Welcome to my blog, where we’ll be doing a deep dive into the magical world of female villains each week. And starting off strong, we have Gone Girl. Let me preface this by saying that this is a safe space for Amy Dunne apologists. Justice for my girl Amy!
Based on the hit novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl tells the tale of Amy’s relentless quest for revenge against Nick, her cheating husband – going so far as framing him for her own murder. It was the first piece of media where I felt that the female antagonist was more than just the classic mean girl, more than a hysterical shrew, more than just a tool for misogynist directors to disguise their hatred for women… Amy is nuanced. And strangely enough, I found myself relating to her. I know, I know, the red flags are burning crimson right now, but it’s not the violent sociopath part I feel drawn to. Hear me out!
About an hour into the film, Amy spits out her infamous “Cool Girl” monologue. Read it if you get a chance; even without context, I find it to be one of the most accurate takes on the collective female experience. Her view on how men only love the chill girl, the girl who doesn’t complain, the girl who shuts up, the girl who sits there and looks pretty, is overwhelmingly pessimistic – but unfortunately, I’ve discovered it to be true. It’s impossible to forever be the cool girl, because THE COOL GIRL DOES NOT EXIST. Women are not playthings or parrots – we cannot play that role forever. Once that mask of placidity is lifted, there’s a switch. And I think everyone, regardless of gender, can relate to feeling jilted enough to want to take karma into their own hands (or maybe I really am crazy and that’s just me…).
Amy represents the dark feminine that is so rarely explored in media. From birth, girls are taught not to be angry or hysterical or cunning – these are the traits most despised, the ones we must shove down and instead endure from the men around us. There’s a quote I’ve always considered to be absolutely gutting, taken from a Catherine Lacey essay:
“If you’re raised with an angry man in your house,
there will always be an angry man in your house.
you will find him even when he is not there.
and if one day you find that there is
no angry man in your house—
well, you will go find one and invite him in!”
But what happens when we don’t go find that angry man? What happens when we BECOME that angry man, when we find peace in that elusive state of aggression and hatred women spend so long trying not to be? Well, my friends, my theory is that we actually become Amy Dunne. Obviously I’m not saying we take it as far as framing and murdering – but we can see how Amy’s pandering to Nick’s expectations took away the parts of her that he was initially drawn to. Isn’t that a terrifying paradox? We lose so much of ourselves in the people we love that they eventually grow to hate us. Our sacrifices are regarded as foolish, and our femininity becomes our weakness. But by reclaiming her power through yes, admittedly questionable methods, Amy Dunne shows us that it’s freeing to break out of patriarchal expectations. No more cool girls – welcome to the crazy girl revolution.
I found your take on the phone really interesting, especially the ideas referenced towards the conclusion about Amy as a representation of the angry man.
*film
WOW. Its like you went inside my mind and put it in a blog post. I love your take on “Gone Girl” but also “Cool Girls” and feminine rage!!! I found this post to be an intriguing and strong start to your blog posts this semester. Your points are very poignant and really resonated with me. The “Cool Girl” DOESN’T EXIST!!! I really can’t wait to read more posts from you – what a great start!!!
I LOVE this take on Gone Girl because I read the book and watched the movie for the first time this summer, and I was torn the entire way through. I kept going back and forth, debating whether Nick or Amy was the crazy one. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that they both were, but I definitely had sympathy for Amy in more ways than one. Her upbringing was interesting as her parents were constantly setting unrealistic expectations for her through the books they wrote, and her husband was cheating on her!!
I loved this post!! I am such a big fan of Gone Girl, Amy Dune, and the whole “good for her” film category. You use such strong verbs within this post that are so accurate to how I feel as a women in modern day society as well as when describing Amy’s persona. Your quote from Cathrine Lacy reminds me so much of this Margaret Atwood quote:
“Even pretending you aren’t catering to male fantasies is a male fantasy: pretending you’re unseen, pretending you have a life of your own, that you can wash your feet and comb your hair unconscious of the ever-present watcher peering through the keyhole, peering through the keyhole in your own head, if nowhere else. You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman. You are your own voyeur.”
Your take on “Gone Girl” is just amazing! It’s movies where you have to internally (and maybe even externally) debate if the main character is actually a sociopath or just expressing her feeling as a woman. Your verb choice really emphasizes this idea. I think that “shove,” “spits,” and “burning” all convey how an “ideal” woman should prim and proper and NEVER let her emotions get the best off her. But, Amy breaks these boundaries and I so relate to her as well. Your first blog post was rich in strong verbs that create compelling sentences that drew me in. I can’t wait to see what’s next!