Comparison of Rear Window and Vertigo

In both Rear Window and Vertigo, the main character displays voyeuristic behavior. L.B. Jeff Jeffries displays his voyeuristic nature in Rear Window by spying on his n

Another flaw in these protagonists is that they both experience relationship problems. Jeff has problems committing to the woman who loves him, Lisa. This is inevitably linked to Jeff’s problem with voyeurism. “As Jeff gazes across the courtyard…he is watching a kaleidoscope prophecy of his future, a catalog of the number of ways love can go wrong.” Each of Jeff’s female neighbors represents what Lisa may become: one woman focuses all of her love on her pet dog, rather than her husband; another woman, a dancer, entertains large groups of men while her boyfriend is away in the army; the sculptress is obsessed with her work; the new bride is obsessed with sex; and Miss Lonelyhearts, as Jeff nicknames her, is a lonely romantic on the brink of suicide. Also, Lisa provides intelligence, beauty, true love and loyalty to Jeff, who rejects her because of his need for supremacy. To prove her love for Jeff, Lisa puts her life in peril placing herself into Jeff’s voyeuristic world by entering the apartment of one of Jeff’s neighbors, whom Jeff suspects of murder. Jeff realizes he loves Lisa her from this perspective.

John Scottie Ferguson, the hero Vertigo, has a similar problem with voyeurism. When an old high school friend, Gavin Elster appears and asks the aimless Scottie to put his private detective skills to use by spying on Mrs.Elster, Scottie is almost immediately intrigued. Elster claims his wife, Madeleine, is possessed by the spirit of one of her relatives who committed suicide by drowning herself in the San Francisco Bay. Mr. Elster wants more information on Madeleine’s doings before he is willing to commit her to a mental institution. Madeleine likes to wander, according to Elster. Scottie, similarly, has no mental aim. This personal connection subconsciously leads him to agree to tail Madeleine. Scottie finds himself intrigues by Madeleine, who, unlike his old fling Midge, is unavailable to Scottie. Madeleine is both married and possessed—this leaves no chance of returning his feelings; thus, he feels it is safe to watch her and even to fall in love with her. Like Jeff in Rear

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