Some may argue that the movie The General conforms to traditional patriarchal gender roles. Annabelle Lee, the heroine, is kidnapped (albeit inadvertently) by hostile soldiers and needs the heroic exploits of her lover to rescue her. She is portrayed as submissive to her father and brother, ineffectual in plotting her own escape (such as throwing a stick of wood into the train furnace or failing to stop the engine so her lover can board it), and often exhibiting domestic inclinations ( as when she sweeps the engine with a broom).
Do you agree with this picture of Annabelle Lee -- or is it more complicated? Is Annabelle a stereotypical damsel in distress or is she a more progressive figure? Is there something about her a feminist could admire? What is this film saying about gender roles?
Generally speaking, Annabelle does fit the description for a helpless damsel in distress because she has to wait for a man to come and save her, and with him she wouldn’t have been able to escape, however, Annabelle is also much less stereotypical when it comes to this archetype because as we see throughout the movie, she is very capable of handling herself and being helpful to the escape. During the train scene near the end of the movie she is shown operating the train on her own, which I am 100% sure most people could not do. Despite this, I think one of the reasons that we see her as just a damsel in distress is because of the way society painted women in general during that time. History has, to put it lightly, not been kind to women, because the very fact that they are women means that they would be portrayed and seen as weaker and inferior to men. One of the reasons we see Annabelle this way is because of how women were forced to act in society at the time, and also how she was dressed. Society often associates femininity with weakness, and since dresses are associated with femininity, they automatically assume anyone who wears a dress will be weaker. There are many reasons why women are seen this way and why there is an archetype for the damsel is distress at all, but as for Annabelle, she was clearly capable of taking care of herself, therefore subverting society’s expectations on women.
ReplyDeleteThe damsel in distress narrative has been recreate in various movies over time in various ways. While this archetype is evident in The General there is also much more to the character of Annabelle Lee. Even from the first few minutes in the beginning of the movie, Annabelle is standing up for what she believes in. She plainly states to Johnnie she cannot be with him unless he joins the army to fight for the cause. Her intensions are clear and she will not be pushed around. As the movie progresses, I find myself looking at Annabelle Lee as a second in command to Johnnie Gray as opposed to a damsel in distress. She is always there to help him any time anything goes wrong along the journey. She doesn’t give up even in hard situations. Even when she is pushed around, soaked with water, or caught in a bear trap. Additionally I believe her character could be seen as progressive for the time. When she is taken as a hostage and then saved that is only the middle/beginning of the movie. That is her damsel in distress moment. After that, she did not make Johnnie take her home. She was instead in on the adventure, taking on real tasks and duties. While she may have some moments of conforming to sterotypes, such as sweeping the train car, these occurrences add to the main narrative of the movie as a comedy not the damsel in distress tale. Overall I believe Annabelle Lee more fits the title of the heroine as opposed to the damsel in distress.
ReplyDeleteThe General does conform to traditional patriarchal gender roles, as Annabelle’s character never truly challenges the ideals of men and the patriarchy within the film. While Annabelle has a firm, patriotic opinion on war, and refuses to marry Buster Keaton unless he enlists, her mentality largely conforms to the ideas of men in her family. In the introduction of the film, Annabelle follows Keaton to her home, and invites him inside. This scene lays out that Annabelle does in fact, like Keaton. However, when her father and brother expresses their favoritism of enlisting, she immediately makes it a priority in their relationship. When her brother and father tells Annabelle that Keaton did not attempt to enlist, it is evident in their facial expressions that they disapprove. While Annabelle favored Keaton in the beginning, she never challenges the opinions of her father and brother. By the end of the film, Keaton and Annabelle’s relationship development throughout the film is not enough for their relationship to be possible, but rather, Keaton conforming to her father and brother’s ideals that she never challenges. Furthermore, during their adventure back home, Anabelle attempts to help Keaton, but her actions are often depicted to either be useless or a detriment. One example is when she starts the train before Keaton gets back on. By the time Keaton catches up to her, she puts the train into reverse, forcing Keaton to climb back over the hill. While her intentions are to help Keaton, which follows gender roles, she is depicted to be incapable (also following patriarchal ideas). Throughout the film, Annabelle is subservient to men, and her character never develops her own ideas, thoughts, and beliefs throughout the adventure. It is evident that the film still reinforces patriarchal values, despite the adventure that Annabelle and Keaton undergo.
ReplyDeleteThe movie The General follows stereotypical gender roles by putting a woman in a position of distress. Without Buster Keaton in this film, the woman likely would not have survived the journey. This film suggests that women require saving by men. Women are often depicted this way in cinema, especially in early films such as The General. The fact that the film is silent also makes things interesting as it does not give Annabelle a chance to stand up for herself. She never really does anything to challenge the patriarchy in this movie. The only time that she takes control of certain situations is when Buster is doing something else. For example, Annabelle drives the train only when Buster has fallen out of it. Buster is the one who has to work to catch up to the train, even though Annabelle is the one driving the train. This makes her seem unintelligent or less intelligent than Buster. This follows the patriarchal system that states that women cannot perform the same tasks as men. She is given more credit than other women in cinema at this time, but not enough to challenge the idea of a patriarchal society. Feminists could admire the fact that she is given a role alongside a male character. She is given work to complete that differs from the work of a traditional woman during this period. However, she is also shown in a scene sweeping the floor with a broom when she is not supposed to be. This scene cancels out her other tasks by showing that she is not capable of helping Buster besides sweeping the train cabin.
ReplyDeleteAnnabelle Lee is a complicated character. She is portrayed as capable of doing everything, but I feel like this was shown poorly. She eventually learned how to operate the train but went through an unnecessary amount of scenes where she was displayed as incompetent. This might also be a way of showing that women can possibly do the same as men, but just require more training or preparation, which is also still sexist. Annabelle is mainly shown, probably as the author intended, to be a damsel in distress. But clearly, she is more than that: a progressive figure, with her ability to make a rope trap on the trees, throw wood in the engine, and operate the train. Although it doesn't say much about the power of women and how they can do what men can do, in the era this film was shot, it was considered revolutionary. Feminists could admire the initiative this lady was taking in resisting stereotypes and oppression internally and individually first. Feminists nowadays have tried very hard to equalize gender roles as fast as possible and overturn the patriarchy. But time and time again, it has proven to be minimally effective because resistance starts from within, and if feminists can't embrace that, there will be no change. And currently, stereotypes are changing relatively fast compared to before as more and more females resist. This film is generally still sexist towards women due to the lack of skills Annabelle Lee is shown to have, and is still pushing the message that women should stay at home and take care of children, but times are changing and maybe so will gender roles.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in the film “The General” Annabelle Lee is portrayed as the stereotypical damsel in distress, as the movie portrays her as being an incapable person who is constantly needing a hero in her life who can protect her. The idea of her being a damsel in distress is portrayed multiple times throughout the film with the film having her attempt to sweep or clean the train rather than putting firewood in or doing actions that would progress towards her safety. I feel that this was a regressive idea used in the film to claim that women don’t belong in war and solely belong in the kitchen, and claiming that women lack enough common sense to survive in battle because all they would know how to do is cook, clean, and take care of the kids. Annabelle was further embarrassed as being a damsel in distress when the film forces the Johnnie Gray, the man to create every plan used in their escape along with also having to explain every simple task in the most basic of manners as if she was a toddler who was completely incapable of loading wood or starting the train. In the film putting down Annabelle making her incapable of protecting herself it shines light on the idea of how important it is for men to be strong and capable of protecting themselves along with their lover as she should not have to protect herself, nor could she. Overall I believe the film poorly portrays the true capabilities of women as a way to diminish how they are seen in society as a manner to make people truly believe that women would be completely useless in the armor and even get in the way of men.
ReplyDeleteOverall, Annabelle follows this typical damsel in distress stereotype. In the film there are many scenes in which Annabelle is portrayed as a hopeless woman. In many scenes, she acts as if she is incompetent or must wait for a man’s orders to do something. For example, when Buster and Annabelle were in the middle of a high-tension getaway scene from the Union soldiers, she picks up a broom and starts sweeping. Buster did not tell Annabelle what to do, but it was implied that she was supposed to help put wood into the engine to make train go faster so they could get away, however in a high-tension moment, she resorts to an old habit: cleaning. This stereotype of the only thing women knows how to do is clean, is very apparent and damaging to women. Annabelle is shown as not being able to make her own decisions is damaging, especially, in a blockbuster film. These sorts of misogynistic stereotypes that persist throughout this film is reason for why she is not a progressive character. She does have a scene where she is able to stop and reverse a train so that she can go back to Buster when he had fallen off, however in this scene, a joke is tied in. When Buster falls off, he slides down a slope to try to meet back up with the train and get on, however right before the train reaches him, Annabelle reverses the train. Even when Annabelle accomplishes a task correctly, it is shown that she does it at the worst possible time, wasting time, and making Buster have to “fix” the problem and run back up the hill where he first fell off. The patriarchal views of the time in mainstream media influences this movie to create a character in Annabelle which is dependent on men and needs saving.
ReplyDeleteIn the film The General, Anabelle Lee portrays the typical damsel in distress, and she embodies the idea of female stereotypes in society. The General reflects the common perception at the time that women are incapable of accomplishing tasks without the assistance of men. They weren't considered as powerful or independent, and women were treated as the inferior gender. Anabelle, who is depicted as a helpless woman, was kidnapped by a group of men and had to be saved by her lover, Johnnie Gray. Anabelle would have been in serious trouble if it hadn't been for Johnnie's perseverance in getting to her. She is represented as being unfit in taking care of herself in various scenes of the film. Johnnie, for example, asks her to help with the firewood and manage the train; instead, she begins sweeping the train with a broom because she is unable of operating a train without Johnnie's assistance. This scene portrays Anabelle as ignorant in comparison to Johnnie, who must constantly assist her with every obstacle they encounter. Anabelle's reliance on a man to save and protect her is exemplified in majority of the film. The concept of a damsel in distress is based on the notion that women lack the wisdom and strength to take leadership. Anabelle gains more confidence in herself as the film progresses, but she still relies on Johnnie to look after her. In the world of film, women are almost always presented as inept and in need of help of a man. Despite the fact that she was given more recognition than women in other films at the period, she nevertheless embodies the classic damsel in distress.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of film, The General, Annabelle Lee was generally portrayed as a typical damsel in distress ideology within the movie, and she embodied the stereotypical role of the female. She was very submissive in general, listening to anything she was asked or told to do. She could not escape without Johnnie Gray coming to help, and she had trouble helping Johnnie on the train, with stopping the train, putting firewood in the engine, and even sweeping the engine room floor instead. She reflected the recurrent perception of the time, that women couldn’t accomplish their own tasks and were not independent. Yet throughout the progression of the film, whether intentionally or not, Annabelle was better suit to the role of Johnnie’s number two rather than a damsel in distress. She willingly went along with the adventure, playing a key role within Johnnie’s plans, putting forward her own ideas, gradually learning how to use the train, and overall becoming an independent woman. She took risks, performed her own plans, like when she tied a rope between the two trees, slowing down the enemy. Not only coming up with her own plans and executing them but handling difficult situations just as well, such as getting her foot caught in a bear trap. Her reaction was the same as Johnnie’s. While she does comply to the set stereotypes at times, these happenings add to the main plot of the film as a comedy, seeing as we studied gags. So, based on the progress of her character throughout the movie, Annabelle Lee better suits the moniker of heroine as compared to the damsel in distress.
ReplyDeleteIn the film The General, Annabelle Lee is portrayed as the classic damsel in distress, yet for the time period, she was quite a progressive character. Throughout the film, Annabelle is seen as a side character who is essentially kind of useless and in need of saving by a man. Johnnie has to go save her after she was taken by soldiers because she is incapable of escaping on her own, and as Johnnie tries to get the train back, she is unable to help. Instead, we see her sweeping the floor like a domestic housewife, and throwing little branches into the furnace while Johnnie yells at her. She even makes things harder for Johnnie along the journey. For example, she doesn’t know how to work a train, so she leaves Johnnie behind as the train reverses and goes backwards. Just when he catches up to her by climbing over a mountain, she figures out how to make it go forward, and again leaves Johnnie running to try to catch back up. Although there are many aspects that characterize Annabelle Lee as a damsel in distress, there are also moments in the film that show how she is more complex than just that stereotype. A big example of this is when she sets up a trap between two trees all on her own. Johnnie doesn’t think it’ll work, but it does and gives them more time to get ahead of the other train. This shows how she can think for herself and be useful in a setting outside of the household, where women were not usually portrayed during this time period.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the overall theme of The General depicts Annabelle Lee as a damsel in distress because when she is kidnapped, Johnnie, the male character initiates the saving. The definition of a damsel in distress is when a man is required in the rescue of saving a woman who has been kidnapped. When classifying if the plot of The General fits this narrative, I think that without Johnnie chasing after his engine and finding her, Annabelle most likely would still be in the room that the hostile soldiers put her in. The movie leaves little room for her to think up her own plan to escape, and in fact, right before Johnnie comes to save her, she has a look on her face that exhibits a loss of hope. It is clear that the male character was needed in the saving of Annabelle, but it is also important to note that Annabelle strayed from some gender roles at the time. While Annabelle was rescued by a male, she could have sat and done nothing during her rescue, but instead, she did attempt to help in the ways that should could. Some ways in which portrayed her as fulfilling stereotypical gender roles at the time, such as when she started sweeping the train floor while they where being attacked, or when she could not figure out how to move the train forwards or backwards. Other ways showed her as intelligent, such as when she tied the two trees together for the enemies train to run into. I believe that the film depicts women in a complex way in which women are not simply saved by men, but where men start the process of saving and women assist and attempt to stray from typical gender roles of the time.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the movie The General may not primarily be a commentary on gender roles in society, Annabelle Lee's character growth from typical housewife to independent person is a clear challenge to how many viewers at the time thought women should act. As an introduction to the character, Annabelle is portrayed as the ultimate stereotype. She cleans around the house, listens to the men in her life, and initially serves little more to the plot than motivation for the main character, Keaton. Later in the film, when Annabelle is caught up in Keaton's adventures, her character seems to stay the same, as she is helpless in the environment, being nothing more than the stereotypical damsel in distress. Her inactivity in the movie goes so far that when she finally has a moment of relative peace after being kidnapped, running away, and hiding, she picks up a broom and starts sweeping the floor of the train they're on, even though she and Keaton are being chased by enemies. At this point of the movie, any viewer is completely sold on Annabelle's stereotypical qualities that they may identify with through their own wives or family, and expect Anna to continue to be nothing more than a burden to Keaton in his journey. However, Keaton suddenly takes Annabelle's broom and throws it off the train, leaving her in a completely unfamiliar environment, with no familiar actions to fall back on, and she immediately starts to help Keaton. Of course, she is unfamiliar with the way a train functions, as her character wouldn't feel real to the audience if she did, and it may be that people of today look at her fumbling nature as evidence of the movie portraying women as incompetent. But, you can't stop at her initial failure to control the train or gather wood. For any accepted point to be made, the viewer has to be able to associate the general women with a character like Annabelle by initially representing her as what women were thought to be. Only after that can the movie show growth that feels genuine to the audience, and that's exactly what the movie does. Annabelle learns to control the train, and although the process is displayed as a gag, her progress is evident. At one point of the movie, Keaton stops the train to load more wood onto it, and doesn't give Annabelle any instruction. Instead of looking for a broom or fiddling with her hands, as she had done previously in times of anxiousness, she creates a trap for the enemy. In anticipation of the enemy train coming, she ties two trees together, creating a sort of close line that would ensnare the enemy train and slow them down. Keaton himself inspects her work and dismisses it, as if portraying the thought of a viewer that she could never really change, and that she could never really help him. But, when the trap works, this turns everything initial thought on its head. Not only was the women's trap successful, but a man who had been built up to be intelligent, as evidenced in his own traps, had overlooked it. Plus, if we take it one step further, none of Keaton's traps happened as he wanted them to. Although they worked out, Annabelle's trap was the only one that worked with no problems. If there is any point this movie is trying to make on gender roles, this is it. It's telling viewers that they are overlooking the abilities of women, and confining them to a role that doesn't allow their full potential. It shows, through Annabelle, that if the average stereotypical woman is given free rein in an unfamiliar environment, not only will she be able to help more than just housecleaning, she may even surpass the ability of the men she is helping. If that level of ability doesn't challenge the stereotypes, I don't know what does.
ReplyDeleteThe General by Buster Keaton, is not progressive in any sense. Keaton wrote Annabelle in the same comedic light as Johnny the point being to laugh at the character as opposed to laughing with, so how is it not progressive if the characters are written to perform gags in a similar sense? Keaton wrote many stereotypes into the story. For example, interweaving domesticity into Annabelle’s actions. As well as, how Annabelle accidentally got captured and many other instances of scenes that try to undermine the intelligence of the main female role. Many could make the argument that since Annabelle pulled the pin to disconnect the cars attached to The General, yet no one considers that this moment of heroism was something that Johnny most likely instructed her to do in the previous scene with when she got into the burlap sack. Since Buster Keaton portrays the confederate army as the heroes of the day, one could assume that Buster Keaton aligned with the confederacy, at least at least more so than the Union. The confederacy were not known for their progressiveness. In the film, Annabelle is portrayed as a prize or reward for Johnny’s adventure similarly to the train. There even happens to be scenes featuring violence against women. For example, the scene when Johnny throttles Annabelle after she made some sort of mistake, and this is includes as a comedy element. All in all, I think this film most certainly reinforces gender roles, and I think that if you look at the movie in context of its time, creator, and content its pretty obvious.
ReplyDeleteAnnabelle Lee is a damsel in distress, but she can also be seen as a more progressive figure. Annabelle is taken when Union soldiers steal the General while she is on it and she becomes a prisoner. This is when Johnnie Gray has to save her and his train. Throughout the film, we can see that the director portrays Annabelle Lee as a stereotypical woman by showing us her sweeping the train, only throwing a small piece of wood into the train furnace, and not being able to stop the train so Johnnie can get back on. However, as the film progresses, we can see that Annabelle does start to help Johnnie. When they have to stop and get wood, Annabelle creates a trap by using a rope and tying it to two trees across the railroad while Johnnie is trying to put the wood onto the train. Johnnie doesn’t believe it will work because it isn’t strong enough, but it did end up working. The rope got the soldiers tied up and they had to stop because the train was also dragging the trees that the rope was tied to. She also learned how to move the train forward and backward. These examples show that Annabelle Lee was a progressive figure at that time because it was very uncommon for women to be operating trains or having to build a trap, typically these skills were for men. Depending on how you look at the film, if you are looking at it from today’s perspective, she is a damsel in distress, but if you look at the film at the time, she was a more progressive figure.
ReplyDeleteIn the film, The General, Annabelle, the hero's love interest, is portrayed in a progressive light. I agree with this picture of Annabelle as a damsel in distress, but I also think her depiction is far more complex than can be stated in a simple definition. While she did act helpless and perfectly embody the archetype of a damsel in distress, she is probably one of the most complex female characters during this era of film. She was tied up for the first half of the movie, and made no apparent attempts at freeing herself or to try to do anything about her situation. She just sort of sits there, almost as if she was waiting for someone to rescue her. She didn’t seem to do anything to resist what had happened to her, which is a crucial characteristic of a damsel in distress. She later cries in the room that was given to her and rolls around on the bed instead of getting up and investigating or hatching some sort of plan. However, when Johnny comes to rescue her, she seems to become suddenly invigorated with motivation. It’s almost as if her character starts to gain hope and as a result, a mind of her own is formed. She later acts as an accomplice to Johnnie on their plight home and lays a trap of her own invention by placing rope through trees on either side of the track. She also eventually learns how to drive a train (after a frustrating amount of scenes where she cannot seem to figure it out) and assists Johnny while he sets his own traps and obstacles for the enemies behind them. I know my answer isn’t exactly definitive, but I think that may be the beauty in Annabelle’s character. She doesn’t exactly conform to the damsel in distress stereotype during the entirety of the movie, but she isn’t the most progressive character either. Additionally, I think it’s important to acknowledge that what was considered to be progressive during this time period is much more diluted compared to the modern age. There are some qualities about her that feminists can admire, which I think is part of what places her on the more progressive side of the spectrum. I think this film is making a subtle statement about gender roles and insinuates that they aren’t completely valid, but in a very minimalistic manner to most likely avoid heavy criticism. In a way, yes, she is progressive for her time and challenges gender roles, but also conforms to her archetype.
ReplyDeleteThe General depicts Annabelle Lee as a young woman who follows typical gender roles that traveled through society during the 1900s. In the film, we see her embody the damsel in distress role, and her willingness to accept the ideas that the males in her life present. Annabelle is captured early in the film, and does not really make a substantial effort to free herself. She is able to escape when Johnny comes to free her, which only shows her inability to help herself. Relaying on Johnny in this moment does not help prove her case as a woman who is trying to break stereotypical gender barriers. For the rest of the film we see Annabelle acting as somewhat of an accomplice to Johnny as they travel back home. Her aid to Johnny could be interpreted as beneficial, but I would not say she is avidly trying to break gender roles by doing this. In the 1900s, the role of a women/wife was to support their husband and abide by what they say. Annabelle exhibits this as she helps Johnny escape. If she were to even be considered a progressive figure, she would have been able to escape and come up with a plan on her own to get home, rather than following the one Johnny created. While this would not have been ideal at the time, Annabelle could have at least contributed more of her ideas to the plan of escape. We also see male opinion being valued over self when Annabelle brings Johnny home to meet her father. Annabelle and Johnny were interested in marrying each other, but that did not matter because once her father found out about his occupation, he rejected their relationship. Here Annabelle conforms to her father’s view of Johnny, rather than thinking about him in her own way. I do think there are times in the film where Annabelle is set up in her roll to break these stereotypes, but she never actually does. In the middle of the film, Annabelle does help to cause distraction while escaping by cutting down the telephone lines. She only carried out these actions because she is following Johnny’s plan. Annabelle play a substantial role in the plot, and without her, Johnny and her would not have been able to get back home safely and defeat the enemies. However, her roles is ultimately the one of sidekick, as she intently follows Johnny’s actions and ideas to return victorious.
ReplyDeleteAnnabelle Lee in the film, The General is not a strong representation of woman empowerment and she plays the role of the stereotypical damsel in distress. In the movie, after Annabelle was captured, Johnny Gray (played by Buster Keaton) saved her from Union capture. Johnny was putting her in sacks and she seemed hopeless without Johnny. The perpetual stereotype of a woman hopeless without a man is something that the movie is intentionally doing with jokes. While she was on the train with Johnny and they were escaping from the military, she was the gag of the fleeing. She was putting the train in reverse and was trying to sweep the floor while Johnny was the heroic man doing all of the work. Not only was she hopeless without Johnny, but Annabelle was very detrimental to the success of our Hero Johnny and she was mostly the struggle he faced during that time. While she was sweeping, all I can think of is the stereotype and joke that was carried into our generation that women can only clean and cook and cannot do the “hard work”. Annabelle’s depiction of the damsel in distress is very detrimental. A feminist can look at her bravery on the train to something she was not allowed to do and she was still trying at first to work the train. That was brave but after the train, the way she would only talk to Johnny after he was the heroic man is also detrimental. It makes it seem that you need to be a hero to get the women, and then she will like you. The movie about gender roles is very stereotypical that women are housewives and men do the critical work and become an army. It is very harmful to women who do not get jobs and get underpaid for high-level positions in the modern age.
ReplyDeleteIn the film, The General, the main character's lover, Annabelle Lee, is kidnapped and must be saved. Throughout the film, she is depicted as a stereotypical woman at the time of the film. She can be seen sweeping in unnecessary times, acting clueless, and more. Her role in The General would go on to be a general representation of women at the time. In a modern sense, I do not agree with this picture of Annabelle. It is extremely insensitive to the capabilities of women, especially the visual representation of needing to be saved. If looking through the lens of the directors, the representation of Annabelle and women in general is justified. During the time of The General’s release,1926, women were expressed by entertainment, media, etc. as unintelligent, undependable, and primarily, objects. The General did not shy from adding to the stereotypes of women in the 1920’s. Though I do not agree with the decisions of making Annabelle Lee an almost useless character, that exaggerated representation of women was common and not unheard of. I don’t think Anabelle Lee is someone feminists, especially modern day feminists, can look up to and learn from. Nothing she does in the movie is inspiring or motivational. Anabelle Lee is constantly depending on someone else to help or save her, mainly the main character. One lesson feminists can draw from this character is how not to hold themselves. Anabelle Lee holds herself to a low standard and has no desire to be greater than her given value. This is an important lesson for feminists to learn from in my opinion.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do not see much evidence to suggest that Annabelle is a progressive figure in this film, and I view her more as a typical damsel in distress, however the film can always be interpreted in different ways. The point in time when this film was released was 1926, only six years after women were given the right to vote, so I do not think there was any intention of having progressive or feminist aspects by the filmmakers, especially the fact that film was silent to. Annabelle perfectly fits the stereotype of being a damsel in distress, as she is the one in need of saving by Johnny, and would have no chance of being rescued without him. The notion that women need saving by men and men need to save the women, was a societal one of this time. The gender roles of that time were just set in stone and people stuck to them. Obviously, society in our nation has progressed tremendously as a women can now be independent, and the idea that they need saving by men is one that some or even many would find offensive. Nonetheless, in the case of The General, and other early cinema, the women is the damsel in distress. An argument to this claim, could be how there were points in the film, where Annabelle was not completely useless, and was able to complete tasks benefitting her escape, or the fact alone that she is the second main character and the whole plot revolves around her. It is always important to remember that films can always be interpreted in different ways.
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