One thing I've learned about the AMC show Mad Men is if something doesn't make sense, then I probably wasn't paying attention. E.g., the lawn tractor scene in this week's episode -- it seemed to come out of nowhere, no? And oh, uh-huh, yeah. Touché. That was entirely the point.So what does the tractor scene represent, exactly? What does it mean? Probably only Matthew Weiner can say for sure, but I think it embodies multiple metaphors and foreshadows more than one volatile event of the 1960s.
Starting with:
- The JFK assassination. Think about it. The lurching, slow-moving vehicle. The optimistic young leader, a hybrid of sorts, as victim. Joan's (aka Jackie's) bloody dress. That feeling of horrendous tragedy coming fast and out of nowhere to blow everything apart, despite the slow-motion sensation leading up to it. More on the JFK angle at Pandagon.
But also:
- The Vietnam War. The violence of it, the blood that spattered everywhere. The mangled, lost limbs -- Guy's foot, but also Roger's reference to a severed arm. The talk about how getting drafted is no big deal. And, oh yeah, it was 4th of July weekend. British and American mingling together, in an uneasy balance of power where the British had control, yet were handed a defeat with the loss of their promising young leader. All of this recalls the violent history and original meaning of that particular day, the 4th of July. War. More on the Vietnam angle at Slate.
And we can't forget:
- The Civil Rights Movement. Here we have the lawnmower as the symbol of suburbia, a suburbia that was rumbling with discontent in the early 60s, a suburbia formerly somewhat neutralized under an American version of the Pax Romana. The fact that it's a woman on the tractor emphasizes women's close connection to suburbia, although originally there is both a man and a woman on the tractor waving and smiling at the group, almost in a political fashion (back to Kennedy again). The man (Smitty?) is driving and yelling, "I'm going home!" The next time we see the tractor, the original smiling pair is gone, which perhaps represents a white, patriarchal, mechanized society setting a seemingly benign course that ultimately spins out of control. The solitary woman on the tractor could be a nod to the forthcoming feminist movement, which, along with the other Civil Rights movements, aspired to chop up the old order through activism and protests. Or, it could also be viewed as another example of women being scapegoated for the mistakes of others, usually men, i.e., Ken shouldn't have brought the tractor to work in the first place.
One last thing that strikes me about this scene is the deep ignorance of it. No one in the room, with the exception of Ken (who doesn't try very hard to stop it), recognizes the inherent danger of a machine on the loose, not even the drivers. And only Joan has the presence of mind to deal with the aftermath. So if the lawn tractor ultimately represents a juggernaut of radical change, it is one that explodes within a society mostly ignorant of its coming, a society on the very brink of awakening and consciousness-raising.
Watch the scene again. What's your take?
Posts
Excellent analysis! I also used to think every product placement on Mad Men was both intentional and paid-for, but I'm not sure how this reflects well on John Deere. I can imagine Weiner pitching the show to execs. "And because it's a show about an advertising agency, we can sell every inch of screen space in every shot and no one will think twice about it!"
ReplyDeleteAll great points! I especially like your reading of the deep ignorance (might we even say innocence?) of the scene, especially since the one driving is the perpetually hapless secretary/ switchboard operator. She might be a scapegoat, but she also strikes me as an example of the infantilizing of women in pre-liberation America. Her whiny "What have I done?" even sounds childlike. So maybe the underlying threat isn't so much the liberation movement but the lack thereof.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as I mentioned on Fb, there have been moments of abrupt violence throughout the show that interrupt its decadent polish - much like memories of Dick Whitman interrupt the cool appearance of the fiction that is Don Draper. The American Dream - as fiction and as product placement, like Mike says - is embodied in the shiny John Deere that, in the wrong hands, can lead to senseless destruction. - kristen
ok ok! so i have this on my list of shows to record now! i have been meaning to for ages but you have pushed me over the edge! :)
ReplyDelete@Mike
ReplyDeleteI sort of wonder if companies care much anymore about the context in which their products are seen, or if they just want them seen period. Or, maybe Weiner was like, your tractor will be a glorious July 4th symbol of the American Dream! ;)
@EnthyAlias
"She also strikes me as an example of the infantilizing of women in pre-liberation America. So maybe the underlying threat isn't so much the liberation movement but the lack thereof."
Excellent point. I often notice the show highlighting women's infantilization with Betty, but you're right, it is totally present here as well.
"The American Dream - as fiction and as product placement, like Mike says - is embodied in the shiny John Deere that, in the wrong hands, can lead to senseless destruction."
Yes!, the John Deere as a symbol of the American Dream (mechanized, no less) makes perfect sense, especially in the context of the Ad Agency, since so much of the Dream of that era was fabricated and manipulated firsthand by that particular industry and the products/lifestyle they helped sell.
@Halverson
Good, because you need to watch it! :D