It may seem strange to associate North by Northwest with the theme of family, since the film spends so little time showing families of any kind. But one family relationship is key to understanding Thornhill's development as a character, his transformation from self-absorbed, hunky ad man to devoted husband and national hero. We mean, of course, his relation to his mother, which the first few scenes in Hitch's film go way out of their way to emphasize. If you re-watch these scenes with the theme of motherhood (and son-hood) in mind, you may even come to think that the film beats viewers over the head with the very mid-century idea that much of what's wrong with Thornhill is his overbearing, unsupportive mother's fault.
Questions about Family
- We've called Mrs. Thornhill "overbearing." What other adjectives can you think of to characterize her as she's portrayed in North by Northwest's early scenes?
- Why do you think Mrs. Thornhill disappears from the film, never to be seen again, when her son leaves New York?
- Does Hitchcock's handling of the mother-son relationship seem dated to you? Do you think representations of mother-son bonds have evolved since 1959? If so, how?
Chew on This
North by Northwest offers a classically Oedipal take on the mother-son relationship, suggesting that Thornhill has to outgrow his attachment to his mother before he can achieve full adulthood.
Like Hitchcock's later film Psycho, North by Northwest pathologizes a mother figure, blaming her for problems that are really her son's.