White Cops and Sisterhood
“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 of the final bank robbery, and when Cleo lets Frankie and Stony go with the money. In both of these situations, the women truly care about each other, sacrificing themselves for the good of the whole (their sisters). Sisterhood seemed to be established more easily in Set It Off, possibly because of my perceptions of race.
Thelma and Louise gain sisterhood mostly because Louise saved Thelma from Harlan, the rapist, and freed her from her mundane life. When Thelma loses Louise’s money to J.D., she gets it back as an obligation to Louise, who has done so much for her. The fact that Thelma is guilty of nothing, yet continues with Louise on the journey is key – she does not have to be on the run, but chooses to with Louise because she feels a bond and loyalty. The ending is the ultimate display of sisterhood, choosing to go out together, not sacrificing one to the police. The sisterhood is not as obvious until this point.