nielsen effort to avoid being attached to the gender binary of the mother, and maybe be more aligned to the theme of sisterly solidarity which is a Hollywood favourite (Cartmell and Welehan 1998: 1), therefore it may be difficult to attach these issues, that are concerned with maternity, to a sisterhood relationship. The main thing to consider however is, as I have illustrated, that there are still clear links with the maternal action heroine which could at least confuse and question Katniss s position as a progressive feminist figure. And with 30 years between the films I have compared, the fact that these issues can still be appropriately attached to a contemporary text is interested and something that needs to be further discussed. 5 Bibliography Bergot, M (2007) A Quizzical Look at the Action Heroine of the 90s and Beyond in M. Goodhill, J. Good, W. Godfrey (eds.) Crash Cinema: Representation in Film. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Cartmell, D. Whelehan, I (1998) Introduction in D. Cartmell, I.Q. Hunter, H. Kaye and I. Whelehan (eds.) Sisterhoods. London: Pluto Press. Chotiner, H. (2009) I Know Now Why You Cry : Terminator 2, Moral Philosophy, and Feminism in R. Brown and K. S. Decker (eds.) Terminator and Philosophy: I ll Be Back, Therefore I Am. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Good, J (2007) Maternal Instinct: Representations of Maternal Action Heroines in M. Goodhill, J. Good, W. Godfrey (eds.) Crash Cinema: Representation in Film. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Grant, J. (2013) Fundamental Feminism: Contesting the core Concepts of Feminist Theory. London: Routledge. Jeffords, S (1993) Can Masculinity Be Terminated? in S. Cohen and I. R. Hark (eds.) Screening The Male: Exploring Masculinities in Hollywood Cinema. London: Routledge.

6 6 The Maternal Action Heroine in Popular Cinema Penley, C (2004) Time Travel Primal Scene and the Critical Dystopia in S. Redmond (ed.) Liquid Metal: The Science Fiction Film Reader. London: Wallflower Press. Tasker, Y. (1998) Working Girls: Gender and sexuality in popular cinema. London: Routledge.