Annie Get Your Gun Analysis

Feminist ideas have been around for a long time, but it was not until the early twentieth century that major social changes began to occur. During World War I, women slowly broke away from the social norms, as the country needed them to assume the roles of men in the society. The fact that women were capable of fulfilling such tasks that were presumably geared towards men was an eye-opener to the society. Even their outward appearance and the way they carried themselves also changed. However, alongside such great social advancements was also strong opposition: Many people did not accept the idea of gender equality. In fact, one form of opposition took form in a film called Annie Get Your Gun, which juxtaposes feminism and happiness. The film
Women were expected to stay in the house to do chores and take care of children, while men were expected to do work. In the early twentieth century, more and more women, however, started to assume the role of breadwinners. For instance, in the film, Annie took care of her siblings while she was working. Though she is just the older sister, she acted as their parent. She also worked very hard to provide for her family at home. Instead of looking for a husband, she tries and sells the birds she shoots: She went to Foster Wilson’s local hotel and persuaded him to buy some from her. Also, she was illiterate, while her little brother Jake could read quite well for his age. She most likely put off attending school because working would benefit her family more than school. Since the beginning, Annie had always been independent and responsible. She did not rely on anyone, not even her parents, for anything. This is a feminist ideal because she was able to get by on her own. However, this changed throughout the movie as she began to become dependent on others. She constantly relied on her father figure Sitting Bull to obtain her desires: When Pawnee Bill announced that the merger is off, she immediately went over to Sitting Bull and demanded, “Papa Bull, you gotta do something!” (Annie Get Your Gun) She also became very dependent on Frank, believing that she will be fine as long as she is with him. She did not even argue anymore when he said that their partnership should be named “Butler and Oakley” (Annie Get Your Gun) instead of the other way around where her last name is mentioned first. Because she strongly believed her happiness is Frank, she did not question his demands and decided to just give in. Her pride had no value if it meant losing Frank. Again, this increased dependency on men underscores a hidden message in the film – that women cannot be independent and happy