...The Power of Voyeurism in “Rear Window” Through the experience of a man named Hal Jeffries, “Rear Window”, depicts the different factors leading to voyeurism. The short story’s author, Cornell Woolrich, exposes Jeffries’ simple curiosity to spy on his neighbors from his bedroom window and “constructed a time table of their coming and going…” (Woolrich 67). However, it slowly progresses into an obsession, especially when he is convinced he witnessed a murder. Jefferies sets out to unveil the truth of his murderous neighbor and leads the readers in a mental process to convince them so. Different factors, such as isolation and curiosity, kindled voyeurism within Jefferies. However, Woolrich magnifies the empowerment Jeffries experiences through voyeurism, which mirrors McCarthyism that dominated late 1940’s through the 1950’s. McCartherism was a movement in which “political and cultural fears converged” of many...
Words: 643 - Pages: 3