The rules will save you!!
Instead of examining each of the characters’ relationships to Ripley, I thought it made more sense to examine how each character relates to “the rules� in the movie compared to one another, and how their attitudes inform their respective relationships. What struck me almost immediately upon being introduced to the characters in the film was the idea of their being a set of very detailed commands outlined for which each member of the crew is held accountable. The best example I can remember is Ripley’s insistence of quarantine, which is also mentioned in the Alien reading for this week. However, we could delve further into the issue of rules, upon which the reading only touches briefly. The rules were of course given down through the Nostrodomos’ company, but with the ship’s isolation in space the rules seem to be regulated by the ship’s leaders. I kept wondering if Ripley’s insistence on following the rules had some kind of significance in terms of her role as a leader and possible mother figure. However, seeing Ripley’s attachment to rules doesn’t really point to any real power she might carry, since she is only following orders.
I feel that the rules are an extension of the ship. If one looks at the ship as an archaic mother as the reading suggests, then the significance of how characters react to the rules makes more sense. In a way the crew members could be equated to be children of the ship. Unlike the titles of the characters would suggest, I didn’t feel that either Kane or Dallas really seemed to be fully in charge. Especially when Dallas’ tells Ripley that Ash can do whatever he sees fit, because science-ish matters are his call. That gave me the impression that the ship worked more like sibling rivalry. The Parker and Brett busy themselves with mechanic-ish things, and follow the rules only if they think it has something to do with their salary. Ash is keenly interested in making scientific discoveries, and to some extent is either very selfish or just completely absorbed in science, which is obvious from his poor discretion in the matter of quarantine and dissecting the alien. From the short time we see Kane, he appears to be a true leader, leading the expedition onto the planet, and volunteering to explore the creepy black hole. He seems to want to follow the rules as closely as possible, which we can see when he gets out the handbook to say that the crew has to follow the “sos� signal. Dallas, on the other hand, is much pickier about which rules he thinks are necessary to follow. He seems to lead from his gut more than anything, and shows that he doesn’t care about rules unless he is held directly responsible when he turns over the science matters completely to Ash. Also when he opens the door and breaks quarantine, we can tell that he finds the rules contemptible. Lambert seems to mostly just be along for the ride, she follows orders but doesn’t put up a fight as do Parker and Brett. From the beginning with the quarantine order it is clear that Ripley adheres strictly to the rules, and views not doing so a big mistake (which in the end turns out to be true). I get the feeling that Ripley’s following the rules is primarily what is responsible for her being the sole survivor. In most horror movies I’ve found that the directors/creative team makes it so that smart people survive. People who don’t follow rules, or who are completely self absorbed always die. It’s the idea that somehow, even against a vicious and possibly unstoppable alien, the rules will still save you in the end. How bogus.