and the reasoning behind: Why Lori Grimes?
I am a diehard The Walking Dead fan, beginning from finding Season 1 on Netflix late one night, only stopping when there were no more episodes left (and coincidentally at sunrise). Along with many other viewers, throughout the series I hated Lori Grimes. She constantly went against Rick (remember when she hit a walker with the car?), technically cheating, and generally being indecisive and emotional.
At her death though, I cried. It was all very confusing, why was I crying if I hated Lori so much? Was it for Rick, Carl, the future of the baby? When I began this project, and wanted to focus on The Walking Dead, that's when I realized why. I was crying because I had become aware that despite how much Lori was vilified, she was a woman constantly looked down upon by her group members, her husband, her son. Lonely, pregnant and desperate was all she had. No matter what Lori did, it was never enough. She is a flawed, but the flaws are what make her different and real. The cliche damsel in distress is not who Lori is.
I hope that by reading this story, other viewers may get a better sense of why Lori chose to do some of the "stupid" things she did. That its not always the act, but the purpose of the act, that defines a person. This gained understanding perhaps leading to more sympathy toward her by the viewers.
I am currently a senior pursing Chemistry at a small Midwestern university, and I couldn't be happier about this project. Like my feeling towards Lori, I was adamant that at first this would be awful but I have really grown to love the work I've accomplished. Thank you Proff. E, this has honestly been the most enjoyable out of all my general education classes!
Monday, April 21, 2014
Conclusion
How does Lori Grimes challenge the Gothic damsel in distress, or complicate the understanding? In Dracula, the women seen as the damsels in distress are very weak, flirtatious and fall to the wills of men countless times. Lori deviates from this, beginning with the flirting. While Lori did sleep with Shane the story can be read deeper. It's obvious that Lori isn't physically capable of protecting her son alone. Shane is strong, well versed in guns and leadership from his career as a policeman. In the context of the story it is not unreasonable to expect Lori to find some way of protecting herself and her son, and that way is Shane. The purpose for Lori's relationship with Shane, and not the relationship itself, is what makes the difference. Some of the relationship is also unlike Dracula. In Dracula, Mina (pg 389, Dracula) and Lucy are metaphorically raped by the Count, and Lucy lusted for him prior to the rape. In The Walking Dead Lori is never raped, in Season 1 Episode 6 (not in the bibliography) she almost easily pushes Shane away from continuing his advances on her. In general, Lori seems very in control of her sexuality, and uses it to her advantage with Shane though it causes an unplanned pregnancy that ultimately kills her. The 'consequences of sex' idea is present in The Walking Dead as much as it is present in the women of Dracula (women who have 'sex' aka blood transfer with the Count become vampires).
Lori is also different as a fallen woman, and I would consider that she became the fallen woman at the moment that Rick discovered her previous relationship with Shane. As this she continues to hide information from Rick, to plan things in secret (the pregnancy tests, the plan B), and become more independent. In Gothic Literature the fallen women are often blamed for their actions, as they must fall in order for the men to rise as hero's. Comparing Lori's list of actions through the show to her protagonist husbands really make all the blame to be her. It can almost be said though that because Rick was powerless to help Lori out of the city, that that is why Lori had to cling to Shane. This reminds me of in Dracula when Mina is figuratively raped by Dracula, Johnathon stands nearby, helplessly.
The death of Lori as a fallen woman is nothing like that of Lucy in Dracula. While Lori is hemorrhaging blood and faced with death she steps up to the plate, but Lucy gracefully slips away. I really believe Lucy knew what she was going to become, and in a way accepted it, and this brought her to be a monstrous vampire preying on children. But Lori knew what she would become after death, and took measures to prevent it. Mina in Dracula had also asked to be killed at the moment she seemed to be a threat, and we admire her for that. It is only fair then that Lori is admired in the same way.
The damsel is distress is a strong stereotype to break, and it's hard not to look for a damsel in most tv shows or movies. While Lori does spend time as a damsel in distress, she is far more complex than that. Decisions about survival, abortion, and marriage are just some of her struggles. The typical damsel would cry off to another character, maybe beg for forgiveness to her husband. Lori takes a stance (think of her "I'm a good mom" scene) and defends herself, she does not stand idly by. She is flawed and those flaws are constantly beat against her until she crumbles under the pressure. In the end, Loris death in order to preserve the life of her child redeems her. This is because the life of a child is considered so innocent and angelic, and while it may be a stress on the group, new life is like a miracle in this post apocalyptic world. Lori is not just a cliche, she doesn't flirt around and weep in the corner, she (like it or not) acts in what she believes is the best interest of herself and her son.
Bram Stoker. The New Annotated Dracula. New York, 2008. Print.
Lori is also different as a fallen woman, and I would consider that she became the fallen woman at the moment that Rick discovered her previous relationship with Shane. As this she continues to hide information from Rick, to plan things in secret (the pregnancy tests, the plan B), and become more independent. In Gothic Literature the fallen women are often blamed for their actions, as they must fall in order for the men to rise as hero's. Comparing Lori's list of actions through the show to her protagonist husbands really make all the blame to be her. It can almost be said though that because Rick was powerless to help Lori out of the city, that that is why Lori had to cling to Shane. This reminds me of in Dracula when Mina is figuratively raped by Dracula, Johnathon stands nearby, helplessly.
The death of Lori as a fallen woman is nothing like that of Lucy in Dracula. While Lori is hemorrhaging blood and faced with death she steps up to the plate, but Lucy gracefully slips away. I really believe Lucy knew what she was going to become, and in a way accepted it, and this brought her to be a monstrous vampire preying on children. But Lori knew what she would become after death, and took measures to prevent it. Mina in Dracula had also asked to be killed at the moment she seemed to be a threat, and we admire her for that. It is only fair then that Lori is admired in the same way.
The damsel is distress is a strong stereotype to break, and it's hard not to look for a damsel in most tv shows or movies. While Lori does spend time as a damsel in distress, she is far more complex than that. Decisions about survival, abortion, and marriage are just some of her struggles. The typical damsel would cry off to another character, maybe beg for forgiveness to her husband. Lori takes a stance (think of her "I'm a good mom" scene) and defends herself, she does not stand idly by. She is flawed and those flaws are constantly beat against her until she crumbles under the pressure. In the end, Loris death in order to preserve the life of her child redeems her. This is because the life of a child is considered so innocent and angelic, and while it may be a stress on the group, new life is like a miracle in this post apocalyptic world. Lori is not just a cliche, she doesn't flirt around and weep in the corner, she (like it or not) acts in what she believes is the best interest of herself and her son.
Bram Stoker. The New Annotated Dracula. New York, 2008. Print.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Research Project
Annotated Bibliography
Season 1, Episode 1: Days Gone By 4:44
When Lori appears in the shows introductory credits, she has not been introduced on the show yet. The fact that she is in the intro indicates that she must be significant. Her photo and frame are broken, dirty, and weathered. This almost suggests that she might be dead. It is uncanny to see this cheerful looking woman in such a scene, one might feel compelled to pull the photo out of the rubble and clean it. She portrayed like a damsel in distress. Therefore at the start of the show it raises an important feeling about if she deserves to be saved, because it doesn't seem like shes done anything wrong.
Season 1, Episode 1: Days Gone By 7:30
Rick is complaining about his wife, Lori, to his co-worker, Shane.This scene alone says much about Lori as a person. Since Rick is a police officer and revealed as the show protagonist, viewers would trust his judgement and see him as one who wouldn't lie. This counts even further against Lori, as she must be in the wrong if these words are coming from a man like Rick. It is a little unfair to Lori though, as she is set up to be seen negatively. Note that this scene takes place before Rick is hospitalized.
Season 1, Episode 1: Days Gone By 38:44
Rick wakes up alone in the hospital, about 2-3 weeks after being shot. He ventures outside and discovers the zombie infection that took place while he was out of consciousness. Rick manages to find his home in that same day. His wife, Lori, and son, Carl, are not there. In this scene Rick expresses that his wife must be alive, because she took their family photos. It must have been Lori because a thief would have no use for them. Up until this point there was a negative attitude towards Lori, and with Rick discovery saving face for her it helps boost this idea of her as a family woman and mother. However when Rick says ,"family pictures-all gone" it also shows that Lori cared more to preserve the memories of their family than she did to save packing room for supplies like food or water.
Season 1, Episode 1: Days Gone By 51:00
Lori appears on camera for the first time here, but her name is not mentioned. Rick is calling in on the radio, and her group outside the city hears his call (not knowing who it is). She is dismissive of the message on the radio at first, by saying ,"a lot of good it's been doing" in reference to the radio itself. By this attitude it seems she thinks that nothing they hear will help, or that the group can't really help anyone anyway. When the city was being evacuated, Lori obviously could not get to Rick because he was far away in his hospital bed. By saying ,"warn people away from the city" she makes a strong opinion that the city has no hope of being safe. Here we witness that Lori has accepted Ricks death. Unfortunately, despite the potential of thinking for a second that Rick could still be alive and found it would probably compel her to go looking for him. Lori cannot entertain this thought though because she has to take care of Carl. Her defensiveness regarding Shane that she is a ,"good mom" suggests that she is ashamed of what she has done with him. They certainly don't have a romantic tie as every scene with them together in the beginning revolved around sex, and it seems almost as if Lori is manipulating Shane with sex to keep him around. It is revealed later in the series that Shane has had a soft spot for Lori long before the zombie Apocalypse, and that likely plays a role in why he doesn't see she is just using him.
Season 1, Episode 1: Days Gone By 54:06
I would consider this the most pivotal scene in the first season. As Rick draws a family photo out of the sun flap of his old police car we see that his wife, Lori, is the same woman as Shane's lover. This leads to question what kind of woman Lori really is. At this point viewers began shaming Lori for her sexual relationship with Shane. Being a police officer, we think Rick is inherently good and again Lori's actions are compared to Rick's status.
Season 1, Episode 2: Guts 2:57
The second time Lori appears on camera, she is having sex with Shane. The necklace and ring (it is later revealed to be Rick's wedding ring) makes both of them feel uncomfortable so she removes it. It's clear that she is removing it to distance her sexual acts from her marriage. The relationship between Lori and Shane isn't too strange to them, because they believe that Rick is dead. In a time of crisis like this, it wouldn't be uncommon for people to seek refuge in others for sexual or emotional comfort. It does give viewers an uneasy feeling though to know Lori is with Ricks co-worker, all the while Rick is looking for her. No matter how it is spun, this scene does nothing but hurt Lori's reputation. She could be getting back at Rick for their marital issues, seeing emotional comfort in Shane, or using sex to manipulate Shane into protecting her and Carl. It's a losing battle for Lori.
Season 1, Episode 3: Tell it to the Frogs 9:30
Members of a group are out scouting for supplies and stumble upon Rick, and decide to bring him back with them. They are part of the pack that Lori is traveling with. The look on Lori's face when she sees her husband, Rick, can be summed up as absolute terror. She is evaluating her relationship with Shane, her relationship with Rick, and how the others in their group will react to the new information. With Lori and Shanes relationship being quite obvious to the group, this act of Rick returning is almost a public shaming to Lori and her being revealed as a fallen woman. With all eyes on her, she welcomes Rick with open arms. She does not deserve the blame she is given though as she presumed he was dead.Taking a closer look at Loris reaction to seeing Rick, I compare to the reaction of another woman, Andrea, seeing her sister being bit by a zombie:
Take a moment to click on both of the images, and get a good look at their facial expressions. Andrea and Lori both display the wide-eyed shock with mouths agape. With Lori reacting so similarly to Andrea, it's almost like Lori is seeing a zombie rather her husband. Accepting Ricks death allowed Lori to move on, instead of spending all day crying she takes care of her son and another group members daughter and pulled Shane in as their protector. This better served the interests of Lori and her son. Lori's reaction is especially sallow since it is next to her sons, who is ecstatic. This scene with Andrea takes place in Season 1, Episode 4: Vatos 40:06.
Season 2, Episode 4: Cherokee Rose 42:30
The setting that the last scene took place in was overrun, and after many miles the group finds a farmhouse. The family living there offered temporary shelter, and the farm is where a majority of season 2 takes place.
When a member of the group, Glenn, is about to go on a supply run, she asks him to secretly grab pregnancy tests while lead to the discovery that night that she's pregnant. But because of the closeness of her sexual relationship with both Shane and Rick, she doesn't know who the father is. This appears to be the punishment for her relationship with Shane, as enduring both pregnancy and childbirth in a world without access to modern medicine could be a death threat. While all along Lori has lived in the present and thought of her current needs, she must now decide what will be best for the future. Lori's 'muffled sob' is the last scene in the episode, and shows her as a damsel in distress. She is frightened and has no control over the pregnancy, her crying signifies her punishment. Lori's pregnancy is pushing her to transition from a damsel in distress, to a woman who is in control of her situation.
Season 3, Episode 6: Secrets 21:30
After discovering her pregnancy, Lori discusses the possibility of raising a child in their world with another character, Dale. At this time the group is also being asked to told to leave the farm by its owners. Ultimately she, once again, recruits Glenn to retrieve Plan B for her. In the series, Dale seems to acts like a father figure to the group. When Glenn accidentally spills Lori's pregnancy to him, it's natural that Lori decides to seek advice from Dale. Looking for advice from Dale shows that Lori is uncertain in her ability to be a mother, and she continues on as a damsel in distress. She describes to Rick how she believed the child couldn't be happy growing up in this world, this seemingly negative mindset is just a tool that is used to distract Rick from the possibility of it being Shane's child. Later, Lori takes well over the dosage of Plan B pills, and after she vomits them back up Rick finds her. This is an important scene on responsibility when it comes to pregnancy; Lori makes both the decision to abort and withdraw the abortion without Rick's opinion. With Rick being the protector and leader of the group, Lori appears selfish to have kept the pregnancy a secret from Rick. A new born baby could be a huge stress on the group as it can't properly stay quiet and will require a significant amount of care and that is why we feel she should have told Rick. It also makes the viewers hate her that there were several others that Lori sought advice from before approaching Rick.
Season 3, Episode 1: Seed 35:50
The current setting for this episode is a prison. The farmhouse that the group were staying at had been overrun, and shortly after they discovered a prison still very intact and chose to settle down.
After Lori attempts to confront Rick on talking about her relationship with Shane, he simply says ,"I'm still here." Rick maintains that that should be enough for Lori, and not to continue to pry any deeper into the situation. Lori feels ostracized by Rick, and the group can see it. She then discusses the pregnancy with another character, Hershel, who fills a father figure role similar to Dale. This shows once again Lori's doubt making her own decisions and raising the child, and she comes sinks in on the idea of dying in childbirth. For her first child, Carl, she needed a c-section and knew if she had another pregnancy it would be nescessary again. The fact that each time she needs to talk about the pregnancy its with someone other than Rick means Lori feels ashamed to involve him with a child he may not be the father of. When she talks about what she put Rick though (her relationship with Shane) and how her son Carl despises her, Lori is very depressed about life after the baby will be born.This strongly foreshadows her fate.
Season 3, Episode 4: Killer Within 33:30
The prison that the group takes refuge in is overrun. Lori, Maggie, and her son Carl become trapped into a room of the prison, and the stress of the situation triggers Lori to go into labor. Knowing that she is unable to give birth naturally, another group member had been training to perform the caesarian on Lori but cannot get to her.
To save her baby Maggie must perform an unskilled and fatal caesarian section on Lori, who will turn to a zombie after death. By wanting Maggie to shoot her instead of Rick (to prevent her from turning after death) she doesn't want Rick to see her in her weakest moment (as turned into a zombie). In Lori's final words, she reflects on herself as a mother. Telling Carl ,"you're the best thing I ever did." shows the importance Lori places on family and birth. These words symbolize Lori giving up, as she doesn't draw over any other accomplishments in life.
In spite of knowing she will die from the operation with no medical equipment, Lori leads Maggie and Carl. It is a very bittersweet moment. Many fans of the show disliked Lori, for her actions with Shane then how she handles the pregnancy without Rick. The action of the mothers wiliness to accept a painful death in order for her child to survive is powerful. Lori's maternal instinct saves her in our eyes, and just like the beginning of the show we want to reach out and save her from this brutal situation. The bravery of Lori in this situation is odd, perhaps she takes the lead because she sees this as an end to her isolation by her husband. Gone will be the days where she is looked down upon by others for her relationship with Shane, even more so if Shane is really the child's father. Lori's life as a fallen woman has come to an end, with an uncanny feeling of if we really shouldn't have blamed Lori for her choices all along considering the pressure she was under: to be a good mother and good wife all while feeling lonely and scared.
The death of Lori is very interesting when Sarah Wayne Collies role as an actress is considered. In the tv show Prison Break, she becomes pregnant only to have the father pass away from a terminal health issue before the child's birth. This is erriely simmilar to how Sarah dies when acting as Lori, who without a modern style c-section would not be able to survive pregnancy.
Season 3, Episode 5: Say the Word 35:36
This clip takes place after Lori's death, and is an addendum the existing scenes. After Lori's death there are many other scenes in which she appears in different forms. The first is after being eaten by a zombie, and through the series she haunts Rick, appearing as a ghost.
Rick finds a bloated walker in the hallway and concludes that it was the one who ate Lori's body. This is really the worst burial for a fallen woman in this show, to be eaten by the most grotesque, horrifying, and unemotional monster possible. When looking at the walker Rick becomes furious, stabbing the walker allows him to express his anger towards Lori in an unhealthy way. The idea of Lori has manifested into this disgusting being that Rick can't stand to see, and the true Lori is finally desired by her husband after death. She becomes this haunting being that will follow Rick through the series as flashbacks and hallucinations. Zombies are what characters fear the most in The Walking Dead, and it makes viewers cringe. This woman, who did what we often consider as 'giving the gift of life' had her body brutally destroyed by this monster as if she was its food.
Season 1, Episode 1: Days Gone By 4:44
Season 1, Episode 1: Days Gone By 7:30
Season 1, Episode 1: Days Gone By 38:44
Season 1, Episode 1: Days Gone By 51:00
 |
| The next scene takes place several minutes later. |
Lori appears on camera for the first time here, but her name is not mentioned. Rick is calling in on the radio, and her group outside the city hears his call (not knowing who it is). She is dismissive of the message on the radio at first, by saying ,"a lot of good it's been doing" in reference to the radio itself. By this attitude it seems she thinks that nothing they hear will help, or that the group can't really help anyone anyway. When the city was being evacuated, Lori obviously could not get to Rick because he was far away in his hospital bed. By saying ,"warn people away from the city" she makes a strong opinion that the city has no hope of being safe. Here we witness that Lori has accepted Ricks death. Unfortunately, despite the potential of thinking for a second that Rick could still be alive and found it would probably compel her to go looking for him. Lori cannot entertain this thought though because she has to take care of Carl. Her defensiveness regarding Shane that she is a ,"good mom" suggests that she is ashamed of what she has done with him. They certainly don't have a romantic tie as every scene with them together in the beginning revolved around sex, and it seems almost as if Lori is manipulating Shane with sex to keep him around. It is revealed later in the series that Shane has had a soft spot for Lori long before the zombie Apocalypse, and that likely plays a role in why he doesn't see she is just using him.
Season 1, Episode 1: Days Gone By 54:06
Season 1, Episode 2: Guts 2:57
Season 1, Episode 3: Tell it to the Frogs 9:30
Season 2, Episode 4: Cherokee Rose 42:30
The setting that the last scene took place in was overrun, and after many miles the group finds a farmhouse. The family living there offered temporary shelter, and the farm is where a majority of season 2 takes place.
When a member of the group, Glenn, is about to go on a supply run, she asks him to secretly grab pregnancy tests while lead to the discovery that night that she's pregnant. But because of the closeness of her sexual relationship with both Shane and Rick, she doesn't know who the father is. This appears to be the punishment for her relationship with Shane, as enduring both pregnancy and childbirth in a world without access to modern medicine could be a death threat. While all along Lori has lived in the present and thought of her current needs, she must now decide what will be best for the future. Lori's 'muffled sob' is the last scene in the episode, and shows her as a damsel in distress. She is frightened and has no control over the pregnancy, her crying signifies her punishment. Lori's pregnancy is pushing her to transition from a damsel in distress, to a woman who is in control of her situation.
Season 3, Episode 6: Secrets 21:30
 |
| Lori speaks to Dale, the next scenes take place later that day. |
 |
| The next scene takes place after Lori attempts overdose on Plan B. |
After discovering her pregnancy, Lori discusses the possibility of raising a child in their world with another character, Dale. At this time the group is also being asked to told to leave the farm by its owners. Ultimately she, once again, recruits Glenn to retrieve Plan B for her. In the series, Dale seems to acts like a father figure to the group. When Glenn accidentally spills Lori's pregnancy to him, it's natural that Lori decides to seek advice from Dale. Looking for advice from Dale shows that Lori is uncertain in her ability to be a mother, and she continues on as a damsel in distress. She describes to Rick how she believed the child couldn't be happy growing up in this world, this seemingly negative mindset is just a tool that is used to distract Rick from the possibility of it being Shane's child. Later, Lori takes well over the dosage of Plan B pills, and after she vomits them back up Rick finds her. This is an important scene on responsibility when it comes to pregnancy; Lori makes both the decision to abort and withdraw the abortion without Rick's opinion. With Rick being the protector and leader of the group, Lori appears selfish to have kept the pregnancy a secret from Rick. A new born baby could be a huge stress on the group as it can't properly stay quiet and will require a significant amount of care and that is why we feel she should have told Rick. It also makes the viewers hate her that there were several others that Lori sought advice from before approaching Rick.
Season 3, Episode 1: Seed 35:50
The current setting for this episode is a prison. The farmhouse that the group were staying at had been overrun, and shortly after they discovered a prison still very intact and chose to settle down.
 |
| Rick speaks to Lori, the next scene takes place the next day. |
Season 3, Episode 4: Killer Within 33:30
 |
| Lori is speaking to Carl, in the next scene she shifts focus to Maggie. |
The prison that the group takes refuge in is overrun. Lori, Maggie, and her son Carl become trapped into a room of the prison, and the stress of the situation triggers Lori to go into labor. Knowing that she is unable to give birth naturally, another group member had been training to perform the caesarian on Lori but cannot get to her.
To save her baby Maggie must perform an unskilled and fatal caesarian section on Lori, who will turn to a zombie after death. By wanting Maggie to shoot her instead of Rick (to prevent her from turning after death) she doesn't want Rick to see her in her weakest moment (as turned into a zombie). In Lori's final words, she reflects on herself as a mother. Telling Carl ,"you're the best thing I ever did." shows the importance Lori places on family and birth. These words symbolize Lori giving up, as she doesn't draw over any other accomplishments in life.
In spite of knowing she will die from the operation with no medical equipment, Lori leads Maggie and Carl. It is a very bittersweet moment. Many fans of the show disliked Lori, for her actions with Shane then how she handles the pregnancy without Rick. The action of the mothers wiliness to accept a painful death in order for her child to survive is powerful. Lori's maternal instinct saves her in our eyes, and just like the beginning of the show we want to reach out and save her from this brutal situation. The bravery of Lori in this situation is odd, perhaps she takes the lead because she sees this as an end to her isolation by her husband. Gone will be the days where she is looked down upon by others for her relationship with Shane, even more so if Shane is really the child's father. Lori's life as a fallen woman has come to an end, with an uncanny feeling of if we really shouldn't have blamed Lori for her choices all along considering the pressure she was under: to be a good mother and good wife all while feeling lonely and scared.
The death of Lori is very interesting when Sarah Wayne Collies role as an actress is considered. In the tv show Prison Break, she becomes pregnant only to have the father pass away from a terminal health issue before the child's birth. This is erriely simmilar to how Sarah dies when acting as Lori, who without a modern style c-section would not be able to survive pregnancy.
 |
| Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot 16:19
Prison Break. Paul Scheuring, 2005-2008. Netflix. Web. 27 Apr
2014.
|
Season 3, Episode 5: Say the Word 35:36
This clip takes place after Lori's death, and is an addendum the existing scenes. After Lori's death there are many other scenes in which she appears in different forms. The first is after being eaten by a zombie, and through the series she haunts Rick, appearing as a ghost.
Rick finds a bloated walker in the hallway and concludes that it was the one who ate Lori's body. This is really the worst burial for a fallen woman in this show, to be eaten by the most grotesque, horrifying, and unemotional monster possible. When looking at the walker Rick becomes furious, stabbing the walker allows him to express his anger towards Lori in an unhealthy way. The idea of Lori has manifested into this disgusting being that Rick can't stand to see, and the true Lori is finally desired by her husband after death. She becomes this haunting being that will follow Rick through the series as flashbacks and hallucinations. Zombies are what characters fear the most in The Walking Dead, and it makes viewers cringe. This woman, who did what we often consider as 'giving the gift of life' had her body brutally destroyed by this monster as if she was its food.
The
Walking Dead. Frank Darabont, 2010-. Netflix. Web. 20 Apr
2014.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Introduction
What is the Gothic?
The Gothic is an form of architecture, music, fashion, and as we know it most today: literature. In literature form the Gothic appears as magnificent tales, hero's disguised as peasants, prophets hiding away in a cave, and hauntingly beautiful jagged mountains and castles. If there is a hero, there more than likely a damsel in distress waiting somewhere for him to save her.
Imagine the typical damsel in distress. She is locked into a Disney movie tower somewhere far away, or bit in the neck by a vampire, screaming and helpless. The history of the damsel is not a positive one, these women were seen as weak, and never able to make their own choices. This is the Gothic; women must fall, fail, or suffer for men to rise.
Dracula by Bram Stoker is a fantastic example of this fallen woman. Here the damsels in distress are figuratively raped, shamed as sluts for sexuality, or like the harpies, act purely on sexual desires. They also faint, scream, and cry. Imagine these women as tumbling down a staircase from beautiful and chaste to sinful and unwanted.
In Dracula, Mina and Lucy are two women attacked by Count Dracula. On pg 389, Mina Harker is figuratively raped by Count Dracula in this key passage:
"With his left hand he held both Mrs. Harkers hands, keeping them away with her arms at full tension his right hand gripped her by the back of the neck, forcing her face down on his bosom."
It is what we expect of a damsel, and we love what we expect because it is familiar to us. This project explores The Walking Dead character Lori Grimes' life where she is often a damsel, and she does many things we wouldn't expect a woman in her situation to do. Lori is important because she does not follow the cliche, and strangely, it makes us hate her.
In the Gothic there is also a theme of the fallen woman. She is not the damsel who is saved by the prince, she is the beautiful young lady who makes choices that we don't agree with. We vilify her for these and put her to a standard, she is likely to have commit a sexual 'sin'. For Lori, it is a rocky tumble down to the bottom, bombarded with hate from her protagonist husband who as a standard to all other characters in The Walking Dead.
The purpose of this blog is to show the life of Lori Grimes through the zombie apocalypse and to understand that just because she doesn't fit the mold of the damsel in distress or the fallen woman, that doesn't mean she is always wrong. The "Annotated Bibliography" page explores the many points where Lori makes choices we don't agree with, and the "Conclusions" page sums them up and explains what they really mean for Lori as a person. If you are interested in knowing more about me and why I chose to review Lori, the "About the Author" page goes into this in depth.
Bram Stoker. The New Annotated Dracula. New York, 2008. Print.
The Gothic is an form of architecture, music, fashion, and as we know it most today: literature. In literature form the Gothic appears as magnificent tales, hero's disguised as peasants, prophets hiding away in a cave, and hauntingly beautiful jagged mountains and castles. If there is a hero, there more than likely a damsel in distress waiting somewhere for him to save her.
Imagine the typical damsel in distress. She is locked into a Disney movie tower somewhere far away, or bit in the neck by a vampire, screaming and helpless. The history of the damsel is not a positive one, these women were seen as weak, and never able to make their own choices. This is the Gothic; women must fall, fail, or suffer for men to rise.
Dracula by Bram Stoker is a fantastic example of this fallen woman. Here the damsels in distress are figuratively raped, shamed as sluts for sexuality, or like the harpies, act purely on sexual desires. They also faint, scream, and cry. Imagine these women as tumbling down a staircase from beautiful and chaste to sinful and unwanted.
In Dracula, Mina and Lucy are two women attacked by Count Dracula. On pg 389, Mina Harker is figuratively raped by Count Dracula in this key passage:
"With his left hand he held both Mrs. Harkers hands, keeping them away with her arms at full tension his right hand gripped her by the back of the neck, forcing her face down on his bosom."
It is what we expect of a damsel, and we love what we expect because it is familiar to us. This project explores The Walking Dead character Lori Grimes' life where she is often a damsel, and she does many things we wouldn't expect a woman in her situation to do. Lori is important because she does not follow the cliche, and strangely, it makes us hate her.
In the Gothic there is also a theme of the fallen woman. She is not the damsel who is saved by the prince, she is the beautiful young lady who makes choices that we don't agree with. We vilify her for these and put her to a standard, she is likely to have commit a sexual 'sin'. For Lori, it is a rocky tumble down to the bottom, bombarded with hate from her protagonist husband who as a standard to all other characters in The Walking Dead.
The purpose of this blog is to show the life of Lori Grimes through the zombie apocalypse and to understand that just because she doesn't fit the mold of the damsel in distress or the fallen woman, that doesn't mean she is always wrong. The "Annotated Bibliography" page explores the many points where Lori makes choices we don't agree with, and the "Conclusions" page sums them up and explains what they really mean for Lori as a person. If you are interested in knowing more about me and why I chose to review Lori, the "About the Author" page goes into this in depth.
Bram Stoker. The New Annotated Dracula. New York, 2008. Print.
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