Freedom and confinement are like the opposite thematic poles of Thelma and Louise. On the one hand, our girls aren't quite "free" in their lives at the start of the film. Thelma is bound to her house and her husband, and Louise is strung along by an absentee boyfriend and a lousy job. The crime Louise commits in shooting Harlan forces the two of them into a kind of freedom: they've got nothing less to lose…except their literal freedom. When the threat of a new type of confinement—you know, prison—looms over their '66 runaway T-bird, they have to decide just how important that freedom is to them.
Questions about Freedom and Confinement
- Make a chart that outlines in which ways in which Thelma and Louise are both free and confined. Don't be afraid to get abstract here.
- What restrictions on freedoms do women face that men usually don't in our society?
- What exactly does prison confinement look like for women? Do some research here.
- Does Thelma and Louise support the idea that death is a kind of freedom? Why or why not?
Chew on This
Confinement isn't always an obvious condition, especially when it comes to women's roles in society.
Rebellion is a type of freedom, but it has its limits.