Respond to these rapid questions in our Carol quiz and we will tell you which Carol character you are. Play it now.
In 1949, while Patricia Highsmith was waiting to hear back from a publisher about a manuscript (which was titled “Strangers on a Train,” which you may have heard of), she wrote a novel about a relationship between a timid shopgirl and a much older housewife. The novel was about their relationship. Because of its portrayal of “the closet” and the conformist America of the 1950s, the book “The Price of Salt,” which was eventually published in 1952 under a pseudonym, has been a mainstay of LGBT studies for a very long time. The plot of the book centers on an illicit love affair that culminates in an extended travelogue-style criminal getaway across the United States, à la “Lolita.” Duality, subversion, and obsession are recurring themes throughout all of Highsmith’s published works. It is difficult to believe that “The Price of Salt” was written by the same woman who conceived of the sociopath Tom Ripley and who once admitted to her journal that “One situation—maybe one alone—could drive me to murder: family life, togetherness.” “The Price of Salt” is her most overtly romantic book, and it is hard to believe that she wrote it. However, that’s Highsmith talking. Duality is always present.
In films such as “Safe,” “I’m Not There,” “Far from Heaven,” and “Mildred Pierce,” as well as in his newest film, “Carol,” which is based on Highsmith’s novel, director Todd Haynes has spent his entire career examining repression and conformity (with adaptation by Phyllis Nagy). Haynes focuses his attention, in the film “Carol,” on the “invisible” lesbian subculture that existed in the 1950s closet. A lush emotionally charged melodrama along the lines of the films of Douglas Sirk, Haynes’ patron saint, “Carol” is often about its surfaces, their beauty contrasting with the scary duality of people and relationships. Douglas Sirk was Haynes’ inspiration for this film. One can understand the desire to be a part of the world depicted in “Carol” because the story’s surfaces are so alluring.
Therese, played by Rooney Mara, is an employee at a department store in New York City who works behind the toy counter. There is something about Therese’s demeanor behind that counter that makes it appear as though she is waiting… for something she is unsure of. She has a “sort of boyfriend” (Jake Lacy, who was fantastic in “Obvious Child”) and a swirling group of friends (all men), but there is something that suggests Therese is waiting. Then, Carol, a beautiful blonde, materializes in the middle of the shop floor (the camera floats past Carol, and then reverses back quickly: the camera version of a double-take). The first time they talk to each other, it seems like they are conducting business, but in reality, it is a flirtatious scene that is pierced with the thrill of danger.
Therese has been invited to pay frequent visits to Carol at her home in New Jersey. Carol and her husband Harge, played by Kyle Chandler, have recently divorced and are engaged in a custody battle over their young daughter. When Harge begins the legal process to obtain sole custody of Therese, Carol quickly packs Therese up and takes her on an impromptu road trip across the United States. The road trip is a way for them to get away from something while also moving closer to a location where their relationship has a chance of developing.
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All of this is captured on film by Haynes, who has an incredible eye for detail. The production designer Judy Becker, the art director Jesse Rosenthal, and the set decorator Heather Loeffler are responsible for the creation of the various settings, which include seedy motel rooms, dimly lit New York City bars, Carol and Therese’s homes, and Therese’s apartment. These settings are designed in a way that emphasizes both the romantic potential and the danger that the situation presents. The color scheme is a washed-out combination of light greens, deep pinks, and gleaming gold, and the background features pale gas guzzlers with tail fins roaring down empty roads. As a visual motif of their status as outsiders, Carol and Therese are frequently depicted looking through windows that have been smudged with green smudges or rain streaks.
When the film is successful, it shows the loneliness of people who are not allowed to be who they are, although “loneliness” does not cover it completely. According to Carol, who is observing Therese, it is more like a profound sense of isolation that causes the characters to be “flung out of space.” When closeness is achieved at last, it brings with it a sense of bereavement. It’s not uncommon for a person’s first love to be like that, but in “Carol,” the feeling is amplified because they have to keep their connection a secret.
Carol Quiz
When it shifts its perspective back and forth, “Carol” becomes difficult to follow. This is a consequence of the adaptation, in part. As a result of the fact that Therese’s point of view is presented throughout the book, the reader is never entirely certain about Carol. Therese is kept on edge because Carol keeps putting her in and taking her out of the relationship. It is a perfect evocation of the swan dive that is love; it will make your head spin. Therese is absent from a number of scenes in the movie, including Carol interacting with her husband, Therese’s conversations with Abby and Therese’s meetings with her attorney. Because the majority of “Carol” is told so obviously from Therese’s point of view that the camera is literally Therese’s eye, these may provide context for Carol’s behavior, but they also lessen the tension and create confusion. This is because the camera is literally Therese’s eye. In a strange twist of fate, Carol emerges as a more formidable figure when viewed from a greater distance.
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Blanchett is a naturally theatrical actress who does not shy away from roles that require her to be “dramatic.” Because of this, she occasionally gives off the impression of being out of place in a realistic setting. On the other hand, “Carol” plays to the actress’s strengths. “Performing” is how Carol gets through life, so every gesture is a “bit”: the way she tosses her hair back, the way she looks at Therese across the table, even the way she lights a cigarette is a “bit.” These are called “acts,” and they are times of evaluation to ensure that everything is in order. When Carol finally relaxes her guard, it is a breathtaking moment due to the fact that her surface is carried out in such a flawless manner.
Because of Nagy’s adaptation, there is less material available for Rooney Mara to work with. This is primarily due to the fact that Therese’s history has been omitted. Therese is a character in the movie who comes from nowhere and has no family. However, Mara adds a layer of complexity to Therese; keep an eye out for the contrast between who she is when she is with Carol and who she is when she is with her group of male friends. This is not merely the tale of a timid girl who eventually comes out of her shell. Therese is already living a life that provides her with a sense of purpose and fulfillment. When Mara shows how Therese is intimidated by Carol and how Therese feels that she is out-ranked by this complex older woman, her work is so moving because of it.
About the quiz
In one of the scenes, Therese is seen sitting in the backseat of a taxi and gazing out the window at a man and a woman who are holding hands as they walk down the street. In the year 1964, Patricia Highsmith wrote the following in her journal: “It was without a doubt a tragedy that I saw “Forbidden” written like a word in red paint, “Stop,” and could read it when I was six…”
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It’s possible that it’s a tragedy that I had to ingest my valuable stone.
At the age of sixteen, I observed carefree boys and girls walking hand in hand through public streets without giving any consideration to what other people thought of them.
In accordance with their own internal experiences…
Therese is just as in love as the couple walking down the sidewalk, but she and Carol are not allowed to hold hands in public, and Therese does not anticipate ever being free to do so. Due to the fact that it looks beyond the specific and into the general, this scene in “Carol” is one of the most moving parts of the film.
For more personality quizzes check this: Meet The Blacks Quiz.
