Rear Window Perseverance

No one believes Jeff when he first suspects that Thorwald murdered his wife. He has to fight through that and painstakingly assemble the evidence that Thorwald is a killer. Lisa, for her part, desperately loves Jeff and goes to great lengths to prove it. In both cases, these two demonstrate extraordinary perseverance in order to reach their goals.

Perseverance makes for good drama, and in the case of Rear Window, it reminds us that it takes more than the ability to throw a punch for the hero (or heroine) to get what they want. That's doubly important because Jeff can't really do more than watch. If he wants to see this through, he's going to have to stick with it despite his personal obstacles. As we learn in the first scene, he'll do anything to get the picture.

Questions About Perseverance

1. Is Jeff's perseverance the most important quality toward successfully solving this mystery?
2. How does Lisa demonstrate perseverance? How does Stella? Doyle?
3. What are the obstacles that Jeff gets through with help from his instinct to persevere?
4. Is Jeff's snooping justified because his persistence ends up solving a murder?

Chew on This

Perseverance in this film is ultimately seen as a good and beneficial quality.

Hitchcock is suggesting that there's something unhealthy about Jeff's persistence—something bordering on obsession.