Hitchcock/Descartes

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Hitchcock/Descartes

Am I really awake typing a paper for philosophy? Did I just watch the Hitchcock film Shadow of a Doubt or did the “not so supremely good God” plant a reel of thoughts in my head (Descartes16)? That would be ironic since the themes of the film are based upon human understanding of doubt, dreams, good, evil, ignorance and knowledge. The film portrays a neat staircase that leads into the house of an all American family and a rickety set of stairs off the side of the house that are private and used for escape. After watching the deep hidden meanings and symbolism in the film, one could perceive the image of the parallel staircases like a metaphor for the human mind. This would bring the audience into a deeper place, dark, dreamlike, full of insecurities and doubt.

The author of “Meditations the First Philosophy” Rene Descartes reaches a place in his life where he has exhausted his external passions and is ready to fully explore his internal world. In his first philosophical meditation he talks about knowledge and doubt; breaking through barriers of perception down to the foundation of thought. Looking at knowledge and truth skeptically wondering what is real and what part of his knowledge is based upon false opinions. It is in this place that Descartes explores the deceptiveness of one’s own senses. He says that senses can deceive when it “is a question of very small and distant things” (Descartes 14). He goes on to say that there are things he cannot doubt like the fire he sits next to or the winter gown that adorns his body . Dreaming is sense that often persuades the mind that it is doing something else, painting images of reality without letting the dreamer in on the truth; dreams are senses that deceive.
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...le clues that Charlie is hiding something that the family remains oblivious to. The fact that Charlie shows up, out of the blue at the same time the authorities are searching for a widow murderer does not seem strange to them. Maybe the connection gets lost, but surely they must wonder about the amount of money that Old Charlie carries; the father who is a banker and spends his free time solving mysteries does not ask any questions. Then there is the moment at the dinner table when Charlie goes off in a fit of madness and pretty much confesses to the crime and all his sister says is that he should refrain from saying such things like that at the ladies conference. The child Anne has some intuition, but she spends the majority of time hiding in fictional stories. This dream like state definitely disconnects the family members from the world and reality.

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