![]() Symbolically, this scene represents the ease at which Uncle Charlie is able to “climb” out of a life that he wishes to flee, while young Charlie struggles to get any exposure beyond Santa Rosa. Young Charlie looks up at her uncle from the doorway, a medley of fear and sorrow dancing across her eyes. Shortly after losing what is likely young Charlie’s last shred of doubt that her uncle is the Merry Widow Murderer, Hitchcock shows a content and smiling Uncle Charlie looking down at his niece from the top of a staircase. There is one scene in the film that beautifully depicts the climax of her realization and the implications surrounding it. The film tracks her disillusionment as she begins to notice cracks in her uncle’s mask from learning of an accusation from the police to realizing a gift given to her by her uncle was stolen, young Charlie begins to seriously suspect her uncle as being the killer that the authorities are tracking. She views her uncle as not only representing everything she desires, but as having the capacity to impart some of his worldliness onto her. Young Charlie’s embracement of her Uncle is rooted in her wish to escape Santa Rosa and see the world through the eyes of a more seasoned, wealthy individual. ![]() ![]() The ability of a serial killer to slip into this environment and achieve significant social status in such a short time may be Hitchcock commenting on America itself, and what the nation falsely claimed to represent in the WWII era. Uncle Charlie, at the opposite end of this spectrum, exposes the impossibility of Santa Rosa’s idealism as he immediately a beloved figure in the community. ![]() Young Charlie’s innocence and naiveté is likely a product of the town she’s from - the initial shots of Santa Rosa are like something out of a 1950s American propaganda piece, a town so pure and idyllic that the viewer may question whether such a place truly exists. From the film’s onset, Hitchcock draws parallels between Uncle Charlie and his young niece of the same name. In Shadow of a Doubt, however, he makes no effort to conceal the guilt of Uncle Charlie, a man who is clearly guilty of being the Merry Widow Murderer that the police are pursuing. A common theme across Hitchcock’s’ films is the “Innocent Man” narrative. ![]()
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