Analyse How the Beginning and Ending of a Text Show an Important Change in a Character

Analyse how the beginning AND ending of a text show an important change in a character or individual in a text (or texts) you have studied.

The film Iron-Jawed Angels (directed by Katja Von Garnier) shows an important change in the character Emily Leighton (wife of Democratic senator Thomas Leighton). Through examining her character at the beginning and ending of the movie we can best see her change from an obedient, silent housewife who suppresses her desire to take fight for suffrage, to a woman who openly and proudly takes part in the suffrage movement. The techniques of dialogue, costume, cinematography and music help show her change in character between the start and finish of the film.

Dialogue provides the clearest indication of Emily’s change of character over the course of Iron-Jawed Angels. In her first scene, where she is being asked to support the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA) Emily’s dialogue is very evasive – when asked to make a pledge she replies with “another time, perhaps.” Her indecisiveness suggests that she’s never really been asked to participate in anything as significant as this, a fact cemented during her discussion with suffragette Lucy Burns (also towards the beginning of the film). Emily claims she doesn’t follow politics because she hasn’t “the head for it”, mimicking the opinion of many anti-suffragists of the time. Lucy reminds Emily that without the vote women don’t have control over their own lives; “We're citizens or we're chattel: you don't really need a degree from Harvard to figure that out.” The change in Emily’s character becomes clear when towards the end of the movie Emily echoes Lucy’s sentiments during an argument with her husband. Thomas has taken her children away from her because of Emily’s participation in the suffrage movement. Nowhere else in the film are the limitations on women’s rights made so clear to Emily as when her husband asks her “how are you going to stop me [if I take the children]?” At this moment, she loses her patience and finally voices her discontent, exclaiming “What am I to you, Tom, in your house? Chattel?” This is the first time Emily truly vocalises her discontent with her position both as a woman and as a wife.

Another technique which demonstrates Emily’s change in character is costume. At the beginning of the film, Emily’s well-tailored clothes – dresses or matching skirt/jacket suits, along with scarves and elaborate hats – mark her out to the audience as coming from a wealthy background, which makes her stand out against most of the suffragists. More importantly, the director and costume designer have chosen to put her in baby blue outfits. This symbolises her allegiance to her husband, as blue is both a masculine colour and one used by the democrats. Significantly, Emily is often seen with her children in opening scenes, who are also in blue. This, combined with the pastel shades aligns Emily with children rather than adults and symbolizes how according to society and the law, women were sometimes infantilized – they could not vote for legal representation like adult men, and were not thought mature enough to participate in “serious” public arenas like work (which calls to mind again Emily’s comment about staying out of politics). In Emily’s final scenes of the movie, costume helps show her shift to independence from her husband. After being unjustly imprisoned in the Occoquan workhouse for “obstructing traffic” (while picketing the White House), Emily’s costume is the inmate’s uniform, a dark brown, baggy dress made out of coarse material. It is what all the other imprisoned suffragettes wear and shows she has ideologically moved towards them and away from her husband. Emily’s final scene completes her change. She is sitting with the members of the National Woman’s Party, waiting on news about the suffrage amendment and is now dressed in yellow – the colour of the NWP. This demonstrates how she is totally committed to suffrage.

Cinematography also helps the audience realise Emily’s change in character from the beginning to the end. In Emily’s first scene, a tracking shot is used to follow her movement as she avoids the NAWSA volunteer. A close up shot then shows Emily looking back over her shoulder at the volunteer as she walks away from the camera, making her smaller. These two shots demonstrate the conflict in her character at the start of the film. She tracking shot suggests she does not care about suffrage and wants to get escape, but the close up reveals that Emily has probably given some thought to the matter. Her walking away from the camera represents the fact that she is subverting her own interest in an issue. Close ups are again used in one of Emily’s final scene with her husband to show how she is now willing to voice her concerns about women’s suffrage. She is participating in a hunger strike at the Occoquan workhouse when her husband visits her. Close ups allow the audience to see how pale and ill Emily looks, making us realise how far she is willing to go to be heard – Emily is now willing to kill herself over a cause she believes in, which is a contrast from the woman who could not openly admit her interest in suffrage at the beginning of the film.

Set in the first two decades of the 20th century, Iron-Jawed Angels and the character of Emily Leighton remind us that both times and people can change. Emily’s development from a timid housewife at the beginning of the film to a vocal and passionate support of women’s rights at the end teaches the audience that every person’s voice is important and must be heard.