Poor Joe. He doesn't even intend to live at Norma's mansion in Sunset Boulevard, but Max—her servant—has all of his things moved in without Joe requesting it. That's a pretty big violation of someone's privacy, obviously. And the manipulations certainly don't end there. Norma provides Joe with so many gifts and benefits—ostensibly for helping her write her screenplay—that he's eventually pressured into sleeping with her and becoming her "lover" (it definitely needs to be put in quotes). Of course, Joe finally reaches a point where he's had enough—but that also happens to be the point at which he's destroyed.
Questions about Manipulation
- Does Joe manipulate Norma too? Doesn't he pretend her screenplay is good in order to get work?
- Why does Max manipulate Joe? What's his attitude toward him? Does he wish he were in Joe's place, strangely enough? Or not?
- Why doesn't Joe just ditch Norma and run away with Betty? Why does he allow himself to be manipulated, giving up on his clearer attraction?
- Does Norma think she's just manipulating Joe—or does she think that Joe is honestly becoming her lover of his own free will?
Chew on This
Norma self-deception can only continue if she manipulates other people into feeding it.
Joe's the real manipulator. He takes advantage of Norma's insanity for his own benefit.