Animal Totems as Symbols of Marriage in Awful Truth.
Animal totems as symbols of marriage in Awful Truth.
The picture was called “the best, or the deepest, of the comedies of remarriage” by Cavell. A lot of factors influenced that decision for Cavell, from director’s work to the actors’ skills, but the main achievement of the fact that film pronounces every crucial event of genre. Marriage, divorce, remarriage, shared childhood, learning, mutual education and etc., all these themes brightly stand out from the movie plot, successfully titling it as the best example of genre. But in spite the fact that all these elements working so well together, The Awful Truth brings originality into remarriage comedy genre, using symbolic representations of a dog and a cat.
Mr. Smith, married couple’s dog plays very special role in Lucy and Jerry’s relationships. Cavell founds that dog’s role is “as the child of the marriage.” Truly, both partners heavily attached to the dog and maybe Mr. Smith served as the main reason for taking it to the court by “parents” that are permanently mad at each other. Divorce of the couple takes it to the extent where the dog is asked to choose who to stay with, and Lucy wins a custody, by tricking him with the rubber toy.
As often children do, this dog represents couple’s past, their marriage. I believe, that he associates with their present. As they both hold on Smitty so madly, trying to take best care of him and spend as much time with that dog (as much as it is a good reason to be around each other) that viewer unconsciously metaphorizes the “muse of the marriage” with their relationships, which both of them have no desire to let go.
After Lucy’s re-construction of their shared past, while showing Jerry that things have changed, another animal appears shortly. In contrast with the dog, black cat that appears at the very last scene, a traditional totem of “female sexuality,” represents something that was lost and begun a reason for divorce on a first place, something that develops couple’s relationships further, just few minutes before their divorce becomes legal. This way the black cat becomes “a muse” of the future remarriage of the couple.
As a cat pushing at the door, deciding in that inimitable way cats have that it would rather be on the other side. So instead of staring at walls and eventually falling asleep in their separate beds, Lucy and Jerry get back together. After follows meaningful exchange that helps figuring out mistakes of the past and clarify their future; final scene followed by another symbolic shot: clocks show midnight and a little couple reunites along with our protagonists.
