“Dinosaurs Eat Man…Woman
Inherits the Earth”
This Friday, Jurassic Park is being
re-released in theaters, but in 3D. The plot is fairly well known, but in case
a refresher is needed it is about an island of dinosaurs. Three scientists are
invited to analyze the island, so that they can pass it and the public can come
enjoy it. There are some difficulties and the island soon becomes a dangerous
place where dinosaurs may attack at any moment. Jurassic Park has been one of
my all-time favorite movies since the first time I saw it when I was six years
old. Dr. Ellie Sattler, the leading female character, was one of my role models
and led to an aspiration to be a paleontologist. The movie does not pass the
Bechdel test, but Dr. Sattler’s personality and intelligence make up for it.
This post will address the key scenes in which Dr. Sattler makes some great
remarks regarding women and why her character can be defined as a feminist.
One of the best lines in this movie
is spoken during the initial tour around the park. Dr. Ian Malcolm, the chaos-mathematician,
Dr. Alan Grant, the paleontologist, and Dr. Ellie Sattler, the paleobotanist,
are in a car together discussing the park.
Dr. Malcolm is commenting on the
remarkability of what Dr. Hammond has produced and says, “God creates
dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man
creates dinosaurs…” Dr. Sattler adds, “Dinosaurs eat man…woman inherits the earth.” She jumps out of the moving car,
leaving Dr. Grant and Dr. Malcolm dumbfounded with their jaws hanging open, to help
a sick triceratops. This line is not only clever, but it is not just meant for
laughs, it contains truth. In Brit Lit II, a class I took of Dr. Hager’s last
semester, I wrote in a blog post about how maybe men are afraid of the power
and potential that women hold and this explains why they are so keen on keeping
us down. This line is acknowledging the thirst for power that men hold, and how
they may even believe themselves able to play God, like John Hammond did in the
situation of Jurassic Park. But, like Dr. Malcolm said, that power will lead to
their destruction. Now, he probably meant “man” in the sense of humankind, but
Dr. Sattler put a spin on it that provided a different perspective to what he said.
The next scene where Dr. Sattler
addresses the issue of sexism is when the power goes out and must be turned
back on. This involves crossing the compound where dinosaurs are running loose.
She and another man volunteer to do it, but Hammond shows some reluctance, “But
you know, I should really be the one going.” Dr. Sattler responds, “Why?”
Hammond replies timidly, “Well, because you’re a – I’m a –.” The man
accompanying her says they must hurry up and go, so Dr. Sattler says, “We’ll
discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back.” This exchange
explicitly states the view of most of the men in this movie. The annoyance that
Dr. Sattler expresses makes it clear that she gets this reaction a lot. She is
not the type to take any bullshit from a man or anybody, and she has worked her
way to being the top in her field.
Dr. Ellie Sattler is a woman who is the
top paleobotanist in the country, if not the world. She is beautiful, of
course- this is a movie, but even in the book she is described as being very
attractive. This is not uncommon as most of the female characters in a
male-centered book are very attractive. While not only physically so, Dr.
Sattler also has the brains and intelligence to go with it. During this movie
she never expresses timidity, innocence, or even flirtiness. This is one of the
attributes of her character that warrants respect. Dr. Malcolm hits on her
during their first encounter together and she simply gives a reluctant smile
and looks away. Her behavior and reaction hints that this is a regular
occurrence. She has a Ph.D., which means that she has worked long and hard for
her position. Being a woman, she has probably had to deal with a lot of
situations like the one with Dr. Malcolm.
This movie does fail the Bechdel test:
there are no scenes of woman-to-woman dialogue. This is not surprising, as
there are only two females in the movie: Lex, Hammond’s granddaughter, and Dr.
Sattler. They do exchange a couple words when Dr. Sattler and Dr. Grant come to
rescue them from the velociraptors, but it is not for more than thirty seconds.
This is unfortunate, but not exactly disappointing because it gives Dr. Sattler
more time to develop and show the audience what kind of a person she is. At
multiple times in the film, she acts in an assertive manner that could be
deemed “manly” by anti-feminists. The scene where she jumps out of a moving car
to help the triceratops, leads to her being elbow deep in dinosaur doo-doo
looking for the cause of illness. Dr. Malcolm expresses disgust and she does not
even acknowledge his comment. She takes risks and will not tolerate being
dictated to by the male characters, even Dr. Grant whom she is in a
relationship with. Although this movie fails the Bechdel test, it makes up for
it with the content of Dr. Sattler’s character.
Dr. Sattler represents a woman that young
girls should look up to and use as a role model. Although she is a fictional
character, her values and behavior represent how women should conduct
themselves in reality: with intelligence, assertiveness, and a tendency to
accept a challenge. This movie was originally released in 1992, but Dr.
Sattler’s character will continue to live on in the hearts of those like
me.
For further reading about Jurassic Park,
check out this website:
Photo Credit:
Throughout the semester, we have been talking about and analyzing gender and what gender means. While popular culture is pretty dead set on there being only males and females, transgendered people have been becoming more well known. Take, for example, Chaz Bono, Cher's child who has had tons of support from Americans. While the subject of transgender is still sort of taboo, I think we are beginning to hear more and more about it, which will soothe the shock it may give some people.
Later on in the article, stigmas are discussed. So although transgender is moving in the direction of acceptance, individuals still have many obstacles to face. One of those obstacles is the stigma that accompanies the label of "transgender."
