Uncovering the Monster of Patriarchy: Women of The Fly (1958, 1986) and Shifting Gender Politics
type: CreativeWork
description: This thesis compares the two versions of The Fly, the 1958 film directed by Kurt Neumann and the 1986 film directed by David Cronenberg, and places them in conversation with one another to examine the ways in which expressions of patriarchal dominance and the ways women operate within their contemporaneous patriarchal systems changes over time. I pinpoint two key tenets of patriarchy – women’s subordination to men and women’s role as mother and caretaker – and analyze them in their historical and filmic contexts. As Andre and Seth entangle Helene and Veronica into the messes they create, their patriarchal dominance becomes apparent either within the home, as with Neumann’s The Fly, or outside of the home, as with Cronenberg’s The Fly. Andre, however, loses his dominance as he transforms, whereas Seth’s only grows stronger. By analyzing how the women in the films interact with these expressions of patriarchal power, I argue that Helene acts as an agent of patriarchal norms while Veronica threatens its eminence. Ultimately, this thesis utilizes the women’s roles in both films to trace a shift in patriarchal operations from the contained, domestic patriarchy of the 1950s to a more aggressive and expansive patriarchy of the 1980s, which is marked by a heightened violence and threats to female autonomy as masculine insecurities and anxieties grew through the rise of the feminist movement.
abstract: This thesis compares the two versions of The Fly, the 1958 film directed by Kurt Neumann and the 1986 film directed by David Cronenberg, and places them in conversation with one another to examine the ways in which expressions of patriarchal dominance and the ways women operate within their contemporaneous patriarchal systems changes over time. I pinpoint two key tenets of patriarchy – women’s subordination to men and women’s role as mother and caretaker – and analyze them in their historical and filmic contexts. As Andre and Seth entangle Helene and Veronica into the messes they create, their patriarchal dominance becomes apparent either within the home, as with Neumann’s The Fly, or outside of the home, as with Cronenberg’s The Fly. Andre, however, loses his dominance as he transforms, whereas Seth’s only grows stronger. By analyzing how the women in the films interact with these expressions of patriarchal power, I argue that Helene acts as an agent of patriarchal norms while Veronica threatens its eminence. Ultimately, this thesis utilizes the women’s roles in both films to trace a shift in patriarchal operations from the contained, domestic patriarchy of the 1950s to a more aggressive and expansive patriarchy of the 1980s, which is marked by a heightened violence and threats to female autonomy as masculine insecurities and anxieties grew through the rise of the feminist movement.
author: Daigrepont, Emma
keywords: patriarchy, gender politics, gender relations, feminism, Film and Media Studies
date published: 2026-05-01T07:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:38:47Z
provider: Chapman University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Chapman University