Identity Crisis

The women of today are strong, powerful, intelligent, and
independent. Women of today have hobbies hold jobs raise children and hold a
household together. I think it’s pretty safe to say we as women are super
heroes. In the 1950’s things were much different than today. Why weren’t women
aloud to work? Why weren’t women allowed to have hobbies? Because it wasn’t the
norm. Women in that era didn’t have their own identity. Their lives consisted
of keeping the house clean, caring for the children, and pampering their
husbands at every waking moment of their lives. Those women didn’t have a
moment to breathe or take time to relax to themselves; they had no time to
dabble in projects that didn’t concern the daily duties of a housewife. Just
imagine not being able to get your nails done, read a book, have lunch with
your girlfriends and talk about things that didn’t matter. Imagine having to
baby everyone in your household even your husband and no one caring or asking
how your day went. There is clearly a problem of identity crisis within this
time, nothing revolved around these women but their husband and children, their
families were their accomplishments. After a while not being able to have time
to yourself can have an effect on how you view your life. I can only imagine
the pity and unfulfilled feelings they must have had for their lives if those
thoughts would ever cross their minds.
“As for Block’s mother, her frustrations were rooted in
deep sexual dissatisfaction and, more importantly, the dichotomy of the hectic
demands of raising three children as a reputable community housewife and the
gradual realization of how boring and unsatisfying such a lifestyle is. My
favorite line in the whole film is when her best friend states that women in
the 50s started to figure out that there was more to life than keeping the
house clean, and that’s when the houses got dirty.”
Via (http://leshengliu.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/an-unhappy-housewife-in-the-1950s/)
In the film The Hours Julianne Moore depicts
a housewife who clearly isnt happy.
”Julianne
Moore gives a subtle, quietly tense perf as the despondent housewife, Laura
Brown, who wants out of her marriage and motherhood and contemplates getting out
by drastic means. On this one day, Dan birthday, her tensions over her
desperation reach a peak. She knows she should think different about her life
but her feelings for self-preservation win out over her duty to Dan. Moore
proves herself one fine actor and puts a very different spin and character from
her other 50suburban housewife perf in Far From Heaven.”
Via
(http://www.reelingreviews.com/thehours.htm)

Here is a clip from the opening scene of The Hours (She is the 2nd Character shown)