GWSS Spring 2008 Section B

In both Thelma and Louise and Set It off, sisterhood and loyalty are established through surviving hard times together. Thelma and Louise fight to break free from an unhappy marriage and fight to get through the attempted rape. The women of Set It Off make it through Frankie's robbery accusation and financial downfall, Stevie's death, and Tisean's battle with child services. Thelma, Louise, Frankie, Cleo, Tisean, and Stoney all set out on an adventure in search of a better life.

The white cop functions as a "good cop" in both films. In Thelma and Louise, the while cop tried to save Thelma and Louise and get them out of trouble. In Set It Off, the white cop pursues the women, but he also tries to stop them from harming themselves and tries to help them find a way out. He lets Stoney go at the end of the film, knowing that she is on the bus. I think he felt guilty that her friends had all been killed and felt he owed it to her to let her free.

Posted by felicia at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had big issues getting to this blog! Sorry for the delay!

The first answer I`ll be answering is: " How is outlaw status justified?".
Though the two movies we are comparing are pretty different from each other, the other similarities found are quite strong. In Thelma and Louise, it all started when Thelma saved Louise from a nightmare by ending the life of her rapist. The two women are bonding better than ever..in a way looking for each other, because at that point, all they had was each other. In Set it Off, becoming an outlaw was pretty much the only possibility avaible since they`ve all been screwed in a way by their employers, the government... Like Frankie (played by Vivica A. Fox) said at some point to justify their actions: " We`re just taking it away from the system that`s fucking us up anyway".
At last: " How are the landscapes different?"
"Set it off" was more based in an urban area. A lively city where people knew very well who lived in their neigborhood. Staying in the same familiar area even after committing a crime, gave the police an easy opportunity to track them down. Which was harder for the cops to get Thelma and Louise because they kept moving from the night of the murder. The fact that their journey was mostly in a desert area, gave them a better chance not to get caught (less people means less witnesses)

Posted by quevi003 at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First of all, i am sorry that i couldn't post the blog on time. i had issues with opening the website.somehow, it couldnt' open up in my lap top.

Ways that Thelma and Louise and Set it off is different is how the foundation of these two films are set up.

In Thelma and Louise, we don't really know how strong their friendships are and what kind of friendships that they actually have. In the film, we do know from a scene that Louise has kind of like the bad influence on Thelma and Thelma's husband discourages her to hang out with Louise. Later, on we know the strength of their friendships. But, we never actually know what kind of friendship it is. Because of the last kiss that they actually have when they die or jump off the cliff. So, we don't clearly know whether their love is just friendship and caring kind of love or is it just more than that? So, we always kind of get that notiion of the lesbian relationship or bond they have.

Set it off, we clearly could see that all these african american women are just friends. they care about each other a lot. Especially Jade Pink Smith and Queen Latifa are like this childhood friends. We never get that notion of lesbian relationship amongst them. Even though, Queen Latifa is a lesbian in that movie. But, she has this partner, this other african american woman who gets introduced as her girlfriend.

Posted by Sakina at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

“How are sisterhood and loyalty established?”

In comparing the two films it’s obvious that both sisterhood and loyalty are one of the central themes in each movie, however the time in which these themes are most central in the film is slightly different.

In “Set It Off” it is made extremely clear in the beginning of the film that these women are bonded by sisterhood. It is something that has been developing for years through what the four women have shared in their lives thus far. They have grown together in the hood; looking out for one another as they journey through the thickest of it. There are multiple layers at which the viewer can determine how connected the women are; the first and most fundamental layer being that they are of the same race and economic status. Because of these similarities with their backgrounds and the ways they grew up, viewers find even more similarities in their lifestyles, humors, and thoughts about the world. In “Set It Off” the viewer witnesses these sisters risk their lives for each other when they wind up in the worst sort of trouble. It is through the common history of these females that this nature of a shared sisterhood is established.

It can also be said in “Thelma and Louise” that a sisterhood is established between the two main characters. However, this time the viewer would’ve noticed that the two females came from different places: emotional places and even experiential places. In noticing that, the viewer is immediately set up for a slightly different type of sisterhood than that of the women in “Set It Off.” This sort of sisterhood is the kind where two opposite types of people either share a common experience or go through a crisis together and in turn develop the bond of a sisterhood. Amidst all the turmoil (the violence, fleeing and robbery) that began with Louise saving her friend Thelma from the rapist, the women run together and sacrifice nothing to those who want to attain them. The fact that neither of them would sacrifice each other for any sort of gain proves that there exists a sisterhood-esque bond—thick as any—between these two females.

“How are endings similar or different?”

Because of these dense bonds that have been formed between the female in both “Set It Off” and “Thelma and Louise”, these two films are definitely set up with similarities. The first and most significant element that causes these films to go in similar directions is the sisterhoods that are formed between the main characters. The viewer has the chance to witness both the build and the rise of these friendships and in turn watches them unravel at the peak of each film. The point and which these sisterhoods ‘unravel’ is when the viewer gets a true insight at the power and meaning behind these bonds that the women have formed.

Posted by muen0036 at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

“Through character development, this scene establishes, who will live, and foreshadows who will die.” (Springer 188)

In Set it Off sisterhood was established in the beginning with the four characters. They all have different personalities from each other from each other, but each one of them is very accepting of their differences, such as Frankie who had a very good job at a bank, Tisean who is the single mom, Cleo who is the aggressive masculine lesbian, and Stony who grew up with her brother alone. These women are different as it can be, but they could relate and understand each other's problems and help one another out. Their loyalty is established by sticking together with each one of their issues and being in understanding in their problems they face.
The film presented the men robbing the bank in the beginning, and mainly the four women robbing banks throughout the film. The violence committed by these African American women seems more violent with the gun shooting, and has more of a serious tone with the scenes within the movie than Thelma & Louise.

In Thelma & Louise, sisterhood was established by the two women going on a trip, as they became outlaws. Through the film they formed a special bond and loyalty with each other helping each other out when needed such as Louise telling Thelma to watch out for people, and Thelma helps Louise out when she is in the cop car.
The violence in this film seems to be switched by gender, except for Harlan in the beginning who was very violent towards Thelma. For example, Thelma and Louise are committing the crimes, but the men were always waiting at home on these women. Some violence committed by the two American women seem to have more of a humorous genre to it, but there were a few scenes in this film that was serious.

Posted by tranx246 at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How are sisterhood and loyalty established?
In both Thelma and Louise and Set It Off used the ideas of sisterhood and loyalty as a momentous and essential theme in the films. In Thelma and Louise, the two women intrinsically need to have a bond, the sisterhood and the requirement of loyalty in order to embark on their trip in the first place. The two women are going on the road, they are two white females who seldom incur freedom from (oppressive) men and therefore depend on one another’s strengths to help motivate their travel. When the two first get into trouble, it was this bond, their intrinsic loyalty to one another that allows them to ultimately overcome their first oppressor and give them the motivation to continue with their trip. From this point on it’s all in the loyalty that the two can perform their crimes, and ultimately agree on death for themselves.

In Set It Off the idea of sisterhood and loyalty are portrayed a bit differently. Although the themes are essential to the plot, sisterhood and loyalty, due to culture and location, display essential differences from Thelma and Louise. In Set It Off the women are ultimately dependent upon their sisterhood all of the time. This is apparent because they do not actually embark on a trip, and therefore use the idea of sisterhood and loyalty at all times. However, this idea is heightened when the women decide to induce crime, and loyalty becomes the most important thing.

When Cleo becomes “irresponsible” with her cut of the money they stole it plays out like as a disrespect to the rest of the women. All four of the women’s situations are completely different and Cleo seems the least strapped or deserved of the cash, therefore her loyalty and sisterhood are questioned by the other women.

How is violence coded by gender and color?
In the film Set It Off gender and color are a significant idea behind the plot. It’s seen that these women are struggling to make it, that they’ve been brought into a neighborhood/situation and therefore they are required to bring themselves out of this situation. In Thelma and Louise their gender is less of an issue because they remain in sensical line with their femininity, unlike in Set It Off where they’ve developed themselves into essential men in order to overcome what they’re ultimately fighting. In T&L the notion that they are women is important in relation to their violence, but not once did the fact that they were white become an issue. Their violence was seen as more defense than malicious act.
In Set It Off the women were seen as being perpetuated by their situation, their “nature,” per se, that conditions them to be violent, and therefore it’s more expected but less accepted. Their violence, due to color and culture, is less acceptable. They’re malicious?

Posted by cici at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How are sisterhood and loyalty established?:
In both Thelma and Louise and Set it Off, the main characters are already good friends. Thelma and Louise talk to each other on the phone and are vacationing together over a weekend. Stony, Cleo, TT and Frankie grew up together in the projects; after Frankie gets fired from the bank, all of them work together, and they all party together. Thus, in a way, they are all already sisters. However, the bonds of sisterhood and loyalty are deepened when tragedy strikes.

In the case of Thelma and Louise, the women become bonded when Harlan attempts to rape Thelma. Louise (we guess based on allusions made to the incident in 'Texas') was a rape victim herself and was manhandled by the criminal justice system. When she came upon Harlan attempting to rape Thelma, all of that hurt, anguish, and distrust came back. Louise was victimized twice over (once by her perpetrator and once by the system)...and she couldn't let that happen to her good friend. In that split-second decision to squeeze the trigger, Louise killed Harlan as much for herself as she did to protect Thelma. And in doing so, they were bonded for life -- not only because they were both victimized, but because they took control by fighting back, thus making them survivors. While Thelma still had a way out (she wasn't the one who pulled the trigger), she recognized the depth of Louise's sacrifice and stayed on for the ride of her life. Thelma was able to repay Louise's loyalty by robbing the convenience store for gas money, thus making her as much of a criminal as Louise. In the end, these women recognized that the deepest bond they ever had was formed when they sacrificed everything for each other -- they were sisters as they drove off that cliff together.

In Set it Off, the bonds of sisterhood run deep in the projects. These women grew up together, ran together, and got in trouble together. Even when Frankie got her job at the bank (thus getting out of the ghetto life), she still spent her time hanging out with Cleo, TT, and Stony, who were all still living in the projects -- they were her people and they always would be. Loyalty also runs deep -- when Stevie was shot and killed, the women stuck together and comforted one another, since there was no one else: they only had each other. The system also victimized this group of women not once, but twice: when persecuting Frankie for knowing the robber and for killing innocent Stevie. When the women decide to fight back (by screwing the system that screwed them), the bond between them is solidified -- they become partners in crime in order (which requires deep trust) in order to achieve the same basic goal: to get enough money to get out of the projects. These women wouldn't rat on each other if given the chance. And three of them died in their pursuit of a better life for themselves and each other -- that is sisterhood and loyalty.

Why is Set it Off a Road Movie?:
The road, as we have learned is a physical entity -- pavement beneath the wheels of our vehicle for the purpose of guiding our way to and from our destinations. The road can also represent upward movement -- overcoming one's stationary status and becoming more than what one currently is. The 'road' can also be a metaphor for a psychological journey out of one's current mental status into another. It is in these latter two that we find Set it Off. Set it Off is, ultimately, a film about four women from the 'hood who were screwed over by the system in every way who were trying to get more money in order to get out of the ghetto. They wanted upward movement in terms of social and financial status. Thus, their road was less about traveling a great distance and more about getting across town to a better neighborhood and a better life. They attempted to achieve this by criminal means, since that was the only option left for these women -- all other avenues to their destination failed to get them out.

In the end of the film, Stony was the only one who remained alive -- and with a large portion of their stolen money. She had the money to achieve that upward movement, but it was tempered with the anguish that comes from the high price she paid (the loss of her 3 best friends). But, as the montage at the end indicated, these sisters wanted a better life for each other. Thus, Stony had to make the psychological journey out of guilt for the deaths of her friends and move towards honoring their sacrifice by living the better life they so desperately wanted.

The pursuit of upward movement and psychological movement can be a journey as epic as traveling a great distance. Thus, Set it Off can fit in the road movie genre.

Posted by Sweeper887 at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How is the outlaw status justified?
In both Thelma & Louise and Set it Off, the outlaw status is justified by oppression. Each movie presents a set of women who have very few options left because of their places in society. Thelma and Louise have been beaten down by men and have lost their freedom. In Set it Off, the women are trapped because of their race and incomes. With no other options left, this somewhat justifies their crimes. The viewer sympathises with them, and understands that they have been forced into this outlaw status by society.
Why is Set it Off a road movie?
I don't agree that this should be considered a road movie. Would a movie about a man plotting a murder, but never actually committing it, be seen as a murder mystery? No, because with no murder taking place, there can be no mystery. Similarly, the desire to take to the road in Set it Off is not enough to make it a road movie. A road film implies travel and mobility. This movie which is lacking these things cannot be placed in the Road film genre. If anything, it is an anti-road film. It is a look at what happens when the road is not present. But just as a comedy should not be considered as a drama, this anti-road movie should not be considered a road movie.

Posted by orour078 at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How are freedom and the road confounded in each film?
In both films, the road is seen is a source of freedom. The road is a mechanism of escape from their every day lives which have oppressed them. The road is also what leads to their doom as in both films they get caught on the road. In Thelma and Louise, they find trouble while on the road and then try to escape it as opposed to in Set it Off where they find trouble and then try to escape it by going on the road. In Thelma and Louise freedom is found on the road, and finally in their deaths. This is very different from Set it Off when three of the four girls are brutally shot down, finding no freedom in their demise. In both films the road is both a benefactor and a thief of freedom.

How are the endings similar and different?
In Thelma and Louise they die together as sisters. They are in control of their own death and die at their own hands. In Set it Off, they do not die together, in fact- one of them survives. They are also dying without the freedom that Thelma and Louise had aquired and at the hands of the police. Even in their deaths the women of Set it Off are still being oppressed. In both films their is the idea of a "good" white cop who tries to talk them down, but in both cases he is seen as a patriarchal figure who treats them as little girls and ultimately fails. His failure is because of his unwillingness to see these women as real people and as outlaws.

Posted by ninjasecret at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Thelma and Louise" and "Set it Off" are similar movies that question women's struggles on the road and result in the women becoming outlaws. Although these two movies carry the same theme, there are also several differences between the two. "Set it Off" also adds the issues of race (the main characters are African-American), economics (the four women live in the projects) and homosexuality (because Cleo is gay).

The landscapes of the two films vary for in several ways. Thelma and Louise come from lower to middle class neighborhoods. One is a waitress with a boyfriend, the other is a married housewife. One of the women in "Set it Off" has a child, and the four women end up working for the same janitorial service. The other main difference in landscape of the films is that of the road itself. While Thelma and Louise take off in Louise's thunderbird making it through several states and ending at the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Cleo and her girls never make it out of the city (with the exception of Stoney at the very end of the film). The scenery of "Set it Off" is mainly focused in the projects and at the bank that they rob. There is also a glimpse of upper-class life when Stoney visits Blair, the banker, in his home and accompanies him to a job-related party. It could be said that Stoney is the only one who truly finds the road, and she is forced to choose between two very different ones.

One similarity of the two films is the role of the white, male cop. In both movies he is the leader of the investigation to find the women, and in both films he acts as if he is trying to help them and truly cares about their survival. I'm not sure why these films chose to put the lead police officer on a pedistal as if he is truly seeking fair and positive justice in the world. It also makes me wonder why the white male is not in a position of danger or being unfairly treated by society; he is in both cases a sort of courageous super hero urging the women to do the right thing. Judging the films by this point alone do they not then just reinforce all the stereotypes of race, class and gender that already exist?

It is hard to say why both directors chose the white male as a "good guy" or why the white women of "Thelma and Louise" make it on the road and the black women of "Set it Off" do not. Both films also leave the audience wondering if the only escape from the injustices of society for women is death. Out of the six characters in these two films, Stoney is the only one who lives. However, it makes a person wonder if she would be better off dead too considering she ends up in Mexico without her friends and without her lover. By surviving she is not any better off than her friends, or the women of "Thelma and Louise." In the end is the moral of the story that women should do as their told, not take to the road and certainly not become criminals?

Posted by peanut at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Comparing Set it Off and Thelma and Louise:
How is the road as a symbol of freedom accessed?
The road in both films lead to a better place: a place where there are hopes for happiness. The road takes them away from the system that has done them no good, they have given up on trying to change things in the society they live in. If they are able to reach the road they can leave everything behind ( the people that have treated them unfairly, the system that has discriminated against them for race or gender). The four women in Set it Off have dealt with whatever they were handed and accepted it, but there comes a breaking point where they have no where to turn and no hope left for a happy future (When Stevie dies, Frankie loses her job on false accusations, and when Tisean's child gets taken away). Same goes for Thelma and Louise, they have lived for so long being okay with how they were treated but they also reach a breaking point (no one would believe that Harlan was going to rape Thelma). These women look to the road to take them away, give them options that are not offered to them where they are currently at. In Thelma and Louise they get on the road but struggle to remain on the road, whereas in Set it Off the four women struggle to get to the road. This difference does not change the meaning of the road in both films. The road is freedom in both films, whether they are on it and want to hold on to whatever freedom they have attained or keep on striving to get to it.
How are the ending similar or different?
There is similarity in the ending on the note that all the women found freedom. Cleo, Frankie and Tisean all died but isn't that also a way out? They did not leave by the road, but they still left. Stoney did reach the road and set off to freedom, living that part of the dream for the other three. In Thelma and Louise they also reached freedom, the same way Cleo, Frankie and Tisean did. Another similarity is how in both films there was no men involved in the end. All the women were independent to the ends of their lives. Even when Stoney had another option (Keith), she decided to leave and make it on her own.

Posted by Lulu at 09:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This movie broke my heart. I guess i like cheesy happy endings, but there was so much pain and death, it was hard for me to watch. Although Thelma and Louise was criticized for being too violent and barbaric, Set it Off is much worse in that sense. I can't help but think that perhaps there wasn't as much uproar around this movie because of the race it employed. Is this type of violence more expected of African American women from the project? They certainly weren't your typical domestic housewife. I found it much more upsetting to watch than Thelma and Louise. On to comparisons...
The landscapes were directly contrasted from the dry, open nature of the Southwest to closed, urban encasement of Los Angeles. Unlike in Thelma and Louise, the film didn't open with any domestic, typical gender role scenes, such as Thelma in the kitchen with Darryl or Louise at the diner. While Thelma and Louise felt more mentally trapped, the landscape in Set it Off physically and emotionally traps the women. They never even make it to the road. Again we see race play a role; they appear trapped by their own skin color. There is a direct juxtaposition of landscape in the ending scenes of both films. Both include chasing helicopters and streams of cop cars, but the freedom of the road in Thelma and Louise is contrasted with towering skyscrapers, other traffic, and tunnels that trap the outlaws in Set it Off.
Sisterhood and Loyalty i felt were more similar than different in these two films. Each woman demonstrated that they would do anything for a friend, including risking their own lives. Most dramatic to me in Set it Off were the end scenes, beginning with the bank and ending with the brutal deaths of Cleo and Frankie. Cleo tells Frankie and Stoney to get out of the car and run while they're trapped in the tunnel. In essence she is sacrificing herself for them. Another scene of loyalty includes when Stoney agrees to rob the final bank. She puts her friends before her chance at freedom from the projects and a man who truly cares about her. She too is making the ultimate sacrifice.

Posted by sigmundfreud at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Access to the road is quite different in these 2 movies. In "Set It Off" they were forced onto the road because they chose a life of crime, and had to escape, whereas in "Thelma & Louise" they chose their own road, even though it didn't quite end up the way they planned. But both had tragic endings.

How are sisterhood and loyalty established?
In "Set it Off" they have obviously been tight since they were young, so that sisterhood has been established already, but loyalty is established by complying to rob the next bank with the rest of the girls. If you back out, you aren't loyal to the group. Compared to "Thelma & Louise" where they are best friends, but their sisterhood grows stronger on the road. As does loyalty, when Thelma decides she will stay with Louise and travel to Mexico- she is loyal to her friend.

Why is "Set it Off" a road movie?
It's a road movie because they are looking for a way out of the projects, and spend the entire movie trying to get enough money so they can "get out of this town". In this way, since they are looking for a way out, and trying to get enough money so "hitting the road" is possible, it could be called a road movie. They see the road as liberating, and are looking for a way to access it the whole time.

AND, I would just like to say that every road movie ends in disaster and death, that's depressing.

Posted by nels5199 at 09:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The scenery in each movie really says a lot to me about accessibility of the road and just freedom in general. The white Thelma and Louise initially take to the road of their own choosing and set out across a beautiful southern landscape. Set It Off shows four black women unable to escape their grimy urban environment full of crime and racist/sexist law enforcement. While Thelma & Louise was controversial and revolutionary for women, when compared to Set It Off it restates the white privilege of making it to the road. I think it is significant to the scenery that the three black women die before making it to the road in Set It Off.

The function of the white cop in Set It Off versus in Thelma & Louise plays out to emphasize the classically known roles of white cops dealing with subdominant races. In Thelma & Louise the cop pursuing the white women, Hal, almost unrealistically relates to and cares about the women as they drive farther and farther into their outlaw status. Cinematically Hal is the white male who is allowed to have knowledge about Louise that even Thelma doesn’t know, cementing his power over them as a man; In Set It Off the same dynamic is found but with race and gender, obviously. Detective Strode does not have the calm ability to collect information about the girls the way Hal did about Louise, and he seems to feel no true remorse as he’s mistakenly ordered the killing of an innocent black boy. His function in this movie is to emphasize the themes of unjust treatment of women of color. Both cops however are astonished by the women’s ability to perform such crimes, and echo especially the shock that audiences got as they saw Thelma & Louise in the early 90s.

Posted by Courtney at 09:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Both Set It Off and Thelma and Louise have strong established relationships between the women as friends. We see this in Set It Off while the women are sitting atop of the roof getting high together. We gain a sense of their togetherness and compassion for each other. They talk about the "old" days so we know that they have been friends for a long time. Thelma and Louise still has this establishment of friendship, but I feel that they are not friends from when they were young children. They never talk about their lives before their adulthood. In regards to race and class, it is stereotyped that more African Americans from the projects are "pot heads" and this is idea is used to establish the friendship among the four women.
The endings in both films are tragic in the sense that the characters die, except for Stoney. However, one could question wether or not it really is tragic. In both films the women were being oppressed and they could not get away from the abuse they were facing, thus they turned to lives of violence. In Thelma and Louise, Thelma finally gained a sense of self and was happy with her life, even though she was a felon. The women in Set It Off were too being oppressed and trying to escape from the projects and start a new life. Even though not all of the women were as fortunate as Stoney, who was able to start a new in Mexico with all the money, they did finally get out of the projects.

Posted by Susie Q at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The four girls in Set It Off are good friends at the beginning of the movie. They become better friends throughout the film as they make decisions that only they can know about. Their loyalty is established by the banks that they rob and must keep between themselves. There are times when certain members of their group feel that they should stop robbing the banks but they always come back to needing money for T.T. to help her get her son back. They also want the money so that they can rise up and overcome living in the projects and the way that they were raised. This gives them all the motivation to keep on robbing the banks and sticking by their sisters. They create a bond that lasts throughout the entire movie, even until they end when they must part to be able to survive. In Thelma and Louise their loyalty is established in much the same way as Set It Off. They set out on the road to have a relaxing weekend to get away from it all and end up running from the law. They become close by killing the people they meet because all they have is one another. Their friendship is reaffirmed at the end of the movie when they decide that they will die together. If killing yourself with your best friend is not sisterhood and loyalty, then I don't know what is.
The outlaw status in both films is justified in similar ways. In Set It Off they justify their bank robbing at first because they are helping T.T. to get money to get her son out of social services custody. They also feel justified in doing it because Stony's brother was killed by the cops when he was mistaken for someone else. They also decide that if they are ever going to move out of the projects that they will have to rob a bank to get the money to do it. Thelma and Louise also justify their acts of murder throughout the film. At first their murder is justified as self-defense for Louise so that she wouldn't be injured or raped by the man at the bar. It becomes easier for them to kill people throughout the movie because they did it once already. We also feel that Thelma has been pushed to the edge by her husband. We justify her outlawness by the fact that we feel sorry for what she has had to go through.

Posted by Irelandfanatic at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Thelma &Louise" and "Set it off" are two movies that center around female characters trying to flee the injustices of their lives, and also the law. Both movies being with an initial momentum to action. Thelma and Louise go on a road trip, but only start to flee when they realize that the law will never believe their killing of a man was self-defense from rape. In "Set if off" the various women go through different experiences, one loses a job, another loses her brother who was murdered by cops and another is under threat of losing her son. These actions brought down on them by the law or another authority place the women of both movies in a situation where they must fight for their survival. But their survival and their struggle is presented and affected differently becuase of the circumstances of the lives of the two groups of women.

Once these women have been shunned and hurt by the world or the system around them, their only recourse is to find their own way of survival. The viewer wants Thelma and Louise to run away because the law will punish them unnecessarily. The same occurs with the women of "Set it off." These women have suffered through no fault of their own, and they must find a way to make something of their lives. So the narrative of each movie provides the women with a reason and right to become outlaws. Both groups of women begin their story being quite non-violent, but as their circumstances become more dire, then violence becomes more prevalent. They don't begin with violence (though they always have guns) but the violence escalates as the law and other's around them become threats to the women

The violence is colored by the gender and race of those involved. One similarity between the movies comes from the fact that en both narratives it is women fighting against male-controlled power. Thelma and Louise are running away from the investigator Hal, having to struggle in various ways with other men, which they are romantically involved with. The four women in "Set if off" also struggle against male power. They have male bosses who treat them badly, and are also trying to evade Detective Strode. Stony also has a love interest, which she has to juggle with the circumstances of her life. So, in a sense the women are having to make their choices and their escape against the male bodies that affect their lives.

Some the differences between the women of "Set if off" and "Thelma & Louise" seems to arise from differences of race. The white women of "Thelma & Louise" have the freedom of mobility, to travel away in a car. They aren't trapped in a city or a neighbourhood. Their escape occurs in the open road. The four black women do not have the privilige of mobility, but instead are struggling to find it. Their goal is the open road itself, with not much thought given to their final destination. This distinction in circumstance causes the violence within the stories to be different. Thelm and Louise, with their mobility, can escape from the violence. But Stony, Cleo, Frankie and T.T. are necessarilly trapped, and have to face their battle for freedom head on, not being able to escape or evade the violence. This difference marks the different endings for the women. The two white women chose their death, and had the power to kill themselved. But T.T was killed in the act of a crime, and Cleo and Frankie chose to die, but were massacred by the law. The extent and type of violence within both narratives were marked by the gender of the protagonists, but the black women suffered more from their circumstances.

Posted by whoa at 08:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Why is “Set it Off” a road movie?
How is auto-mobility achieved?

Race operates in tandem with class in both Thelma and Louise and Set It Off in determining how auto-mobility is achieved and what type of road film happens.

In Thelma and Louise you have a traditional road film in terms of the story arch, but the nature of the road film is disrupted by the gender of the people traveling on the road. Thelma and Louise’s gender is the force they are reckoning with throughout the film and the obstacles they face surround gender and money. Auto-mobility in this film is much easier to achieve, because although T&L are not wealthy, they have the benefit of small amounts of money that they were able to set aside. So, they can get on the road and have momentum in their journey without worrying about money for things like food or gasoline.

In Set It Off, the road film story is disrupted by race, class and gender, making it so much more difficult to get on the road. The obstacles and oppressions they face while on their journey (to the road) are based in their intersectional position as poor women of color. Set It Off is a road film because the characters are trying to get from one place to another – in the projects to out of the projects – and the narrative has them getting closer and closer to their destination. Auto-mobility and the success of their journey is classed, both in their need for crime to facilitate the departure and in the nature of their journey. They achieve auto-mobility (a car and the ability to physically and financially get out of poverty) through stealing, a tactic that is representational of the desperation of poverty and oppression. Some in the class have said that the violence was gratuitous, and I think that perspective fails to look past the acts that are being committed and see how the characters have been driven to those acts. The journey in Set It Off to get to the road is filled with so many obstacles and injustices, that by the end it feels as though the characters were acting purely through self-defense.

Posted by Jenny at 08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A sense of sisterhood and loyalty is present in both Thelma and Louise and Set it Off, though they come from different circumstances. Thelma and Louise feel this connection to a certain extent as friends, but it is clear that the truly strong bond that leads them to commit suicide together does not begin to develop until after they start running from the law together--after Louise kills Harlan. The four friend in Set it Off, on the other hand, seem to have a much closer relationship and an immediate sense of sisterhood from the very beginning of the film, seemingly derived from their situation--living in the projects--and mutual desire to change that situation. In these two instances, the white, middle-class women and the lower-class black women are driven together by situations that make them want something more than friendship--a closer relationship with the women important to them. For the white women, their sisterhood is strengthened by the active threat of rape, a definitive external force that drives them together; for the black women, it is simply the conditions in which they live that brings them close together (although the straight women are closer to each other than they are to Cleo, whose lesbian relationship makes them uneasy). It seems as though the white women can afford to have an easy friendship because of the greater freedom their race gives them, while the black women must have the strong sisterly bond from the beginning to merely survive the perils of being underprivileged both financially and racially.

Violence in Set it Off is much more graphic and omnipresent than in Thelma and Louise, though much of it is committed by men in the former. The opening bank robbery in which Frankie watches one of the (male) robbers shoot a woman in the head is much more graphic than the women's later violent crime, when Tisean shoots Luther as he threatens Cleo. Tisean's crime is much more like Louise's shooting of Harlan than the shooting Frankie witnesses during the robbery--both Louise and Tisean shoot to protect their friends from a male threat. However, this is one of the few similarities between the women in these two movies when it comes to violence. The bank robbers in Set it Off are much more willing to threaten bystanders with their guns than Thelma and Louise are (the latter apologize profusely to the highway cop as they lock him in his trunk at gunpoint while the former shout at bank patrons as they point guns at them and steal the money). It is as if the people behind these two films believe that violence is more acceptable to the audience when it is committed by black women or by men--the white women are considered victims of circumstance for much of their film, while the black women are immediately suspected of malicious wrongdoing--so that Thelma and Louise's crimes are immediately justified while the Set it Off ladies' crimes are a little more morally ambiguous. The privilege of the white women here is clear--they commit justifiable homicide and get a chance to hit the road and run from the authorities while the black women are suspected from the start and are trapped in Los Angeles.

Posted by ristee at 08:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A similarity between Thelma & Louise and Set It Off is the perception of their outlaw status. Thelma and Louise were both commiting crimes, but it was hard not to sympathize with them. They were persecuted as well, Thelma was nearly raped for being a naive, white woman. Fate dealt them a lousy hand, and they dug themselves further in with each decision, until it seemed as if there was no other option than to keep doing what they were doing. Set It Off gives the impression that the four main women never had a chance to lead a stable life because of their backgrounds. The only person who was trying to further her career was Frankie; then, she gets accused of helping the men rob the bank. She wouldn't've known these men if she hadn't grown up in the projects. The four of them see no other option but to rob banks for money. In theory, this is the worst idea ever, but for some reason, watching them succeed brings feelings of joy and sympathy. It feels as if they really do not have any other choice but to become outlaws to even their own community.

The sisterhood and loyalty differ in each of these films. Thelma and Louise are close and maintain the "we both go down together" mentality until they drive their car off of the Grand Canyon. In Set It Off, the four women do not get the experience, or the glory, of dying together. They all are killed one by one, the sad Queen Latifah song playing through the end. Stony is the only character that makes it to the road, and she is left to travel alone.

Posted by magatron at 01:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How do you compare a "classic" American women's road movie with a more modern road movie, the latter of which never actually makes it to the road? I have always enjoyed "Set It Off" and being able to analyze this one with a classic is eye-opening.

How are sisterhood and loyalty established?
In Thelma and Louise, the two women bonded through their mutual run from the law. Though unintentional, they both remained loyal to each other by sticking together on the road and growing and “evolving” together. In Set It Off, sisterhood and loyalty grown closer through their mutual trials and tribulations that they see each other experience. They all experience individual tragedies at the same time, and feel like they are hitting a brick wall. This becomes the initial bond that ties their friendship, and is bonded together by street loyalty of “keeping your mouth shut” and going along with the rest of the group once they start robbing banks. Although people like T.T. and Stony are initially reluctant, they go along with the rest of the group out of friendship, loyalty, and the mutual feeling that they have no other place to go. I also found the films both posess mutual hatred for overly aggressive male figures (Luther in Set It Off, the rapist and Thelma’s husband in Thelma & Louise) It’s also interesting how both groups of women had a mutual goal: to reach the road in Mexico for escape and new freedom. Even though only one woman out of the 6 total combined in the films actually reaches this goal, the outlook of freedom bonds them all.

How does the role of the white cop function in the narrative?
In Thelma & Louise, I saw the white cop as the female compared to the masculine women running the show. Even though he was supposed to be a source of authority and power, he was so passive it almost made me sick. He saw and treated the women as delicate little flowers, and not the fugitives he was supposed to be pursuing. In Set It Off, the lead officer is more aggressive than the cop in T&L, but still is astonished at the fact that a group of women can be running the show, robbing all these banks. They also make a lot of evident mistakes in both the initial investigation of the bank robberies, and their investigation of the 4 women; which I feel is due to their over-confidence because of how they initially judged Frankie, Stony’s brother, and the rest of the colored people in the projects. In T&L, there wasn't that large, evident divide of race seperating the cops from the women. Because of what happened to Stony’s brother, I think the lead officer in Set It Off also seems to feel an enormous amount of guilt, and that is why he seems more “gentle” and lenient when dealing with her in comparison to the other women.

How are the endings similar and different?
In both endings, the women meet their demise after running from the law for so long. Although in “Thelma and Louise” we never actually see them die, it is assumed, since they drove their car off the Grand Canyon. They had an almost successful road adventure, in which they seemed to finally find their voices and identities through being outlaws on the road. In Set It Off, all of the women but Stony die. It seems to be their punishment for their crimes and running for the road. It almost seems that, even though Stony was equally liable in all of the bank robberies, she lives because she had tried and attempted to make a better life for herself, even though she only succeeded once she reaches Mexico.

Posted by KoreanPrincss at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How is violence coded by gender and color?

In Thelma & Louise, violence is coded by gender. Throughout the film, male oppressiveness is consistently subverted by the two women's journey toward escape. It is specifically the heteronormativity of the film's relationships that is undone/criticized by violence--abusive husbands, rapists, aggressively crude truck drivers, and swindling crooks comprise the sorts of male-dominated arenas that seek to persecute women, and they are (nearly) all destroyed or maimed. In Set It Off, violence is coded by both gender and color, although color is much more prominent. The four women in this film are victims of unjust bureaucracy and racist societal codes that are ruled by and mainly serve white citizens. Although there is much unsympathetic violence committed by African American characters in the film (for example, in the opening bank robbery committed by males) that shifts the narrative into strongly feminist territory, essentially all of the film's violent acts are clearly signified as interracial. The fact that nearly all of the film's violence is committed by black characters is somewhat troubling, but said violence is not glamorized by the film's end.

How does the role of the white cop function in the narrative?

In both Thelma & Louise and Set It Off, the white cop is portrayed as a counterbalancing force that must comprehend and stifle the revolutionary actions of women--actions that are inseparable from the cultural, economic, political, etc. hardships that caused them. The two white cops serve as semi-sympathetic figures outside of the "oppressed minority" sphere who repeatedly question what they are doing and attempt to bring dangerous, climactic situations to peaceful conclusions that, unfortunately, often end in the deaths of the rebellious women at their own hands. While the continued presence of the cop in Thelma & Louise tends to undermine the film's feminist messages (as it maintains a phallocentric narrative despite its self-reflexive criticism), the cop in Set It Off is presented as a remorseful, conflicted side-character who must maintain order at the cost of a (somewhat) legitimate feminine uprising--the women's situation is not justified, but the alternative is not just, either.

Posted by pete5676 at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Throughout the course of these feminist road films we are able to see this loyalty and bond through sisterhood that is created through connections made with the presence of suffering. In Thelma and Louise both women are able to bond through their experience of rape and abuse by the men that they encounter. Through their journey their relationship is strengthened as they move further and further toward feminism and away from the societal norms that have been enforced on them by men. In Set it Off the women are initially bonded through childhood and upbringing emphasizes the connection found through poverty. As time passes and the individual women begin to be taken prisoner by the system that is both dominated in terms of race and gender of the white male and stripped of any power they may have possessed over their own lives. They realize that their misfortunes can strengthen their sense of sisterhood allowing them to raise up and fight against the system to reach a state of power and stability.

In the two films as the women move further down the road the journey provides them with accessibility in reaching freedom. Both Thelma and Louise as they continue to beat the male dominated system with situations when Thelma robs the convenience store and the two women shoot up the semi-truck realize the freedom that they have provided themselves with by standing up for the rights as women. Similar to these examples in Thelma and Louise, the women in Set it Off continue their path toward empowerment as they continue to “set off” the system. The more illegal activity they involve themselves in the more free they become knowing that they are leaving social constructions of normality behind allowing themselves to feel privileged something the white male dominated system has never allowed them to experience.

Posted by Megatron at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How are freedom and the road confounded in each film?

The road is freedom and freedom is the road in each of these films. In Thelma and Louise, Thelma and Louise's freedom is only found on the road. If they stop for too long, they will no longer be free, but if they continue to move, they are more likely to remain free. In the movie, Set it Off, the women are free even though they are not on the road but at the end of the movie, the only way for them to be free is to set off on the road and lose their former identities. In both of the films the women choose to die for their freedom. If they were faced with the option to be free with the end result being death or being caught and incarcerated with the ability to survive, all of the women, except for Stoney, chose freedom and death. Stoney ended up being the exception to the rule. She saw the road as her only source of freedom but ended up surviving without being caught. Freedom and the road go hand in hand and it would seem impossible to have one without the other.

How are the endings similar and different?

The endings are similar in that there is the option of death or incarceration, and all of the ladies choose to die for their freedom, except for Stoney. She was lucky enough to choose freedom and survive on the road, where all of the other ladies died for their freedom. The end of Thelma and Louise is different from Set It Off in that the women stand and die together in Thelma and Louise whereas in Set It Off they choose to part and die alone. Set It Off was much more violent in the end compared to Thelma and Louise. The endings are similar in that the white cop in each movie has an attachment to the women and genuinely cares about their well being and is extremely dissappointed in their choices and deaths.

Posted by bella at 06:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The first question that caught my attention, was "How is outlaw status justified?" I immediately started thinking about Thelma and Louise, and how the main charcters are not treated as dangerous criminials but as defenseless white women that only need help from their male counterparts, as well as the police, to save them from a life of running on the road. Their outlaw stastus is only justifed because it makes the audience feel sorry for these women, both of whom are rape victims. We know their pasts and therefore, we can understand why they are on the run. However, the women in Set it Off are not offered help, but chased after with anger. The audience does not have a clear idea of the women's past and all we know is that each woman has their own reason for committing these armed robberies. Now since these four women are from the "hood" they are seen from the start as poor and aggressive. Their outlaw status is justifed by their desire to want better for themselves, especially economically. However, due to the use of guns and the aggression that each woman developed by the last robbery, its easy to see how some people watching the movie may not feel that these women are not justified. There is no good way to look at it. How can we accept one and not the other? But as we discussed in class, I believe the "white privilege" held a large impact on the women in Set it Off. I continue to believe that if Set it Off was about 4 white women trying to get out of poverty by robbing banks, they would be treated differently, probably with more sensitivity.

I paid close attention to the main cops in each movie. So I had to comment on the question, "How does the role of the white cop function in the narrative?" We could see how the cop in Thelma and Louise treated both women as respectively as possible and actually showed care and concern for their well beings. He tried to save them in the end and was not successful. I really don't believe that, if these women weren't white, they wouldn't recieve the same treatment. I think its safe to say that with white priviledge comes a more respectful response to crimes from the white cop as well as the other law enforcement agents; respectful meaning a less aggressive approach. Of course we see the complete opposite in Set it Off. The white cop performed in a manner which is much more realistic in society, but especially within the African-American community. There is no peaceful conversation when he was talking to Frankie at the bank in the beggining or with Cleo when he took her downtown for the police line-up. The only time we saw this white cop with any sensitvity toward the women is when Stoney's little brother is killed and during the last robbery the women attempted to pull. So, in this case, comparing these two road films, I feel that the white cop role played in each movie, was exactly on point. I can believe that white cops would act the same in reality as they did in each movie because of the racial differences between the characters in Set it Off and Thelma and Louise.

Posted by will1612 at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sisterhood and loyalty are established in a very unique way in both Set It Off and Thelma and Louise. Because they become the only people known to their secrets, they essentially are eachother's family and only contact. Since what they are doing, in both cases is illegal, they must be loyal to eachother in order to protect one another. This bond seems to be established more quickly and deeper than in men who are participating in the same type of activity. We see in Set It Off that the women each sacrifice themselves in the hopes of protecting another, and in Thelma and Louise, they drive off into their freedom holding hands after sharing a family like kiss.

The landscapes really shaped the scene for each movie. Thelma and Louise were able to achieve freedom easier because they were conquering the new frontier in which they could dissapear without a trace. For the women in Set It Off, it was a different situation. The girls were in plain view everyday in a bustling city and in their "hood". They remained going to work as to appear that nothing had changed. These were essential in determining the outcomes of each movie and their evasion of the cops.

Posted by Alexandra Goldman at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How are sisterhood and loyalty established?
Compared with "Thelma and Louise" sisterhood and loyalty are established through mutual misery rather than true loyalty and friendship. "Thelma and Louise" was a movie where sisterhood and loyalty were already established before we saw much of the movie. They were in agreement to go travel the road together and find their freedom. They only commit the crimes as a statement of loyalty to each other because they are doing it to defend each other from the people who have treated them unjustly. The characters of this movie, in particular the character Cleopatra 'Cleo' Sims, continually have to threaten the group of characters to stay together. Cleo reminds the group that they have been through many hardships based on how other people have treated them and that they can justify their criminal behavior by treating other the same way. Cleo threatens the group with bad language and violence, making them feel guilty and obligated to stay around herself. Without such reminders and threats of violence, it is likely that the group would leave her for a life of good conscience and morality. Therefore, there is quite a difference in the manner the movie "Thelma and Louise" and "Set It Off" establish sisterhood and loyalty.

How are the landscapes different?
The physical and social landscapes of "Thelma and Louise" and "Set It Off" are quite similar and different in many manners. The physical and social landscapes can give the movies an interesting contrast that can explain the actions of the characters. The physical and social landscape of "Thelma and Louise" is more western, more rural with fewer nodes or places where people generally meet. The spatial patterns are larger and the manmade interests are spaced out more. Therefore, the action usually comes as a result of what Thelma and Louise do whether they go to a night club or whether they decide to pick up a stranger. The physical and social landscape of "Set It Off" is quite different as it is set in the middle of busy downtown Los Angeles. The enviornment features many more nodes or places where people can come together and meet. The action in the movie can go both ways as there are many times where the characters do bring the attraction of people to themselves and also many times where people are attracted to them. The public in this movie is generally more intertwined with the actions of the characters as a result of the more close nature of being in a busy downtown.

張惠妹

Posted by 張惠妹 at 05:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How are sisterhood and loyalty established?
In Thelma and Louise sisterhood and loyalty are established through the crimes that they commit. They grow closer on the road after the killing of Thelma's would be rapist, as they go through their various trials, robberies, and crimes. In Set it Off the loyalty is already established between the four women throughout their childhood and adult lives. In Set if Off the loyalty and sisterhood is broken down by the various thievery and robbery. They are constantly disagreeing and agrueing about how the job needs to be done and who is doing what. There is no clear leader in this group, where as Louise is clearly the leader in Thelma and Louise.

How are the landscapes different?
The scenery between both movies is as different as night and day. Thelma and Louise shows the natural beauty of the southern United States, It focuses on wideopen spaces and the freedom that the road has to offer these women. Set it Off focuses on the landscape of the inner city of Los Angles. The scenery is completely opposite that shown in Thelma and Louise. There are closed in spaces constantly surrounding these women and there is no clear road available to help set these women free from the problems that face them.

Posted by Lady at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In films Thelma & Louise and Set It Off, there is a common role with a common function. This role is a white male cop. The role is important in each film, both to help drive the action and to expand audience appeal with the male gaze theory. Men would presumably have a more difficult time relating to either film without some occurrence of gender or racial familiarity, and that is where the similarities begin for each of the role. In helping push forward the plot, the white male cop in each movie knows about the women in pursuit and knows their criminal histories. The women in each movie cannot escape this, and it contributes to the inability to escape for the sets of female fugitives - yet still motivates them further to try and break away. They represent the society the women are eluding, including the typical male authority. Ultimately, while showing compassion for the fugitives, the white male cop is still working toward fishing the women back to the society that they are trying to rebel against.

Though there is a very similar role in these two films, the landscape among them is quite different. The landscape in Thelma & Louise helps promote the freedom they are pursuing - the rural presence emphasizes open space and everything that comes with it. That includes a general path with less obstruction and a better opportunity to exercise their freedom. They get a vehicle with the top down, the wind across their face - a completely ideal road journey with the setting to ensure adrenaline. However in Set It Off, the landscape and setting hinders their freedom and mobility. Taking place in an urban environment rather than the rurality in Thelma & Louise, the women in Set It Off are more confined and cramped simply due to their location. There is physical noise throughout their surroundings, and their rebellion via banks and vehicles relies on that business, it depends on having people around to a certain degree. This restraint forces a different adrenaline rush than the women in Thelma & Louise receive from their landscape, and helps the movie take to different directions.

Posted by ryanx422 at 04:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How is violence coded by gender and color?
In the film Thelma & Louise. violence is seen as a threat and not an actual action. Most often the threat of violence suffices for these white women and they only resort to real violence when it is actually necessary (the slaying of Harlan, the destruction of the truck driver's semi). For these white women, violence is also something that is not normal in their lives; it is not a common occurrence, which is a distinguishing characteristic from the black women in Set it Off. For the black women, they resort to violence as a means of getting stuff done and not just for self-defense. They use the threat of violence like Thelma and Louise do, but they are more likely to actually use it. While alarms were raised about the fact that (white) women in Thelma & Louise use violence, the same was not brought up of the portrayal of violence by black women in Set it Off. This violence may have been written off as typical of the gangsta genre and therefore it would not be a big deal to see violent women.

How does the role of the white cop function in the narrative?
It seems as though in both films the white cop is a catalyst for the endings of the film, particularly in Set it Off. While in both films the cop is the pursuer and his actions help drive the women in both films to act the way they do, in Set it Off there is a greater sense that it is his actions that cause the plot of the film to develop. He is entwined with many of the film's events and his ardent pursuit of the women cause the demise of all but one of them. He also does not seem to sincerely want to help the women, while the white cop in Thelma & Louise does seem to mean well. The cop in T&L seems more like a father figure than the apparent oppressor that is the white cop in Set it Off.

Posted by Emma Zoch at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

“By courageously looking, we defiantly declared: “Not only will I stare. I want my look to change reality.” Even in the worse circumstances of domination, the ability to manipulate one’s gaze in the face of structures of domination that would contain it, opens up the possibility of agency.”
- Jones, The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader

The white cop in both Set It Off and Thelma & Louise plays a vital role in the narrative. Both Hal and Detective Strode see more than other cops do in the potential of the case, advancing the narrative by following their instincts and not dropping the case as others would have (such as the black cop in Set It Off). After seeing what they have caused, evidenced in the grandiose chase scenes of both films, Hal and Detective Strode want to save the girls, feeling as though they know them (which Louise refutes on the phone with Hal, and Frankie displays in the standoff scene). These men also lose their temper on the people who do not want to save these women and are treating them like the convicts they are. Both men shout out in anguish several times throughout the chases, commanding their peers not to shoot.

I also found it interesting that both men who initially started the case were there for the finish, given the intensity of the crimes of both sets of women. Hal is portrayed as a more emphatic person of smaller build, as opposed to the muscular Strode, who obviously was meant to be portrayed as the former army man, a perfect representation of the “system”. Set It Off contains more of a “look away” from blacks by whites; the police consistently look away from the black women, whether they are mourning, blowing up, or dying. This does not take place in Thelma and Louise: in fact, Hal runs after them, looking the whole time the women projectile off the Grand Canyon. This could be due to the racial differences in the characters. Strode also (uncharacteristically) lets Stony go, what we can assume Hal would have done given the opportunity.

Sisterhood and Loyalty are developed through very different means in Set It Off and Thelma & Louise. In Set It Off, sisterhood is developed from the women being the same race, socio-economic status, and being from the same hood. These are all displayed when the women are getting high on the roof – they share common experiences, slang, jobs, and activities. They have all reached their financial and emotional breaking points simultaneously (aside from Cleo, who wants to do it for fun). The Godfather scene develops the family atmosphere and lets us know that these women are not hardened criminals. The concern these women have for each other and the true sisterhood is established in the ending, when Stony does not back out o