The Femme Fatale is a character that started appearing on the silver screen during the 1940s. However, the characteristics of the Femme Fatale (beauty, destructive, seductress, temptress, leading the main character to a trap) have been around since ancient stories like Genesis. The Femme Fatale has evolved over time to keep up with the times. In the books that we have read so far regarding the Noir genre, I would argue that in the book If He Hollers Let Him Go, the femme fatale has changed her approach to achieving what she wants, but still holds on to the characteristics of the archetype.
What do I mean by changing her approach? Well if we take a look at Maltese Falcons’ Bridget O’Shagnessy and Farewell My Lovely’s Velma both characters were introduced to the main character by asking him for help. Bridget wanted help by having a private investigation, and Velma wanted help in finding her jade necklace. Both of these characters utilize their feminine allure, to attract the main character. Now if we take a look at the first introduction to Madge in If He Hollers Let Him Go, it is evident that she takes pleasure in making Bob’s life difficult, and contrary Bob is the one who has to ask Madge for help when he needed a tacker. What makes Madge so different from Velma and Bridget is that her character is not a woman that is taking advantage of the patriarchy to get what she wants, she is taking advantage of the next best thing – her race. Bob is aware of this, he states, “I was used to white woman doing all sorts of things to tease or annoy the coloured men…”(Himes,19)
Madge is not the typical femme fatale that we have read so far in, class but she still poses a threat and traps the main character like the femme fatale archetype. Why is this? One thing is that this book is told from a black man’s perspective while the other noir books are told from a white man’s. The white men have nothing to fear like Bob does because they are on top of the food chain while Bob is at the bottom. He can see the threat for what it is and unlike Marlow and Spade, he has a lot to lose and an actual chance to lose it.
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I agree with your points, and I think the power dynamics are really interesting to look at. All women use their power, Madge just uses it more activley. Bridget and Velma both play the damsel in distress, knowing that no respectable man will deny them, which is power in itself. Their lack of power guarantees they can enlist the power of a strong man who will serve their purposes. Madge, however, has more power than Bob, so she can take a direct approach and take what she wants from him. She proves she has both this active power and the power of damsel in distress when she calls a horde of angry men with a cry of rape. Therefore, she completely emasculates him by proving he never had a chance to evade her trap.