The Nineties in America - Salem Press (2009)

neglect and abuse (Thelma). Before long, the trip
snowballs into an adventure far beyond what was ini-
tially envisioned, as an attempted rape by a man
whom Thelma met in a bar ends when Louise kills
him, the trigger pulled not so much because of the
intended violence but because of the words uttered
by the would-be perpetrator. It is a 1966 Thunder-
bird convertible that brings the two temporary free-
dom. It is also in the automobile that the pair forms a
bond of intimate friendship so tight that at the end
of the film the two would rather die holding hands
than live in confinement.
The men in this film are portrayed in a simplistic
manner, but there is a kernel of truth in the charac-
terization of each of the types portrayed. Jimmy (Mi-
chael Madsen), Louise’s boyfriend, can be both sen-
sitive and loyal, but also violent when the least bit
confused. Thelma’s husband, Darryl (Christopher
McDonald), is the self-centered insensitive spouse,
certainly reflective of a large group of men within
American society. Male authority, as reflected in a
traffic cop, is bold when he has access to his gun, but
cowering when one is pointed at him. The hitch-
hiker lover, played by Brad Pitt, has the appearance
of being sensitive and understanding, but behind
the veneer he is deceitful and egotistical. Only detec-
tive Hal Slocum (Harvey Keitel) has an understand-
ing of the pair’s true situation and motives, and he
turns out to be powerless.

Impact Thelma and Louisewon the Academy Award
for Best Original Screenplay. The film legitimized
the notion that women could be at the center of a
first-rank outlaw road film, in a way no different than
Midnight Run(1988) orRain Man(1988). Autono-
mous women were now behind the wheel, not simply
in the passenger’s seat. The backdrop of this rather
unlikely story—the roadhouses, gin mills, gas sta-
tions, motels, oil fields, and wild horses—provide
the viewer with a realistic context to raise serious
questions concerning the dilemmas of life and the
roads taken, the consequences of both personal
choices and chance that inevitably confront individ-
uals.

Further Reading
Greenberg, Harvey R., et al. “The Many Faces of
Thelma and Louise.”Film Quarterly45, no. 2 (Win-
ter, 1991-1992): 20-31.
Griggers, Cathy. “Thelma and Louiseand the Cultural
Generation of the New Butch-Femme.” InFilm

Theor y Goes to the Movies, edited by Jim Collins, Hil-

ary Radner, and Ava Preacher Collins. New York:

Routledge, 1993.

Mills, Katie.The Road Stor y and the Rebel Moving

Through Film, Fiction, and Television. Carbondale:

Southern Illinois University Press, 2006.

John A. Heitmann

See also Academy Awards; Film in the United

States; Pitt, Brad.

 Thomas, Clarence

Identification Associate justice of the United

States since 1991

Born June 23, 1948; Pin Point, Georgia

Controversy surrounded Thomas’s nomination to the Su-

preme Court. He became the second African American to

serve on the Court.

On July 1, 1991, Clarence Thomas was nominated by

President George H. W. Bush to fill a Supreme Court

vacancy following the resignation of Thurgood Mar-

shall, the first African American justice of the United

States. There were significant differences between

Thomas and his predecessor. First, Marshall reached

the bench after a distinguished legal career; Thom-

as’s achievements at the time of his nomination,

while significant, were not as distinguished. Second,

while Marshall had been one of the most liberal

members of the Court, Thomas had a conservative

reputation.

Supreme Court nominees must be confirmed by

the U.S. Senate after they go through a hearing con-

ducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee. At the

time of Thomas’s nomination, the majority of sena-

tors on the committee and in the Senate were Demo-

crats. A number of the committee members were

skeptical as to whether Thomas was qualified to

serve on the nation’s highest court. Some were also

concerned about how he would vote on cases involv-

ing such issues as affirmative action and abortion.

Thomas was grilled for five days about his views. He

tended to be vague in many of his responses. After

questioning him and others, the committee dead-

locked 7 to 7 on his nomination.

Shortly after that vote was announced, Professor

Anita Hill made public allegations that Thomas had

The Nineties in America Thomas, Clarence
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