The Concept of Modern Female Antihero in The Movie Gone Girl

The movie Gone Girl falls in the concept of Modern Female Antihero. Antihero is the main character of a literary work who does not only exhibit ordinary and heroic characteristics, however instead, can be described as ordinary or can even be the antagonist of her own story. Amy Dunne Among the antihero figure, she fine represents the femme fatale for how she makes use of sexuality as a weapon however because of her cunning thought and tactics, she offers greater dimension to the femme fatale. Femme fatale is a woman who uses her seductivity to lure men.

Amy Dunne is a great example of a modern female antihero, because at the very start of the movie we pity her because of how the way her husband Nick treated her. We thought of her as the protagonist of the film because of how she narrate their story in her diary and of how she became the girl she doesn't want to be, but it turns out she is also the antagonist. Because of anger and desperation Amy fabricated her own death on the day of their anniversary and pointed out the clues and evidence to her husband Nick. She was angry because she tried to change herself into a cool girl to fit into society's wants and because she knew that it was what her husband wants.

When Amy went missing, the people of her town assumed that she was kidnapped and murdered, but little did people know, she moved to another town were no one knows about her identity to live a new life and changed the way she portrayed herself to being a cool girl. Amy thought that everything is going according to her plan until she met her new neighbor Greta and stole her money. Amy asked for help from her ex-boyfriend Desi, lying about what really happened. She knew that Desi is so in love and obsessed with her so she took it as an advantage and manipulated the happenings so that she can have a reason to go back home to her husband. She seduced Desi and Desi fell for it.

While Desi was about to reach the climax, Amy grabbed the cutter she hid under the pillow and slit Desi’s throat. She went back home to Nick and lied to the police about what really did happen. Nick can’t do anything to have a divorce with her wife because as much as he wants to pursue the divorce, he is scared of what Amy is capable of doing and the fact that Amy is pregnant with his child.

I learned that woman being an antihero is more realistic than being an ordinary cliche protagonist. I’d say it’s more realistic because the main character just like Amy Dunne is not the same as the stereotypical woman in other films that is being told what to do or being judged and do nothing to change it. Being an antihero allows the main character to grow and overcome his/her own flaws.