Gender Identity in Kill Bill

The film Kill Bill vol. 2 presents a unique example of the fluidity of gender identity in the character Beatrix Kiddo.  Throughout the film she occupies the roles of both a deadly assassin and a mother.  Beatrix's physical strength and aggressiveness are generally a masculine stereotype, while on the other hand her role as a mother is essentially feminine.  Both roles that she plays are emphasized as natural.  In the final scene, Bill calls her a “natural born killer”, which is somewhat odd because men are the ones typically seen as “natural” predators.  Then on the other hand, despite being a killer, Beatrix is gentle and loving with her daughter when they are reunited in the final scene.  Therefore to classify Beatrix as either masculine or feminine is not possible.  Quentin Tarantino, who is the writer and director of the film, and Uma Thurman, the actress who portrays her, develop a characterization of Beatrix Kiddo that is feminist in its gender ambiguity.  Also there are some actions Beatrix takes that are not in sync with feminist thought and could be interpreted as stereotypical.  For example the very day she found out that she was pregnant, she abandoned her life as an assassin and moved to a small town to marry, work in a record store with her husband, and raise her child. When confronted by Bill in the final scene she even admits that she did not think it would work.  Beatrix gives up her independent identity as she says, “the strip turned blue” on the pregnancy test.  This decision is the beginning of the Bride’s story and therefore part of her evolution.  This is additional evidence of the flexibility of her gender identity due to her adherence to the stereotypical female role in this situation and the rejecting of it further in the movie.  I would rate this move an 8.5/10.

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