Justifying Violence and The Role of White Men Within In
Q:How is outlaw status justified?
Both Thelma and Louise and Set it Off attempt to make the women moderately blameless in their rebellion and violence by making them victims in helpless situations revolving around economy and sexual status. In Thelma and Louise, both women are lower class, and inhibited as such. Thelma has chosen to escape her poverty by marrying a man with money, but this situation results in her being controlled and isolated by her husband. Similarly, while Louise does not have a controlling husband, her mobility is dictated by her job. Neither woman possesses freedom or autonomy as a white male would. In this way, the viewer sympathizes with their violence, understanding it to be the only manner in which they may free themselves from a tyranny they were placed under.
This same idea can be viewed in Set it Off. This band of women also face uncontrollable circumstances of economy and sexual status, which inhibit them from hitting the road, or being free in any manner. Stony has been robbed of her parents in a freak accident, and must fend for herself and her brother. Her prostitution is justified in this manner, having no other means to pay for college for her brother. Frankie must work in an environment where her race and economic status is considered a liability, and the robbing of a bank by another man causes her to lose this job. In this way, her poverty is through no fault of her own, leaving the viewer to feel her anger and violence is not only justified, but the wrath she inflicts is deserved. Tesean also gleans sympathy by having a son she must provide for, by not having enough money to pay for sitter, she is blamelessly placed in a situation where her son is at risk. Therefore, when the time comes to commit a crime to rectify this situation, the audience has no problem granting her permission. Oddly enough, the only women without 'reason', is Cleo. This issue is 'solved' by coding her in a bulldagger role, masculinizing her, and making her violence seem natural and even comic to the audience at times. While the audience understands that Cleo also has a desperate economic situation, she is not given any other character traits to cause the audience to lean toward her.
All the women in these films are given some manner of economic/sexual/ racial justification for their violence, making the outlaw identity acceptable to viewers.
Q: What is the role of the white police officer?
Both Thelma and Louise and Set it Off employ the role of the white police officer in the same manner: the sinner and the saint. In Thelma and Louise, the police are both the relentless stalkers of the women, while simultaneously rooting for them. The role played by Harvey Keitel is very father like, stern yet wise, only wanting the best. In this way, he is neither completely accepted by the audience, nor wholly demonized. He adamantly tries to stop the women from ending their lives, making it appear he 'really truly cares'.
In Set it Off, the police are to blame for some of the most violent incidents (such as the killing of Stony's brother, and Frankie), yet they have one representative that acts as the 'compassionate cop'. Detective Strode's journey from hard cynical cop, to empathetic ally occurs unrealistically quickly. The audience first despises Strode for his harsh treatment of Frankie, and his involvement in Stony's brothers death. However, his slow grasping of the helplessness of the women's situations warms to audience to him. At the end, when he allows Stony to escape, the white man is redeemed in the audiences eyes.
Both films both point out the unfair behavior of the 'white cop', but only briefly before redeeming him with some kind of admirable act.