Tools of Characterization

Characterization in Bonnie and Clyde

Actions

In Bonnie and Clyde, actions repeatedly give us insights into characterizations. Here are just a few of 'em:

• Blanche's constant screaming shows that she's high-strung and totally unsuited for a life of crime.
• Buck's tendency to tell (terrible) jokes to diffuse tension between other characters shows that Buck's often the gang's peacemaker, and he's usually trying to ease the ongoing conflict between Bonnie and Blanche.
• Bonnie's poetry writing shows that Bonnie has a larger view of the Barrow Gang's situation than anyone else—including Clyde. Her final poem especially, accepts the inevitability of their violent fate with calm dignity.

Clothing

Bonnie and Clyde are the standouts in the clothing department.

In contrast to just about everyone else in the film, they're dressed impeccably—Clyde might even be called (using 30's lingo) a "dude." This underscores their feelings that, as opposed to most people, they're special and deserve more out of life.

C.W., on the other hand, is clueless about style—just like he's clueless about most things. Blanche is often dressed in a frumpy, matronly way, which suggests her stodgy, uptight nature.

Occupation

Yeppers, the decision to become bank robbers says a lot about all the main characters. Bonnie, Clyde, and C.W. all want the thrills and the chance to escape humdrum lives. Buck does it in large part to be with his beloved younger brother. And Blanche, as ill suited as she is, does so because she's needy and clinging to Buck.

Props

Probably the most telling prop in the film is Clyde's infamous gun.

Literally, it suggests his desire for easy money through crime. Figuratively, it's also a penis substitute, a way of proving he's strong and virile—and covering up for his sexual performance problems.

Cigars are used in a similar way. When Bonnie poses with a cigar, for example, she's expressing both her power and her rebellious nature. She wants the world to see that she, unlike most women of her time, isn't submissive or compliant.

Family

In the film, family's a factor for all the main characters. The whole Barrow Gang want a strong family connection and a sense of belonging to a larger group—but you don't always get what you want.

Bonnie, for example, is sad that her life of crime has kept her from her "Mama." Blanche, the preacher's daughter, realizes she can never go back to her family. C.W. reaches out to his father, but his father's the one who ultimately betrays Bonnie and Clyde. And Clyde and Buck rob banks together because, well, it's become the de facto family business.