The document provides an in-depth analysis of the 1954 film Rear Window and how it serves as a reflection of American society and relationships in the 1950s. It examines how the film uses the protagonist L.B. Jefferies' apartment windows as a frame through which he observes and compares himself to his neighbors, similar to how Americans watched television programs. The document also analyzes why Jefferies is hesitant about marriage by comparing his relationship with Lisa to the relationships of neighboring couples. It ultimately argues that while seeming imperfections can exist, people can still be perfect for each other if they understand and accept their differences.

1. How Media Mirrors Real Life: An Analysis of Rear Window
By Joseph Sciancalepore
The opening shot of Rear Window displays window curtains being drawn, exposing the various
apartments surrounding a Greenwich Village courtyard. This image evokes memories of stage
plays, where curtains would be pulled back to reveal the set, and old movie theaters where
curtains would cover the screen before being drawn when the presentation was about to begin.
With this shot, Rear Window establishes an important element of the film: how similar windows
are with the various mediums in which audiences can view stories, specifically television.
Further parallels between the two are made by the fact that the camera hardly ever leaves the
apartment of protagonist L.B. Jefferies, played by James Stewart. Just as the television viewer
cannot see beyond the boundaries of their screen, we cannot see anything that cannot be seen
from Jefferies’ window. The only time during the film when the camera leaves the view from
the apartment is during the climax, where Jefferies is pushed out of the window/screen and
forced into the show itself.
Just as the windows represent the screen, Jefferies represents the audience - not only the
audience watching Rear Window, but all Americans during that time period. When the film was
released in 1954, the American way of life was changing. Families began searching for ‘The
American Dream’ which usually meant having a family, living in the suburbs, owning a car, etc.
One of the symbols of this dream was the television, something that had only recently become
more affordable for the average middle class family. American families would spend most of
their time watching television and became enamored with the narratives that took place in them.
Jefferies’ insurance nurse, Stella (played by Thelma Ritter), sums up the phenomenon in one
quote; “We’ve become a race of peeping toms. What people ought to do is get outside their own

2. house and look in for a change.” Like the standard American family watching television,
Jefferies spends his time gazing out of his window, into the windows of his neighbors, and
watches the various ‘narratives’ that take place in these households.
All of the narratives that Jefferies observes through the windows have one thing in
common: relationships. Every one of them is a part of the romance genre. The dancer, ‘Miss
Torso,’ has various suitors visit her apartment; there is a newlywed couple who seem perfectly
happy and always have their blinds down; ‘Miss Lonelyhearts’ has just what her nickname states
- she is lacking that special someone in her life. Finally, Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) is
constantly tending to his seemingly ailing wife.
Jefferies’ own life isn’t immune to this genre trend either. He has a beautiful girlfriend,
Lisa, played by Grace Kelly, whom he thinks is too perfect for him and whom he doesn’t seem
that fond of. They have very dissimilar interests; he is interested in adventure, physically
represented by his broken leg. He received it when he ran onto a racetrack while photographing
the race in order to get a shot that was, in his words, “dramatically different.” Lisa, on the other
hand is into fashion, she is constantly going to big events and arrives in Jefferies’ apartment in
expensive dresses. One dress she describes as “a steal at $1,100.”
A running question throughout the film is how their relationship will end up. Will they
get married, or not? Lisa wants to marry Jefferies, while he shows very little interest in
marriage. They clearly have extremely different hobbies and don’t display any interest in what
the other does. In one of their arguments, Jefferies asks Lisa if she had “ever [tried] to keep
warm in a C-54 at fifteen thousand feet, at twenty below zero?” or if she “ever get shot at, run
over, sandbagged at night because people got unfavorable publicity from your camera?” He also
makes snide comments towards her (“Those high heels would be a lot of use in the jungle”).

3. Arguments like these beg the question as to why they are together in the first place. Ultimately,
however, the question is not “Why are they together?” but “Why is Jefferies so afraid of
marriage?” In order to find out why this is, we must look into how Jefferies’ real life mirrors the
narratives that he watches through his window, similar to how the families of the 1950’s would
watch sitcoms that mirrored suburban life of the time.
The first couple that demonstrates why Jefferies would want to avoid marriage is the
couple that lives above the Thorwalds. This couple never has anything interesting occur in their
lives. As such, they never really have Jefferies’ attention, and by extension, the attention of the
audience. Since L.B. Jefferies is a man who seeks out adventure, this uneventful married
lifestyle would horrify him. In addition to their boring lifestyle, they demonstrate another reason
why Jefferies fears marriage – having children. While it’s hinted that this couple never had any
children, they do have a pet dog that they care for tremendously. Jefferies fears being tied down,
he wants to go out and see the world. Having a child would ruin that, as he would have to watch
over the child and would not be able to go on adventures. Not only do parents have to watch
over their children, but they must also protect them. The one time in the film where this couple
has Jefferies’ attention is the scene where the couple’s dog, essentially their child, is found dead.
One of the reasons why Jefferies doesn’t want children is that he would not know how to cope if
something tragic happened to them. We could also look at this with the roles switched. What if
Jefferies had children and, while off on one of his adventures, he dies in some kind of accident,
leaving his child fatherless? It is not a situation he would wish on his hypothetical child and,
therefore, avoids completely.
The newlyweds are the other couple that shows why Jefferies would want to avoid
marriage. In the beginning of the film, they move into their apartment and seem like the happiest

4. people in the world. They spend nearly the entire film in their apartment with their blinds drawn,
obviously hinting to the sexual activities occurring inside. However, by the end of the film, they
are arguing, with the wife nagging the husband on various issues, such as quitting his job. This
shows how married life could tie down Jefferies, something he obviously fears.
Despite how Jefferies fears marriage and all of the baggage that would come with it, he
remains with Lisa. To understand why he remains in this relationship despite not wanting it to
advance, one only has to look at some of the other neighbors. Miss Lonelyhearts is the prime
example; she has no one in her life and is constantly trying to fill that void. At one point, she has
a possible suitor over for dinner, but is left heartbroken after she is force to throw him out. The
suitor was only interested in physical intimacy, rather than the emotional intimacy that Miss
Lonelyhearts desires. Though Jefferies is afraid of getting married and having a boring, tied
down life, he also does not want to be alone and become depressed to the point of attempting
suicide, as Miss Lonelyhearts eventually does.
The sculptor who lives below Miss Torso also demonstrates the single life that Jefferies
wishes to avoid. Unlike Miss Lonelyhearts, the sculptor seems completely satisfied with her life
as far as anyone else can tell. She is not bothered by being single, and spends her time absorbed
in her work. When we are introduced to her, she is working on a project which she calls
“Hunger.” While this could be a hint that she is not completely satisfied with her life and has a
‘hunger’ for more, it is not explored enough to come up with a concrete answer. Instead, it could
be descriptive of all of the other neighbors. Jefferies clearly has a ‘hunger’ to be free again, not
only from his cast, but also of Lisa; Similarly, Lars Thorwald has a ‘hunger’ to be free from his
wife; Miss Lonelyhearts ‘hungers’ for a soul mate. If Jefferies and Lisa broke up and he was

5. forced to live the single life, he would end up much like the sculptor. He would focus on his
work and probably repress any indication that he might long for something more.
Like the average Americans of the time, Jefferies has become seemingly obsessed with
the screens and the stories played out on them. He is more interested in these stories than his
real life, which is another reason why he shows such disinterest in marrying Lisa; she isn’t as
interesting to him as theses “shows” that he had been watching. It is only when Lisa crosses
over from Jefferies’ ‘real world’ into the ‘world of the screens,’ which Jefferies has become
enamored with, that he finally starts to pay attention and show interest in her. It just so happens
the narrative that Lisa crosses over to is the one that most closely resembles her and Jefferies’
current relationship – that of Lars Thorwald and his wife.
The Thorwalds’ relationship has certain similarities with that of Jefferies and Lisa.
Firstly, there is a gender reversal; Thorwald cares for his seemingly sick wife in the same manner
that Lisa looks after the crippled Jefferies. In both relationships, arguments are common and the
women obviously annoy the men. Lisa and Jefferies’ relationship seems to be a tad more honest,
as neither of them hides the fact that they do not care for the other’s hobbies. The Thorwalds are
not honest with each other. The wife shows that she is able to get out of bed with ease, despite
her ailing appearance, and then eavesdrops on her husband. While not stated outright, Lars
probably promised his wife that he would take care of her while she was “ill,” while he secretly
plotted to kill her. This shows the audience yet another possibility as to how Jefferies and Lisa’s
relationship could end up if it continues on the less than perfect path that it is taking – to one of
absolute mistrust, hatred, and perhaps even murder.
When Lisa crosses over into the ‘world of the screens,’ she not only journeys into the
yard with Stella, despite Jefferies’ opposition, to search for what is buried there, but she also gets

6. into an even more dangerous situation when she climbs into the Thorwalds’ apartment into order
to search through Mrs. Thorwald’s handbag in an attempt to find her wedding ring. This leads to
a terrifying encounter with Thorwald himself when he arrives home unexpectedly and attempts
to kill her. She is only saved by the timely arrival of the police. Risking her life like this showed
Jefferies that Lisa was not the shallow socialite that he thought she was. Though she was a
fashion nut, she had the capability to be the adventurous person that Jefferies admires. This
leads to a better, more mutually understanding, relationship between Jefferies and Lisa.
In the end, it appears to Jefferies that Lisa is showing more interest in his adventurous
lifestyle by reading a book about the Himalayas. However, when he falls asleep, she puts this
book down and picks up one of her fashion magazine. She doesn’t have to completely change
her personality to fit Jefferies’ desires; she can still be the wealthy fashion-obsessed socialite that
she has always been, but, at the same time, she could show more interest in the adventurous life
that Jefferies admires in a woman.
The heart of Rear Window lays in the relationship between Jefferies and Lisa. Though
they have their differences and have the occasional argument, in the end, it is shown that they are
perfect for each other. This demonstrates that people, despite not seeming compatible, can be
perfect for each other. Once again, the lives of the neighbors reflect back on the lives of Jefferies
and Lisa. In this case, that of the dancer, Miss Torso. Miss Torso is compared to Lisa
throughout the film; they are both beautiful and live very sociable lives, and are both made out to
be fairly shallow people. Throughout the film, Miss Torso has a number of suitors in her
apartment, though it is stated that she does not love any of them. In the end, it is revealed that
she has a sweetheart, a man named Stanley. Physically, the two are the complete opposites: she
is tall and beautiful, while he is small and has a rather boyish frame. These differences are a

7. physical representation of Jefferies and Lisa’s relationship, illustrating how people who are
meant to be together will end up together. People, who seem perfect for each other, often are
not, while the people who have flaws and differences will be the ones who are happy in the end.
The newlyweds seemed perfect at the beginning but display signs of an unhappy marriage by the
end of the film. In contrast, Lisa and Jefferies, who were arguing at the beginning, are happy in
the end.
In real life, relationships are rarely ever perfect; people have differences, they have
arguments. In Rear Window, just as the ‘screens’ that Jefferies watches mirror his real life, the
film itself mirrors our real life. Just because people aren’t perfect individuals, it doesn’t mean
they can’t be a perfect couple. In the film, Stella perfectly sums up this idea. While trying to
convince Jefferies to marry Lisa, she makes a comment on her own marriage: “When I married
Miles, we were both a couple of maladjusted misfits. We are still a couple of maladjusted
misfits, and we have loved every minute of it.”