"The Awful Truth" Analysis

“The Awful Truth” is a fast-paced screwball comedy that chronicles an estranged couple’s comical attempts to outwit each other as they go through a divorce. Jerry Warriner (Cary Grant) is convinced that his wife Lucy (Irene Dunn) is having an affair with her voice coach Armand Duvalle (Alexander D’Arcy), while Lucy is equally certain that Jerry lied about his whereabouts when he claimed to be on a business trip in Florida. Resolute in their convictions that the other has been unfaithful, Lucy and Jerry resolve to get a divorce. Lucy moves into an apartment with her Aunt Patsy (Cecil Cunningham) and takes Mr. Smith, the dog she and Jerry previously shared, with her. Jerry uses his visitation rights with Mr. Smith as a means of gaining insight into Lucy’s love life. He is flabbergasted by Lucy’s apparent interest in Dan Leeson (Ralph Bellamy), her uncultured Southern neighbor. Lucy eventually realizes that she is still in love with Jerry, but inadvertently ruins their chances at reconciliation by giving Jerry reason to suspect that she is seeing Armand in addition to Dan. When Jerry starts seeing heiress Barbara Vance (Molly Lamont), Lucy becomes determined to win Jerry back. She sabotages his chances with Barbara by pretending to be his sister and leading Barbara’s parents to believe that Jerry is from humble roots. Ultimately, Jerry and Lucy put their differences aside and reconnect a few minutes before their divorce becomes finalized.

Although “The Awful Truth” depicts Lucy as a strong, independent woman in certain respects, the movie’s ending ultimately promotes the view that women are subordinate to men. At the beginning of the movie, Lucy eagerly meets Jerry’s challenge to file for divorce. She moves out of the apartment they share with her head held high. She is cool and composed in court, and craftily gains custody of Mr. Smith. However, after Lucy gets settled in her new apartment, it becomes apparent that she feels unfulfilled without a man in her life. She mopes around the apartment, lacking the motivation to go out. When Dan shows interest in her, she immediately jumps on the opportunity to make Jerry jealous. She even appears to temporarily convince herself that she is genuinely attracted to Dan, although she eventually realizes she is still enamored by Jerry. After an incident in which Lucy accidentally gives Jerry the impression that she is seeing Armand and leads Dan and his mother to believe that she is concealing affairs with Armand and Jerry, Lucy loses both Jerry and Dan’s affection. At this point, she becomes desperate. She makes a bold attempt to end Jerry’s budding relationship with Barbara, and ultimately wins Jerry back. Lucy clearly demonstrates a slew of admirable qualities; she is creative, witty and determined. However, these characteristics are not applied to ambitious endeavors. Instead, Lucy applies them solely to her various efforts to maintain relationships with men. Thus, “The Awful Truth” implies that women are defined by the men in their lives, and not by their own personal achievements.