Stereotypes In Alien

The film Alien is presented as a science fiction film. The fascination with outer space and what intelligent life out there to find are basics of the films dynamic. Digging deeper into Alien, it becomes much more than just a science fiction film. Alien emphasis the yonic and phallic struggle between men and women, along with the struggle of manmade structures and man themselves. The two struggles revolve around the two characters Ripley, a woman, and Ash a male android. The Film Alien uses the dynamics of Ash and Ripley’s interactions to speak on the respectability between genders.
Alien is a horror film, rather than a science fiction film. Horror and science fictions films usually go hand and hand when the monster or ‘enemy’ is related to
technology or anything extra-terrestrial. Horror films are specifically supposed to invoke fear but still be entertaining. Horror films explore topics such as: nightmares, fears of death, terror of the unknown, as well fear of sexuality. In short, horror films are a way of glorifying humans vulnerability. Science fiction films deal with distant planets, impossible quests and unknown and unexplainable forces, and futuristic technology. Alien is a combination of these two, Alien emphasizes the terror of the unknown, fear of sexuality and death, while incorporating outer space, distant planets and futuristic technology. In aspects of horror Alien can be specified into the category of body horror. Body horror brings the fear to one’s own body, decay, disease, parasitism, mutation, or mutilation. In the case of the film Alien it deals with parasitism and mutilation, along with fear of sexuality. Kane’s character falls subject to an alien parasite, the alien has phallic and yonic characteristics, this deals with the fear of sexuality. Kane is forcibly impregnated by this alien creature, the facehugger, the alien rams a tube down Kane’s throat. The explores phallic imagery but the facehugger itself has the yonic aspect since the facehugger is the bringer of life to the alien it implanted within Kane’s stomach. The aliens exist is unknown and that is what is unsettling to the other crew members. Dallas, the captain, questions the facehugger existence while trying to remove it from Kane’s face, “paralyzes him, puts him in a comma… then keeps him alive?” (Alien, 00:40.00) The fear of the unknown drives the film. The narrative keeps the viewer on their toes, where the viewer is just as clueless as the characters themselves, every character except Ash.
The yonic and phallic struggle is displayed through the interactions of Ripley and Ash. Ripley is the protagonist of the film and Ash the antagonist. Ash’s objective, discovery and preservation of an alien life form, does not yield for empathy and compassion for the rest of his crew members. The fact that he himself is the only reason that he does not have the compassion that Ripley has. Ripley and Ash clash heads due to this fact. Ripley is compassionate about the rest of her crew members which is seen in the scene of when Dallas was demanding entry to the ship but his demands were against protocol. Thirty-five minutes into the film, Dallas and Lambert are trying to return Kane on the ship with the alien attached to his face, Ripley denies them access stating, “If we let it in the ship who can get infected.” Ripley, following protocol, denies Kane access because of quarantine laws and the safety of the other crew members. Ash defies the quarantine laws and Ripley’s authority by allowing Dallas, Lambert, and Kane on to the ship. The power of this scene is shown by looking at it through a different perspective. If roles were reversed, Ash was in authority and Ripley were defiant, the scene would go very differently. Ripley’s actions might cause for some repercussions if the roles were reversed. Furthermore, if the roles of these two characters were reversed Ripley the antagonist and Ash the antagonist, it would take the horror aspect of vulnerability away. In literature women have been displayed as more vulnerable characters, in need of saving. Alien combats that by making Ripley the only character to survive, but the idea that women are vulnerable is what drives this films horror. There is susceptibly no hope for Ripley to survive when every man on the ship has been captured and killed. The film’s use of a female protagonist aids, in suspense and helplessness, necessities in horror films.
Ash standoffs as the archetype caregiver.
Ash never shows actual care for any of the other crew members. Ash action offer the fact that he is compassionate and cares about the well-being of the other. When Ash opens the hatch for Dallas, Lambert, and Kane it is viewed as if he is doing what is best for them. Truly, Ash is menacingly only doing what benefits him. The need for a menace is necessary for a horror film. Alien takes it a step further by incorporating two menaces, the Alien and Ash. The Alien is the primary menace, the obvious enemy, Ash the hidden enemy. This adds to shock value of the film, because Ash’s character is appreciably the care-giver. Ash is found to be an enemy nearing the end of the film, in his attacking of Ripley. Ripley becomes the one in command after the loss of the captain Dallas. Ripleys plans of survival jeopardize the objective that Ash is supposed to carry out, so Ash attacks Ripley. At first the attack looks as if Ash is only following orders, bring back alien life even at the expense of the crew. The scene takes an unsettling turn when Ash begins to sexually assault Ripley. Ripley is unconscious, Ash, who is more yonic than phallic in nature, compensates for his lack of a phallus by trying to shove a rolled up pornographic magazine down Ripley’s throat. The means for Ash to do this goes beyond his physical needs as an android. Goes beyond his
programing.
The film Alien speaks on the yonic and phallic struggle but also speaks on trust issues along with the narrative. The unknown intentions of Ash fuel the films narrative. The other members on the crew have good reason to think that Ash is willing to do anything to return home because that should be a natural human desire. This is where the other crew members are wrong Ash is not human and cannot be trusted because his wellbeing is not the same as rest of the crew. The suspense built from Ash’s dynamic with crew build for the horror films exploration of alien life forms. The crew is attacked by two enemies, but one of the enemies is an expected friend.