MovieChat Forums > In This Our Life (1942) Discussion > No, Stanley didn't murder Peter

No, Stanley didn't murder Peter

posted 8 years ago by butaneggbert
1 reply | jump to latest

He committed suicide, just

Stanley murdering Peter is completely unnecessary in terms of story. In fact, it cheapens the concept of the character.

Someone driven to suicide by her - and her "why did this have to happen to ME?" reaction - is consistent with everything we know about her. She leaves ruin in her wake, but through complete solipsism, not through targeted evil. Everything is about her. In a perverse way, taking the time to murder someone would be a character break - she'd have to stop focusing on herself long enough to bother murdering someone else.

People die because of tornadoes, but tornadoes don't murder people. It's inevitable, but completely impersonal.

Stanley is truly shocked at the suicide, in the same way a selfish child would be shocked if one of her toys suddenly got up and walked away. She may have smashed it in passing; she may have been completely culpable; but she didn't target it for murder. These things just happen around her.

In terms of a narrative arc, murder is an act by a different kind of character in a different plot. This story is complete and consistent without it.

_______________

Nothing to see here, move along.

[–] mindthinkr 8 years ago

I get that part and this movie reminds me of a young woman I know who was crying on the phone the other day because she had to touch her old grandmothers skin...(she does this to earn $ so she isn't on the dole, or so the parents feel justified when enabling her by giving her what she wants which is so much more than she needs or deserves). It raked my ears because I'm a former nurse and now volunteer with Hospice and her selfishness just grated on my nerves. I've been thinking of dumping her and after seeing this movie I get the feeling I should before she befalls something and blames me! Yes, he killed himself to save his last shred of respect he had for himself. Sorry for the blethering.