Far From Heaven

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Far From Heaven

1. Upon entering the bar for the first time, Frank displays many of the motivational theories listed in the book. Frank enters the bar in order to find a place for his homosexual preferences to be shown. Instinctually he prefers men to women and is driven into the dark alley and the bar by this biologically determined need. We learn from his wife’s reaction when the girls are having daiquiris that she and Frank are not having sex very often which according to the book is a basic need, so Frank according to the drive-reduction approach is driven to the bar to fulfil himself. This lack of sex that he is having at home also can lead to the application of the Arousal approach to motivation where Frank is trying to seek out sources of stimulation and activity because his home life doesn’t provide any. Finally, cognitive approach to motivation implies that Frank was motivated to go to the bar in search of fulfilling a goal. In this case the motivation was intrinsic he only was interested in enjoying himself, he knew that nothing tangible could come from this, for it must be kept a secret. All of Frank’s actions and motivations fit into the pyramid developed by Maslow. In order to attain a state of self-actualization Frank needed to develop all of the steps below. He tried through work, his wife, and a large house to make himself believe he was fulfilled but with out the basic physiological need at the bottom of the pyramid he never would be truly happy.

3. Throughout the movie Cathy, wears her emotions on her face. Her facial expressions are at times a window into her mind, clearly showing how she is feeling and thinking; while at other instances they are clearly a façade to those of us who know the true situations. One of the first instances we see Cathy show emotion is when she notice a strange man in her backyard. As she goes onto the deck to confront the man, her face shows a mixture of fear and assertiveness. She is afraid of the stranger and wants him gone. Once she find’s out it is Mr. Deegan Sr.’s son her facial expressions change to embarrassment and guilt, she knows she judged the stranger more harshly based on the color of his skin. Later as the girls discuss their sex lives over drinks, Cathy’s face shows that she is clearly uncomfortable in the situation and hopes not to have to reveal what goes on with her a...

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...s situation and reinforced any stereotypical attitudes she may have had.

For the length of the movie, we never see any women or men outside traditional roles. All of the men in the movie have authoritative positions, whether it be Frank as the executive in the firm or the restaurant owner. The women however seem to be placed in lesser supportive rolls, homemaker, secretary, and waitress. In the case of the seemingly upper-class group that Cathy associated none of the women ever had jobs, their lives revolved around their family, setting up dinner parties and gossiping. This was an accurate portrayal of the way people thought in those days; it was supported by the way the women and men were treated at parties and the work place. When ever Frank went into his office, the secretary was sure to take his coat of for him, and if Frank wanted to speak to his wife get he on the phone. When at dinner-parties it was always the hostess’s job to make sure glasses were filled and people were having a good time. The discrimination caused by these emotions weren’t as obvious in the movie, but it can be assumed that Cathy never went to college because she was a woman in this period.

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