![]() ![]() ![]() Her spirits are temporarily lifted when Uncle Charlie comes to visit, but are crushed when he brings a number of problems to the Newton household. ![]() Early on, Charlie displays dissatisfaction with her family, stating that she wishes to “cure her family,” in her opening scene. Hitchcock portrays the Newton’s facade as phony and unsatisfactory. Uncle Charlie putting the ring on his niece’s finger Hitchcock inserts this subtext into the film to convey an uncomfortable atmosphere to the scenes with the two Charlies and to exemplify the problematic family dynamics of the Newtons. Perhaps the most blatant hint at incest would be the ring, originally a wedding ring, which Uncle Charlie gives our heroine when they meet. The film also depicts the pair as having a quasi-telepathic link, which is often associated with lovers. In his article “All in the Family,” James McLaughlin states that “Incest is a barely suppressed presence in the film…” At the beginning of the film they are both shown lying in bed in the exact same position, signifying their connection to one another. However, critics have observed subtle incestuous undertones between the two. The relationship between the heroine Charlie Newton and her sinister uncle Charlie is taken at face value by the other characters as nice and normal. Among Hitchcock’s dysfunctional families, the Newtons are probably the most outstanding. However, beneath the surface, the Newtons experience a number of problems which they try to hide with their facade. Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt features the Newton family, who at first glance appears to be an ideal happy, average family. ![]()
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