Traditional family roles are put to the test in William Friedkin's The Guardian when a young couple decides to hire a nanny to help them raise their son while pursuing their career.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay What dangers await you when mom has to work? This is the question that resonates throughout this film. Traditionally, a woman is expected to stay at home, raise the children and take care of the house. It is not acceptable for a mother to work outside the home. As times changed and more families came under economic pressure, dual-income households became commonplace. However, a woman not only became the breadwinner of the family, but she was also expected to maintain her traditional role as wife and mother. It was and still is considered unacceptable for a woman to admit that she needs help balancing her career and family life. For some women, it's even a little embarrassing to admit that they are not superwoman and that they cannot live up to the impossible and exhausting role that society gives them to play. When Kate decides to return to work to help with her finances, she and Ned decide to hire a nanny to help them raise their newborn son, Jake. The non-traditional role Kate takes on as a working mother is further defined by the fact that she needs help raising her son and the film attempts to send a distorted message about the dangers that can arise when women loosen their grip on the role of mother. maternity. Throughout the film, Kate is portrayed as self-centered and oblivious to the evil happening around her. His character is just happy doing what he wants to do. Friedkin rarely shows her with her baby. There are only a few scenes where we see her holding Jake. When she and Ned try to escape from Camilla, it is Ned who holds the baby and Kate who runs into the house, leaving Ned and the baby to escape through the woods. Although Kate's intentions were good in trying to lure Camilla away from Ned and Jake ran Camilla over with their jeep, the scene is an attempt to show Kate as a bad mother by giving up her protective role to Ned and adopting the role. of heroes. Ned is portrayed throughout the film as the logical hero. He is the classic father-knows-best who tries to compensate for his inability to provide for his family by saving them. Throughout the film, Ned is a father, mother, detective and knowledge of the day. Even when he begins to have sexual dreams about Camilla, he shakes off his urges to be a better man. Ned's role as a traditional father is also called into question throughout the film, but not in the same harsh way as Kate's. The audience feels sympathy for Ned because he is the hero. He must not only provide for himself, but also take care of his son and protect his family from the evil he discovers. Ned has a history of generating more animosity towards Kate's character. The audience is tempted to ask: where is the mother in all this? Camilla is the ultimate monster in this film. Although the film presents her as the guardian, she is actually the guardian of herself. Instead of giving life to a child, she takes it. However, Camilla is presented as more of a motherly figure in the film than Kate in that she is the protector and caregiver of the tree she worships. Like any mother, she does what she must to support her family or,.