Feminist Existentialism in Aronofsky’s Black Swan

Throughout history, many artists have utilized the device metaphor to capture the complexity of life. American director, Darren Aronofsky, has made extensive use of metaphor throughout his career. Aronofsky has, in particular, employed biblical allusions and metaphors with a fresh perspective that brings attention to previously unheeded societal concerns that could be read into old stories. In his movie, Black Swan, this ingenious director calls into question society’s values regarding womanhood and its complex relationship with virtue and vice. He displays the inherent incompatibility between what is seen as “acceptable” female behavior and the way women are told to act in order to be “desirable”. He even takes a step further to address the evasive nature of reality and meaning-making wrapped inside the horrors of a troubled mind. The psychological aspect of this movie has been explored before in many brilliant papers. Here, we add the psychological element to all the other tools Aronofsky employs to take us through this journey. Aronofsky has us questioning our definition of perfection and free will and the binary vision with which we view morality. Once conscious of their free will, humans no longer belong to heaven, they are creatures of choice, fallen angels, grey characters.

کلیدواژه ها:

Darren Aronofsky” ، “feminist undertones” ، “Lilith” ، “Fritz Scholder” ، “the statue of Future Clone” ، “good and evil” ، “existentialism” ، “ballet” ، “death”