Gender Theory Portrayed in Fargo
The movie Fargo is a cult classic film that came out in the year 1996. It is well-liked by those who reviewed the movie, as it received high ratings, with many calling it their favorite movie ever. Fargo takes place in Minnesota, which quickly becomes obvious judging by the characters’ strong, almost-Canadian accents. The main character, initially, is Jerry, a car salesman who appears to not be satisfied with his current life, and is clearly in need of quick money for reasons unknown. Jerry sets up a plan to have his wife kidnapped by men he hires, and then have his father-in-law pay the ransom to get his daughter back. This plan quickly unravels, and the men he hired become involved in a series of murders that are eventually traced back to him. The movie does not appear progressive in terms of gender roles right away, but the most important character in the movie becomes the sheriff who solves the mysteries, Marge Gunderson. Marge is a pregnant police officer from Minnesota who goes all the way to Fargo, North Dakota to solve these murders. Marge’s character challenges Ideal Femininity theories, the Feminine Apologetic, and the Socialization Hypothesis by being the one in charge of the relationship with her husband and becoming the ultimate hero of the film while carrying a baby.
There are certain scenes in the movie in which traditional gender norms are challenged. The film even depicts “Margie’s” husband bringing her food at work, which challenges certain traditional norms for husband and wife. The director does a great job at enforcing these challenges to traditional norms while subtly including them in the movie. In Fargo, this concept of Ideal Femininity is smashed. There is a scene where Marge has dinner with an old friend, who creates a false sob-story for himself to try and get Marge to become romantic with him. The guy is a little crazy, but Marge keeps extremely cool and handles the situation with ease. It is especially interesting because the film came out in 1996, and society was not as progressive towards gender equality than it is today.
The fact that the head of an important murder mystery is a pregnant woman even challenges the Socialization Hypothesis. It is not common that one would see a pregnant woman at the forefront of a complex murder investigation, let alone chasing down the criminals on her own. There are likely young women and girls out there that watched the film and were empowered by Marge’s character and role in the movie. The film depicts Marge as calm, reasonable, and diligent, displaying the fact that she is pregnant with a sort of confidence.
Marge’s character is certainly not a balance of masculinity with conventional femininity. She plays the role very well, and her character’s sternness and energy make her a very strong female lead, that really challenges the Feminine Apologetic. Marge has a husband who cooks and tends to her needs, policemen under her that respect her, and an intimidation that scares criminals. Her character is very strong, and certainly not restricted by gender inequality that is evident in many other films.
The film Fargo is an interesting story that displays Marge as an incredibly strong female lead, while challenging many Gender stereotypes that exist in other movies and society. She does not possess any form of “Ideal Femininity” as shown by her husband that caters to her every need. She challenges the Socialization Hypothesis just by being a female police chief that is also pregnant solving a murder case. Marge does not exhibit the Feminine Apologetic as she does not balance femininity and masculinity; she is just a respected police chief. Fargo was certainly an interesting film, and Marge really does become the focal point of the movie, as her character challenges different gender norms and traditions within our society.
