Rear Window

Jeffries is a man who is unwilling to marry. He fears that maybe the marriage will become annoying or too settled and he is a restless independent man. As we can tell from his job he is a man who desires action, adventure, and having little baggage to weigh him down. Jeffries sees Lisa as baggage, excess, weight in which he does not desire to carry. He cannot see her adventurous, independent spirit at first and because of his blindness he is unable to see himself marrying her. He views her as an upper class sort of woman who will need a man to take care of her financially as well as be home for her. Jeffries is not willing to be a homebody, but a man who will pack up and leave with only a bag and a camera to capture a picture in harm’s way. He feels that Lisa is not up to the task of following him and thinks she will be bored with him gone and upset when she finds herself in a less than luxurious life. Jeffries also has a negative view of marriage. He sees marriage as a man who is constantly nagged by a woman. And many of the marriages surrounding him confirm his concerns. Take the newlyweds with their shades drawn; at first they seem perfectly happy and compatible. Their shades are drawn and they are both happy to be together in their own little world. However after a few weeks the new is beginning to wear off and the man needs some breathing space to catch some fresh air. Jeffries hears his nagging wife calling to her new husband just as soon as he sticks his head out of their window this is not a contradictory sign for Jeffries’ marriage theory. Miss Torso seems to be somewhat of a free spirit. She is hard working and dedicated to what she loves which is not only dance, but also her soldier. She remains true to him even though men surround her constantly. Jeffries cannot see that Miss Torso is not in love with any of these men but Lisa can. Lisa can understand men throwing themselves at her, just like Miss Torso, but only wanting the man who is unavailable. Miss Lonely Hearts is a sad sight and I think Jeffries sees her as something he will become with time, lonely and maybe a bit crazy. However Miss Lonely Hearts and the Composer find themselves in a relationship in the end. Eventually Jeffries allows himself to see Lisa’s true colors and he learns to lay aside his preconceived notions of her.
At first Lisa thinks Jeffries has caught a bit of cabin fever and dismisses his theories and tries to distract him from the peeping tom he has become. She brings him exquisite dinners and wears expensive clothing. This does not do the trick, but when she begins to buy into his stories about purses being left and murders occurring Jeffries is delighted to see this new Lisa. Lisa becomes more alive and Jeffries finds her more attractive. She is climbing out of windows sneaking into apartments and he has a new look in his eye, but this time it’s for her. As the composer and the lonely lady are falling in love Lisa and Jeffries are finding themselves very comfortable and very compatible with each other. Jeffries has a smile on his face as he sleeps in the closing scene and I assume it’s because he knows what is to come with their relationship and he likes the way their future looks.