Phallocentrism and the Male Gaze
"Happiness is a word I'm always a little wary of...I prefer to think about peace and comradeship." - Marianne Faithful, What I Know About Men
This quote shows how Marianne defines happiness and how she is happy with somebody. It is ironic that this is how she feels but the she desires and obssesses over is neither peaceful nor a comrade but a playmate who likes to seduce her a occasion. Phallocentrism is shown in this road film because Raymond, the lover, is the phallus and therefore has control of the women. She wasn't satisfied by her own husband, Danny, because he treated her like a queen and never objected to anything she did or said. For example, when she received the motorcycle from Raymond, she asked Danny whether she should keep it. He said she could do whatever she felt was right for her. He always left the decisions up to her, except for when she wanted intimacy, so she hated that. She had the control in the relationship. But Raymond had the male gaze. He looked at her for the pleasure of looking at her physique, not because she was attractive in his eyes. For example, when she was on the ladder in the bookstore. She was somewhat "in one place and harmless" like discussed in the lecture. Raymond gazed at her for his own satisfaction.
To take everything I just mentioned into regard, I don't find that this film is liberating to women. Well, the fact that she was on a motorcycle the whole movie, was a sex difference that women aren't usually seen as doing, was liberating. As for why the woman left, isn't liberating at all. She drove off to the man that is man that women tend to dislike. These are the men that are demanding, afraid of commitment, sex-oriented, and unappreciative. Danny, on the other hand, loved and respected her, wanted her to be happy, and appreciated her but he couldn't satisfy her sexual needs and he was a bit of a push-over. Danny, despite a couple qualities that could be changed, is the man that most women want. I don''t understand why she decided to leave besides to fulfill her desire to be touched. This wasn't liberating for me because I saw that Daniel was clearly the better man for her, but she was stuck on voyuerism, the phallus(Raymond), and being rebellious.