Gender Stereotypes In The Grudge

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AIn the movie, The Grudge (2004), a woman is used to play the four big roles, which are the main character, supporting character, victim who dies early, and the evil creature, which is the dead mother who is now a ghost. The main character, Karen Davis, is an exchange student who works at the same place as one of the supporting characters as a care-worker. Throughout the movie, she learns about the events that brought the ghost into existence, while simultaneously being followed by the ghost. In the end, she attempts to kill the ghost, but it survives and continues to follow her. One of the gender stereotypical characteristics of the main character was her job as a care-worker. Care-workers are people who care for others such as children, …show more content…

The two supporting characters, Yoko and Emma, were both victims the ghost early in the film. Emma was an elderly woman with dementia whom Yoko and Karen took care of because she was incapable of doing so herself. She lived in the house that the ghost haunted, and was killed by it as well. Emma’s character could have been played by a man if the casting director chose a male actor, but by using a woman, it added to the gender bias we see in films. Elderly women are looked at as frail and helpless, so they need help to get through daily life. Elderly men are usually thought to be capable of handling themselves, but most elderly, regardless of gender, need help. Using a woman added the effect to the movie; a helpless old woman being haunted and eventually killed. Yoko was Emma’s first care-worker and the first victim of the ghost. Using a woman as the role of Yoko is based on the previous statement about care-workers; most them are women, due to the job generally being categorized as a job for …show more content…

He has them followed so she takes the boys and goes into hiding. The family takes residence in a house where the previous family had been murdered, which they are unaware of at the time. A supporting character, the deputy, is on a mission trying to break the cycle of murders that are happening by burning the houses of where the murders took place. The deputy and Courtney become friends after he helps fight off sheriffs that try to take the boys away. During this time Dylan is being shown murder videos by the children of the dead families. Clint eventually gets custody of the boys, and Courtney goes with them so that they will not get separated. While they are all together, Dylan’s brother Zach becomes possessed by the dead children and decides to make a murder video of his own family. Zach kills his father, and attempts to kill his mother and brother, but is stopped by the deputy. In the end, the deputy breaks the cycle of the murders and saves Courtney and Dylan, while Zach is consumed by Bughuul, an evil spirit. The main character’s role can be viewed as an independent mother who does whatever it takes to keep her boys safe. Although the movie doesn’t show it, Courtney was abused by her ex-husband Clint, which is why she left with the boys in the first place. In most films, the main reason for divorce in families is because the husband is abusive.

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