Stella Dallas and Wendy and Lucy

Stella Dallas (1937)

Throughout this film, I felt as if I was rooting for Stella. Her character was very influential throughout the entire film. The reason is because this film focused on a womans need and strive for success and wanting to build a better life for herself. In the beginning of the film, we see that Stella is the daughter of a mill worker, Charlie, and the period is post World War I. Now, we must think about this time and consider the following: four empires collapsed due to the war, old countries were abolished, new ones were formed, boundaries were redrawn, international organizations were established, and many new and old ideologies took a firm hold in people's minds. People were in shambles, not knowing what was next, having to fend for themselves. We then learn that Stella set her sights on the mill executive, Stephan Dallas. Stephan was in a very vulnerable position because his father committed suicide after losing his fortune, and that left him penniless. Before Stella, he was to be married to Helen Morrison, but could not provide for her so they broke it off. He was determined to become financially stable again so that he could take care of her, but what he later found out was that she to be married to another man. So, he marries Stella instead.

Later, Stella and Stephen have a baby girl named laurel. As Laurel grows up, Stella's ambition and scheming to rise socially is redirected to her daughter. Stephen dotes on Laurel as well, but she is the only bond between husband and wife. He tries to help Stella become more refined, but without success. He also strongly disapproves of her continuing friendship with the vulgar Ed Munn. Finally, when Stephen receives a promotion that requires him to move to New York, Stella tells him he can go without her or Laurel; they separate but remain married. Laurel stays with her mother but visits her father periodically. In the end, Stephan and Helen reconnect, and he finds that she is a widow with three children. Down the line, Stella takes Laurel to a fancy resort, where Laurel meets Richard Grosvenor III, and they fall in love. However, when Stella makes her first appearance after recovering from an illness, she becomes the target of derision for her vulgarity, though she herself is unaware of it. Embarrassed for her mother, Laurel insists they leave at once without telling her why. On the train back, Stella overhears the truth. Stella made the decision to do what was best for her daughter, so she pretends that she wants Laurel off her hands so she can marry Ed Munn and travel to South America. Laurel runs crying back to her father. Later, Laurel and Richard get married. Stella watches them exchange their wedding vows from the city street through a window. Her presence goes unnoticed in the darkness and among the other curious bystanders. She then slips away in the rain, alone but triumphant in having arranged her daughter's happiness.

Wendy and Lucy (2008)

In this film, Wendy is a young woman travelling to Alaska with her dog Lucy, hoping to find work at a cannery. However, she hits a bump in her adventure and becomes stranded in Oregon because her car broke down, and she does not have the means to repair it. At a supermarket, she leaves Lucy outside while she attempts to shoplift dog food. After a meeting with the store clerk and the manager, Wendy is apprehended and taken to the police station. After paying a fine, Wendy is released from police custody. She hurries to the grocery store, but Lucy is gone. After many failed efforts to track Lucy down, with the help of a security guard, she discovers that Lucy has been taken to a dog pound and rehomed. When Wendy visits the mechanic to pick up her car, she learns her engine needs to be rebuilt, which would exceed the car's worth. Abandoning her car and penniless, Wendy goes to the home where Lucy lives. She tearfully promises to return and departs on a Northbound train. Dirty and disheveled from spending the night in the woods, Wendy realizes that she cannot properly care for Lucy and decides that her beloved dog is better off here with the old man who seemed kind. So, Wendy says goodbye and promises to return for Lucy when she has made some money at the cannery in Alaska. Wendy was looking for a better life for her and lucy, but she faced too many obstacles. So, she made a selfless decision to do better for the one thing that she genuinely loved.

The Overlap

Within both films, we see major overlap with significant similarities, however, we need to consider the time periods. Stella Dallas was post World War I, while Wendy and Lucy were in a modern day and age, but still struggles with the Great Recession of 2008. This already poses gender role differences. For example, Stella was looking for a man to give her a better life, and even wanted her daughter to have a man to inquire happiness. In contrast, Wendy was looking for work so that she could support her and her Pup Lucy. In both cases, they are looking for a better life so that they can succeed within their own standards.

Moving forward, we see overlap in the selfless decision that both Stella and Wendy made so that Laurel and lucy had the life that they deserved. Their love for their “person” was more than them feeling the pain of not being able to give provide and or be there. In my opinion when someone gives up their entire world for another person or in Wendys case her dog, that it is the most selfless thing that you can do. In Stellas case it goes against every maternal bone in her body, because when a woman has a child, the connection between the two is an inseparable bond. In connection to my life, I remember reading that if you genuinely love something, then you cannot be selfish with that person or pet in Wendys case. These two films show a pain that is insurmountable, but since Wendy loved Lucy and Stella loved laurel, the pain of trying to overcome was nothing compared to what was needed to be done for the sake of their loved one.

These two films show pure messages about love and wanting thing but not being able to have them because circumstances did not line up in your favor. Moving forward, I would like to go more into depth about each period and the historical significance that is had on both women in the films. The Great Recession was the sharp decline in economic activity during the late 2000s. It is considered the most significant downturn since the Great Depression. And we know that the lingering effects of World War I caused economic problems in many countries, as Europe struggled to pay war debts and reparations. These problems contributed to the crisis that began the Great Depression. It was the worst economic disaster in American history. We see major overlap between both movies and how many people were struggling to survive and support their families. I find it remarkably interesting that both movies incorporated the economic hardship of both time periods.

Conclusion

Both films showed many similarities and overlap because even though they took place in different periods of time, they still showed history repeating itself. The films also showed similarities in how people have not significantly changed and would still give everything up for the wellbeing of another person (or animal).