Why did she give Morris the buttons? - The Heiress (1949) Discussion

[–] hodie1 8 years ago

I thought it was a subtle put-down of Morris."Here's your money, now go away."

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Oh, I like that.

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Nothing to see here, move along.

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[–] mdonln 8 years ago

Lukerdog says > Geez, i love this film!

Ditto! I love this movie too. The possible plot twists are endless and I delight in imagining each potential one. For example, Morris’ intentions were never completely clear so his behavior could have been interpreted in many ways. He could have stood her up and left abruptly for the reasons he told her. He didn't want to be the cause of her losing her inheritance, causing a scandal, and abandoning her father. If that’s so, he may have gone to California to create some distance between them so they could both try to forget each other and move on. It would explain why he never wrote to or tried to contact her in any way.

An honorable man would not have let her throw her life away and cut off all ties to her family that way. She might have grown to resent him and he would have felt guilty for causing such a split. What supports this is theory is the fact she already had a substantial amount of money coming to her. Even though it was only a third of what she stood to get, a true gold-digger would never have passed that up. It wasn't a choice between ten or thirty thousand dollars a year; it was either ten thousand a year or nothing and nothing is what he chose when he decided not to come back for her.

Morris was a smart man. If he was really biding his time until she got the entire inheritance he would have written to her, explained why he left and continued their relationship from afar. He could have claimed he was trying to learn a trade which probably would have earned him her father’s respect. When he returned, the situation would be different, even if he was still penniless and still had no prospects.

After all those years away, Morris returned to see his family. Only then did he learn that Catherine was still unmarried, her father had died, and he was still very much in love with her. Lavinia encouraged him so he came back to plead his case. Under that scenario it’s a completely different movie.

Suddenly, Catherine would be the cruel, heartless one who shut out a man who loved her and closed her heart off completely. This would reflect the Catherine we saw earlier in the movie. At the party she didn’t trust he’d return with the claret cup. choosing instead to believe he was trying to ditch her. It would also make sense with her father’s words echoing in her head. She would have thrown away true love because she didn’t believe she was worthy of it.

The one question that remains is why Morris looked around the house admiring it just before he left to get his things. I believe it was innocent enough. He had spent a great deal of time there with Lavinia while Catherine was in Europe with her father. Like Catherine, Morris may have envisioned their lives together and knew they’d be living in that very house. Being in the house again brought back those happy memories and again he was considering their future together; raising children and looking forward to all the memories they would make and times they would share.

Yes, Morris did partake in her father’s hospitality while he was away; imbibing his spirits, smoking his cigars, and consuming his food but he was Lavinia’s invited guest. One could say he was bonding with Catherine’s family; using the opportunity to learn all he could about her. After all, he could have spent that time in the company of other women rather than socializing with a slightly off-balance older widowed woman.

The version we saw would depend on how we viewed the various characters. Whichever way we see it, it's a sad ending for Catherine, Morris and everyone involved.

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

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[–] AvaSinatra59 (191) 8 months ago

Agreed.

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[–] mdonln 8 years ago

Lukerdog says > 2 reasons stood out to me;

In addition to what you said I think the buttons represented payment in full. For the first time in her life Catherine had experienced a couple of days of overwhelming and complete happiness. It started at her cousin's engagement party and continued until the moment she realized Morris was not coming to get her.

During that time she saw herself in a different light. She was full of hope for the future and she could finally envision a beautiful fulfilling life for herself. She felt adored and she had Morris to thank for that. Even though she later realized his intentions were false, all of her experiences during those brief few days were very real.

Unfortunately, Morris caused her to lose her father; both figuratively and literally, but in the process she also grew as a person and learned a lot about life. She gained inner strength and knew she could survive whatever came her way.

She had gotten him the buttons during her time of euphoria; it was an act of love. Giving them to him acknowledged that she had, for a time, loved him with all her heart but now their accounts were settled; they were even and it was over. She gave him something small but valuable; something that was full of promise for the future, much the same way he had given her a valuable gift brimming with hope for a future that was never fulfilled.

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

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[–] Piperson 8 years ago

When Catherine goes upstairs to get the buttons and leaves Morris in the parlor, he looks all around the splendid rooms and we can see how thrilled and in love he is - - - WITH THE HOUSE. While Katherine was downstairs and he was nuzzling her neck and whispering his tired old phrases in her ear, he was tentative.

But when she left him alone in his favorite room with thoughts of his favorite cigars and brandy he was overwhelmed with joy.

Set up for a well-deserved fall; very rewarding.

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[–] mdonln 8 years ago

Piperson says > When Catherine goes upstairs to get the buttons and leaves Morris in the parlor, he looks all around the splendid rooms and we can see how thrilled and in love he is - - - WITH THE HOUSE. While Katherine was downstairs and he was nuzzling her neck and whispering his tired old phrases in her ear, he was tentative.

That is one way to look at it but it's also possible he was tentative when nuzzling her because he wasn't sure she'd take him back but after she goes upstairs he is much more confident because she has given him reason to believe all is well. Also, admiring the house could be his way of imagining all that is to come; picturing their future lives together since they would be living in that house.

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

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[–] Piperson 8 years ago

OK I agree with your take on Morris' viewpoint. He really is thrilled at the prospect of his future life with Catherine. I will give him credit for sincerely wanting it all this time; Catherine's money and her love.

HE is willing to forget everything that went before and he expects Catherine to do the same. No such luck.

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[–] mdonln 8 years ago

Piperson says > OK I agree with your take on Morris' viewpoint. He really is thrilled at the prospect of his future life with Catherine. I will give him credit for sincerely wanting it all this time; Catherine's money and her love.

It's not so much that I'm looking at it from Morris' point of view. I just find it kind of odd that most people see Catherine as the victim rather than the cause of her own problems.

It's easy to blame Morris and her father but Catherine was the socially inept person who had trouble understanding people, being able to see their motives, and making sense of her relationship with them.

Catherine was quick to believe Morris loved her but wasn't able to see that out of love he could leave her. She had been willing to throw away all she ever knew; her family, her home, her good reputation, and even her inheritance to run off with him; someone she barely knew.

We can see Catherine's true nature by how she treated her own father. She had known him all her life; she knew him well, but she couldn't see how he might be trying to look out for her best interests. She thought he was trying to ruin her life when all he ever did was take care of her and provide her with the best of everything. She was ready to write him off forever, and did, because, out of frustration, he told her the truth about herself. What motive could he have had to want her to be miserable?

Someone like Catherine lives in fear of life so they create a fantasy world for themselves. They can only deal with people who behave as they wish them to; people who will tell them what they want to hear. When someone is honest with them in a way that hurts their feelings, they can't deal with it so they banish that person forever; lest they be hurt again. Relationships don't work like that; feelings are sometimes hurt and people don't always behave as we'd want but if we're mature we can see whether or not they love us. Catherine let emotion rather than logic control her actions. She was unable to consider and weigh the 'evidence', she simply reacted to it.

I see Catherine as a tragic figure. She ends up exactly where her father had feared she would end up. He did all he could to prevent it but, as usual, his efforts were futile. Catherine's personality prevented her from having a full and enjoyable life. She was rich but alone, bitter, and lonely; and it would always be that way. Though she held them accountable, neither her father nor Morris was to blame.

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

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[–] denis-38 8 years ago

She relieved herself of the last vestiges of Morris--the buttons. And she declared she'd done her last bit of "neat" embroidery. As well as informing her aunt she'd "make sure" he never returned to the house again. With that, one could imagine that she was finally free, might sell the house on Washington Square and take up her relatives invitation to stay in Newport?

The ending--of the film--is open to many interpretations.

As for Morris only looking out for her, since she was assured $10,000 a year, she'd hardly be ruined by her father cutting her off. At that time, $10,000 was a fortune. She and Morris would not be living in poverty. Unless he didn't work for a living and immediately squandered the money. (After all, a good deal of his spiel to Catherine in his return was the indignity of the "common labor" he had to endure.)

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[–] AvaSinatra59 (191) 8 months ago

Agreed.

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[–] AvaSinatra59 (191) 8 months ago

Agreed.

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[–] bron-tay 8 years ago

I think she rather relished the idea of him pawning them by week's end so he could get some food and shelter and kit himself out for the next Catherine.

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[–] [email protected] (1843) a year ago

I thought it worked 2 ways: 1. To finally let him go, she bought that for him and had it all these years. By giving it to whom she intended, she is finally letting him go. 2. To finalize her ruse. To have him in her palm as he did her, to dangle a promise in front of him, only to bar the door to his face when he finally leaves.

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