How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Thelma & Louise.
Quote #1
DARRYL: Now that does it. That Louise is nothing but a bad influence. If you're not back here by tonight, Thelma...well, then I just don't wanna say.
THELMA: Darryl.
DARRYL: Thelma.
THELMA: Go f*** yourself.
Talk about freedom. Thelma's decided she's had enough of Darryl telling her what she can and can't do. It's taken her a long time to get to this point, but now there's no turning back.
Quote #2
LOUISE: You know, certain words and phrases just keep drifting through my mind. Things like "incarceration," "cavity search," "death by electrocution," "life imprisonment," s*** like that. You know what I'm saying? So do I want to come out alive? I don't know, I...I don't know. I think we're gonna have to think about that.
Sometimes being "alive" isn't always a positive thing, if you ask Louise. Prison is the ultimate confinement—there's no freedom there at all. Throughout her life, Louise has been trying to escape confinement. So what are her options now that prison is on the table?
Quote #3
THELMA: I don't know, you know, something's, like, crossed over in me. And I can't go back. I mean, I just couldn't live.
How does Thelma define "living" in this quote?
Quote #4
THELMA: I don't remember ever feeling this awake. You know what I mean? Everything looks different. You feel like that, too, like you got something to look forward to?
Thelma's life of crime has given her something to look forward to. What is that, exactly? What couldn't she look forward to in her previous life? What about her life has changed so drastically?
Quote #5
LOUISE: We'll be drinking margaritas by the sea, mamacita.
THELMA: Hey, we could change our names.
LOUISE: We can live in a hacienda.
THELMA: I'm gonna get a job. I'm gonna work at Club Med.
LOUISE: Yeah. Now what kind of deal is that cop gonna have to come up with to beat that?
THELMA: Have to be pretty good.
LOUISE: Have to be pretty damn good.
Thelma and Louise imagine a life of freedom in Mexico. Even Hal's kindest propositions and offers of safety won't live up to what they imagine they can run to. Are Thelma and Louise being realistic here? Does it matter?