MovieChat Forums > Norma Rae (1979) Discussion > What was the deal with writing it down a...

What was the deal with writing it down and giving it to her?

posted 8 years ago by TheBoz
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When Mgmt told her they wanted her to leave the premises after writing down the posting on the board as Reuben had asked. She tells them that she wants Sheriff Lamar to put it in writing that he was gonna take her home and then give her that letter?

Pardon me, but she was the one that was raising a ruckus.

" Forget it! I'm stayin' right where I am. It's gonna take you and the police department and the fire department and the National Guard to get me outta here!"

So then when they do bring in the sheriff, she thinks she will dictate what he will do and he will write it sign it and hand it to her? Did she think because she worked with Reuben who was a lawyer and did all this stuff to help the Union that she is in some position to dictate terms of surrender? And then she comes out and sees the police car and realizes she is going to jail? Whether she was gonna go to jail or taken home what other vehicle did she except Sheriff Lamar to be driving.

If the scene was supposed to make her look empowered somehow, it more made her look like a stupid hucklebuck who had delusions that working on starting a Union gave her special privileges.

[–] redban (5207) 3 years ago

I didn't really get the whole stuff about the letter she wanted from the sheriff. I guess she wanted assurance that he was taking her home and not to jail? If he writes down that he is taking her home and then sends her to jail instead, then she would have proof that he lied. And in that religious community, that lie would be a source of shame. (I dunno; just guessin')

But the scene was intended to make her look bad. She thought she was unstoppable, she thought they couldn't do anything. But she ends up getting arrested. The intent was to give her doubts about her union work, make her question whether it's worth it. The scene was also meant to show the difficulties of unionizing, fighting against the higher-ups.