“Mother, do you think she’s good enough?” Women in ‘The Wall’

Gregory H.

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“Mother, do you think she’s good enough?” Women in ‘The Wall’

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Abstract

The representation of women in media, from music to movies, has been a source of controversy and debate for as long as anyone can remember, and Rock n' Roll, whether it's Chuck Berry or Rob Thomas, has been no different. But for this paper, the virtuoso rock band Pink Floyd, specifically their rock opera album and movie The Wall and the way it portrays the opposite sex will be the focus.

In The Wall, women aren't exactly shown in a very positive light. The three biggest female characters, Pink's mother (Pink is the main character, as will be explained later), his wife, and the groupie he brings to his hotel room, all represent negative parts of Pink's life. His mother distances herself from him and shows little affection, yet at the same time is overprotective and keeps him walled off (pun unintended) from the rest of the world, his wife betrays him by sleeping with another man, and the groupie, as can probably be guessed, is superficial and just wants to sleep with Pink because he's a rock star.

Introduction
Possible reasons why women are portrayed the way they are in the film
The life of Pink
The first few significant bricks
The song: Mother
Conclusion

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[...] She won't let you fly, but she might let you sing. Momma's gonna keep Baby cozy and warm. Oooo Babe. Oooo Babe. Ooo Babe, of course Momma's gonna help build a wall. Mother, do you think she's good enough, For me? Mother, do you think she's dangerous, To me? Mother will she tear your little boy apart? Ooooowaa Mother, will she break my heart? Hush, my baby. Baby, don't you cry. Momma's gonna check out all your girlfriends for you. [...]

[...] Possibility Another possible reason why women behave the way they do in The Wall is the psychological one described by Laura Mulvey. As shown in the excerpt in the thesis, Mulvey believes that (at least when it comes to film) mothers desire to have a penis, and that they can either accept that they don't have one, or they can try to “keep her child down with her.” This idea seems like it describes Pink's mother perfectly. As mentioned earlier in the paper, Pink's father was killed in World War II when he was a child. [...]

[...] Possibility The first possibility as to why women are represented so negatively in the movie, is that of Simon Frith and Angela McRobbie. As shown in the excerpt used in the thesis, Frith and McRobbie believe that “cock rock” bands look at women as being either “sexually aggressive” or “repressed,” and being “antifreedom, the ultimate restriction.” Is this the reason? Because Pink considers women to be a threat to his freedom? (It could be argued that it would have to be Pink Floyd that thinks this way since they came up with the story, but remember that this story is told through mostly Pink's flashbacks, therefore, his feelings about women could be affecting the way they are shown, so it's possible that they didn't actually behave as reprehensibly as they are shown behaving. [...]

[...] Does she and the other two women behave the way they do in the movie because Frith and McRobbie are correct about “cock rockers” seeing women in a negative restrictive light? Or is Laura Mulvey correct and their behavior is explained by simple psychology? This paper will try to find an answer to these questions. A Quick Synopsis The film The Wall, as well as the 1979 album it was based on, is about the life of Pink, an immensely popular, but very troubled rock star. [...]

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