Phyllis falls perfectly under the description of an femme fatale in this tale. From the beginning I have called her the black widow because black widows are shy in nature but become fatale. Phyllis has been acting dumb since the beginning to get what she wants. The black widow waits for its catch, in this case Walter gave alone. She grabs him and won’t let him go. This is why I say that she is the mastermind and the femme fatale. Something that a femme fatale must have, manipulative, tricky but nice personality.
She makes Walter believe that he is the control in the planning in which he has but that is what she wants. She tricks him in planning and doing her job without her doing anything. She acts like she was no clue in what she is doing; therefore Walter comes in and "takes" control. In chapter two she has the idea to kill her husband but she claims that she really can’t go through with it. "I haven’t any reason. He treats me as well as a man can treats a woman...we can’t. Its simply --insane." she acts this way after she plants the seed into Walters head to kill her husband. She waits for him to pop up and to take the roll of the mastermind. In a way he dose. He falls right into her trap. "Yes, its insane. We’re going to do it. I feel it... but you're going to do It." and this is the part where she gets happy ending. "Yes, god help me, I'm going to do it" (18).
He takes his roll really serious that he begins to coach her. "I showed her that her only chance was to talk dumb, not start the car, and wait him out, until he would get so sore, and so worried over time, that he would make a martyr out of himself. She kept at it. Just like she was coached" (43). I find it ironic that the student is teaching the teacher here. He has no clue that what he is telling her to do is what she is doing to him as he thinks.
Phyllis is the femme fatale and a perfect one I say. When Walter lacks in his own plan she pops up like a true mastermind. " That man must have weighed 200 pounds, but she had him on her back, holding him by the handle...his head was hanging down beside her head. They looked like something in a horror picture" (51). She had to carry her death husband because she thought that Walter was going to flake. When Walter asked her why was she carrying him and why didn’t she waited for him to carry him, she replied "where were you? Where were you?" "I was there. I was waiting-" "did I know that? Could I just sit there, with that in the car? (52). She got mad because that was his job and she had to pick up her picky to do something she wanted him to do.
Frustrated and deviant, half predator, half prey, detached yet ensnared woman, the femme fatale (Phyllis) for ya.
hello Jeannie, my name is Miguel, and i would like to tell you that I really like your blog. I believe you have enough material in these writting assigments to create a really good essay. the analogy of the black widow help me understand more the way in which walter was control and led to the destruction of his lefe (when he lost everyhting the love of his life, money, and power). also the part the horror scene where Phyllis is carrying her husband. so keep it up jeannie and let me how your essay comes out, if do not mind of course...good job :)
ReplyDeleteyes your right when you say that Phyllis is a black widow. She had away of luring her pray in to a deathly trap. She overwhelmed him with her womanly looks and charm. But with a heart fool of dissipation and deadly trust for blood, like the black widow hit with no warning. And before he new it he was dead . In a flash his life had been turner up side down and there was no return or going back. You keep on writing you have some really good ideas. I hope there will be more on Phyllis. Keep it up
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