Critical Reading Response To Miracle Of Morgan's Creek

Semiotics, in its basic sense, looks at the meaning in signs and symbols using terms such as signifier and signified. The signifier, or sound-image, is the name of the sign; whereas the signified is the meaning of the signifier. The term signifier, in its definition, reveals the impossibility to separate sound and image. In film sound, Metz argues that the sound of a source relies on what sociologically accepted image the sound is coming from. A whistle is a signifier that can have several different meanings, but the whistling of the wind is a specific source of sound that connotes one meaning. By studying the semiotics of a particular scene between an elderly father and his fiercely independent daughter, Miracle of Morgan's Creek signifies not only the ideological differences in the two characters and how these ideologies are shaped by the differences in their gender but also the relationship between sound and image.

A significant scene in Miracle of Morgan's Creek centers on a father (Constable Kockenlocker) and daughter (Emmy) sitting on a porch waiting the elderly daughter's (Trudy) arrival. Emmy is anxious and keeps asking if her dad hears a police siren. Constable Kockenlocker, sure that there are no police sirens in the small town, reassures his youngest that the police siren she hears is nothing but a tree toad. Since the sound does not exist the father is convinced that the sound they are hearing cannot be a police siren. When the sound is closer and unmistakably a police siren he is convinced. He can see the image of a police car approaching and can now put a name to the sound he has been hearing. He announces it is a police siren and the daughter makes a comment about how it must be a hoot owl. Emmy, annoyed that the sound of the police siren could not be confirmed when she was hearing it, but only when the father figure announced it as such, counters his confirmation with another signifier. In this manner sound and gender roles are inextricably connected.

Due to sound, the gender roles the two characters conform to come into conflict during this scene. The masculine figure is the only person who can name sounds; the sound does not exist until he says it does. The female, although shown as mature and independent through the majority of the film, is still a female and therefore does not exert any kind of control on the naming of objects. The youngest daughter attempts to rebel against the father's power of naming by asserting that the sound is a hoot owl, but through this act she is proving her submission. A true act of defiance would not be to name a sound similar to a police siren but one that is vastly different, such as dirt. The sound in the scene cannot be identified precisely as a police siren but it can be identified as what it is not. The police siren will never sound like someone typing; it will never sound like a harp. By naming a signifier very close in relationship to the actual sound she is giving the power to the male. In this short scene, the father figure controls the naming process and the daughter relents to his control. The gender roles they play diverge over the definition of sound.

Not only is the relationship between female and male at odds with one another, individual ideologies are as well. A definition of ideology, in its simplest terms, is the basic assumptions a person has in any given situation. Metz believes assigning the proper signifier to a sound relies heavily on societies basic assumptions of the source of the sound. In an introduction to Metz, his theory on the relationship of sound and signifier is described in this way: "Our perception of [sound] involves the implementation of processes of identification that rely on our knowledge of the world" (147). In the described scene, the female brings to the table her recognition of what a police siren is as well as her knowledge of her sister's pending trouble. With these aspects it is easy for her to identify a police siren and announce it as such. The father, unaware of his older daughter's danger and very much aware that a police siren does not exist in his town cannot correctly identify the police siren; it must be something similar that exists in the area. In order to successfully name the signifier (police siren), the two characters bring their individual preconceived notions to the table and assess the situation. Emmy knows her sister is involved in a matter that could include police sirens and that it is possible for a police siren to show up at the house. Constable Kockenlocker knows there are no police cars in town and therefore no way a police siren could be heard in his neighborhood. Their basic assumptions are on opposing sides which leads to a clash of ideologies surrounding the naming of the police siren.

The naming of the police siren only comes to fruition when sound and image are in concert. Metz believes the meanings of sounds rely heavily on the source of the sound, oftentimes the image, and what society deems this source to be. "We claim that we are talking about sound, but we are actually thinking of the visual image of the sound's source" (Metz 158). The naming of the police siren relies heavily on the image of the police car. The police siren is a tree toad in the father's mind because there is no police siren in the town. This sound does not exist for him therefore the sound he hears must be something similar. When the image and sound match he names the sound as police siren. When the image and the sound come together, the naming process can occur; the police siren is given the appropriate signifier, or sound-image.

Defining the sound as the specific signifier - police siren - is significant to the film in many ways. Not only does this scene showcase the difference between men and women, but also their different ideologies. Each character brings a different assumption to the scene and can arrive at a different conclusion. Emmy identifies the police siren before her father because she knows what to expect but it does not matter until her father recognizes and identifies the sound. The only way the father can correctly identify the sound-image is through a combination of sound and image. Once the police car and the siren appear before him he can name the sound as police siren. Although a small scene in Miracle of Morgan's Creek, the naming of the police siren represents the relationship between sound and image as well as gender roles, and ideologies present in these gender roles, throughout the film.

Works Cited

Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Dirs. Preston Sturges. Perfs. Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton. Paramount Pictures, 1944.