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Phallic Symbolism In Thelma And Louise

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We follow a shift in strength throughout the film as Thelma and Louise confront male dominance, taking on phallic symbols and promoting the act of castration. In psychoanalysis, the phallic woman is a concept to describe a woman with the symbolic characteristics of the phallus. It describes any woman possessing traditionally masculine characteristics and provokes a fear of castration in the male. Thelma’s strength comes when she conquers her fear of guns and commits armed robbery. We see her take on the phallic symbols of huge trucks and spraying hoses which appear to suffocate male oppression.

This film allows us to examine Laura Mulvey’s concept of the ‘male gaze’ as we link these suggested traits to the male characters in the film. According
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