When thinking of the novel “The Stepford wives” by Ira Levin (1972) and the movie adaptation of the same title directed by Frank Oz (2004), the element that screams science fiction is the obvious presence of cyborgs. But underneath the obvious, lies various themes common amongst all channels of science fiction, which we have studied closely during this semester. One of the main purposes of science fiction is to show humans in situations that are scientifically possible but a drastic step from what we know to be reality at the present time, to expose and examine the responses of humans. Some of the themes in both the novel and the book that explores the human’s reactions are “gender sexism”, the objectification of women, and the technological control. The complete science fiction experience can be achieved through the comparison of the text and movie to the themes that teach us about our limitations and our humanity.
The novel is about a married couple with two children that move into the quaint town of Stepford in Connecticut. The women of Stepford are all perfect and spend their time being subservient to their husbands and taking care of their homes. The men are all a part of a men’s-only club called the men’s association and when not at work, they spend their time at club meetings. Joana is a semi professional photographer who is interested in politics and the women’s liberation. (Levin, 2) Her husband Walter joins the men’s association to work from the inside to change the rules to include women members. She scours the town for comrades to create her own women’s club and comes up with only Bobbie and Charmaine. The rest of the females in town do not have time because of housework or aren’t interested in “such things”.
The gender power inequality in the town is the backdrop to a couple that strives for a balance. In the novel, Joana is a stay at home mom who is trying to build a career in photography while her husband works. Her husband tries to wash the dishes and compromise so that their household runs smoothly. But like Cleo in the story “Options”, the weight of the indifference in their relationship is evident in the stressed attempts at lovemaking. It isn’t till later in the story that Walter admits that he is unhappy with her appearance. “You’re a very pretty woman and you don’t do a damn thing with yourself any more unless there’s a party or something.”(Levin, 86)
In “Options”, Jules is uncertain of how he feels about Cleo once she completes the transformation to Leo. Walter, who is surrounded by a town of perfect women, begins to wish that his wife looked better more often. Both “Options” and “The Stepford wives” novel , show the power struggles in relationships when a partner becomes unhappy with the appearance of his mate. The point is that if you love someone it should not change if the person’s physical appearance changes.
In the film adaptation, Joana is a network executive that emasculates her husband in profession and in demeanor. When he tells her he wants her to change, he says it is because she is better than him at everything and he resents her for always being beneath her. Walter’s views in the movie are reminiscent of society’s expectance of women to be inferior to men.
In the novel, Joana realized that the women were being changed into cyborgs when her only two friends Charmaine and Bobbie change. The objectification of the female robot is shown through Bobbie. When she is first introduced she is a short, chubby woman, with a messy house. After her transformation, she wears make up, a girdle, push-up bra, and has no time for anything but keeping her house immaculate. So what is wrong with her making changes for a better life? The changes that take place after Bobbie is a Cyborg represent two factors common in science fiction, the control against our will factor and the objectification of women . Bobbie has changed because she is remodeled to behave and look the way society believes a wife should behave and look, Much like Helen, in “Helen O’Loy” by Lester Del Rey, who looked perfect and had all the skills of a wife. Furthermore, she was not asked if she desired this transformation. She was forced to become a Cyborg by her husband and his colleagues, possibly with the intention that it was “for her own good”. The need to control a human to fit society’s standards is comparable to Connie’s dilemma in “Women on the edge of time” by Marge Piercy. Connie’s fight is with doctors that were trying to insert a piece of machinery into her skull against her will. Connie and Bobbie are both subjected to changes to program them. They even put up the same fight. Connie tried to have Luciente help her escape from the mental ward. (Piercy, 216). When Bobbie saw Charmaine change into a Cyborg, she tried to move from Stepford.
In the movie adaptation, Bobbie’s change into a Cyborg is exactly like the novel. However, Joana realized that the women were actual robots before her change. In one scene, a woman begins to malfunction and one of the members snaps her head to fix her causing sparks to fly. The movie stresses the control factor when Joana discovers a remote control with the name of one of the women from her town. In another scene, the remote control is shown to control the movement of the women it belongs to as well as breast size, how important!
In comparison, the film adaptation of The stepford wives has far too many added subplots to truly show the beauty of themes represented in the novel. Throughout the novel, the intentions of the men’s association and the specifics of the Cyborg transformation are unknown, instilling the element of fear. Joana watches as her friends change and desperately looks for a way out. In the last chapter, through the narration of a new member of the town, Ruthanne, sees Joana after being transformed into a Cyborg. The film adaptation has a weird ending where the head of the men’s association, Mike, is actually a robot created by his wife who wanted to create a perfect society. Walter also decides not to turn Joana into a robot in the film and instead joins her in deactivating the women of the town. As per the film, what the men’s association was doing, was inserting microchips in the brains of the women. The film also contradicted itself by showing the chips in the women’s brains (Cyborg) and also implying that their heads could be unscrewed (robots). I believe all the added information in the film took away from the mystery and the fear. In the novel, not knowing what was happening to the women and not knowing what was happening in the men’s association created the suspense, as well, as not knowing with whom Walter’s alliance lied.
If Science Fiction uses scientific probable situations to explore our true selves, then the themes discussed in this review verify that both novel and film are science fiction. The Cyborg women of Stepford are a probable science. But they also represent
Society’s issues with controlling other beings for the sake of a greater good or for what we believe to be right. Our advancements in technology could soon lead to controlling others in the same way if we are not careful. They also represent the power struggle that has been going on for ages between the sexes. The novel and the film both reflect both present and future issues in a town filled with cyborgs.
The Stepford Wives (1972) Ira Levin
The Stepford Wives (2004) film, directed by Frank Oz
“Helen O’Loy” by Lester Del Rey
“Options” by John Varley Week 2-Battle of The Sexes
“Woman on the edge of time” by Marge Piercy.
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