Laura Palmer and Donna Hayward: The Madonna - Whore complex in David Lynch's Twin Peaks
This essay analyses the portrayal of this fenomenon in the acclaimed 90s series
Twin Peaks is one of those shows that are difficult to define in one word. Complex? Philosophical? Oniric-like? Not a single term can be enough to cover the substance of this piece of the Lynchian universe. This is due to the countless themes covered in the series. However, what brings us here today is an analysis on the contrast between the characters of Laura Palmer and her best friend, Donna. How both represent the dichotomy of the Madonna - Whore complex but at the same time, how this is portrayed in a different manner that does not blame the woman (for once!).
A Brief Introduction to The Madonna - Whore Complex
This phenomenon was first introduced by the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. It defends the idea that there is a division in how women are perceived socially speaking in two distinct categories:
The Madonna: The Madonna is a woman that corresponds to what we call the archetype of the “angel of the house”. This is someone who embodies purity and chastity. The Madonna serves as an example of what a woman should be: she is morally upright, demure and shy. She is a mother, a wife, someone whose life is seen as “respectable” by men. The sexual aspect of their persona disappears, making her similar to a saint. It’s precisely this respect that is denied to “The Whore”.
The Whore: She enjoys her sexuality and presents herself as liberated and open to new experiences. This is enough to label her as rebellious. To this freedom she perpetuates, negative connotations are associated. Promiscuity or immorality are terms often used when talking about The Whore. Men desire her sexually speaking. But this desire is incompatible with respect. This woman is not worthy of respect or love, she serves as a box for the darkest fantasies of men, and must be hidden from the rest of the world.
This complex has been extensively studied and analysed in various aspects. And one of these aspects is, of course, the media.
Everything we consume as entertainment, influences us in some way or another. It shapes our brains and opinions. One of the hottest topics in the last twenty years since the beginning of the third way of feminism has been how women are portrayed in the media, and how this portrayal affects the expectations for their role in society. One of the most famous stereotypes that are often portrayed is precisely, the Madonna - Whore Complex.
Twin Peaks
In the context of Twin Peaks, the Madonna - Whore complex can be applied to Laura Palmer and Donna Hayward. While Donna is sort of unidimensional as she embodies The Madonna almost completely, Laura’s case is different. Laura leads two different lives, she is both The Whore and The Madonna.
Donna Hayward: The Madonna
She is the best friend of Laura Palmer. She has a healthy family, a stable group of friends and overall, a quiet life. Donna appears as a kind figure, a well - mannered girl who is compassionate and devoted to her family.
As the story advances, we discover that Laura hid a lot of secrets from her. This forces innocent Donna to consider the possibility of the existence of a darker reality that breaks her schemes. Laura’s murder changes her perception of life, consequently. She goes through a dark path trying to find out what happened to her friend. But, being true to her Madonna self, she is ultimately motivated by innocence and her wish to establish genuine connections.
She begins to explore her own desires and emotions, becoming more and more rebellious. When the investigation begins, she herself starts a parallel investigation on her own. This puts her in risky and even dangerous situations, all for the sake of the truth.
Her acts of rebellion reflect her growth and development as a character throughout the series. As she involves herself deeper into the mysteries of the town and the secrets surrounding Laura's death, she becomes more complex, shedding the simple Madonna-like image she was initially associated with. However, she does not break it. She is still the Madonna, someone whose actions are motivated by a greater good. Laura’s case (as we’ll see), it's completely different.
Laura Palmer: The Whore(?)
Laura embodies the dichotomy of the Madonna - Whore complex. The portrayal of Laura Palmer in "Twin Peaks" highlights the complex and multidimensional nature of human beings, challenging the traditional Madonna-Whore dichotomy. Unlike Donna, who we could classify as a (more or less) unidirectional character, inside Laura there are two completely different individuals.
On the one hand, she is very involved in her community and everyone loves her. She is the beloved homecoming queen, seen as the embodiment of innocence, purity, and virtue. People in Twin Peaks, including her parents and friends, often view her as the quintessential small-town girl, the Madonna figure. But the moment she dies, all the truth about her starts coming out slowly, ending this saint - like image she had.
On the other hand, we have the “hidden” Laura. Palmer was involved in a series of dangerous activities. But these pastimes do not only involve sex and drugs. She was connected to a complex network of organised crime that involved some of the most influential and powerful people in Twin Peaks. This contributes to her being a vulnerable target for the twisted mind of these individuals.
She is the biggest secret of many men in town, including her own father. Because yes, she is a victim of incestuous sexual abuse. As it can be appreciated in The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer (Lynch, Jennifer. 1990), the moment the abuse begins Laura starts losing herself. Changing. It’s necessary for her to divide her persona into two to bear with her own life. She was corrupted and left without an escape.
This atypical sexual upbringing causes a collision between her own desires and the repulsion for experiencing this aforementioned wishes. She was forced to be “the whore” in order to survive, to embrace her sexuality in a twisted way. But then, something amazing happens. While dead, she becomes a threat to these men, who are faced by the weight of their own perverted actions. What they did to this poor girl will always haunt them, the shame they subjected her too now is coming back to them. Laura gets her revenge, and becomes a martir who avenges all victims of sexual abuse who never got to see justice made for them. And this is why Laura will never be like Donna.
Conclusion: why they’ll never be the same
Unless Laura, Donna is allowed to enjoy her teenage hood, which causes her to be not only perceived with a better light, but also to behave like a normal girl her age would. Laura on the other side is doomed. The years of sexual abuse, the dissociation and the guilt will never go away. She is dead while alive. However, her life holds a value that is uncommon. While being in the absolute darkness, she was able to be a kind soul whose only wish was to be normal.
While she is not a perfect human being, she protects her loved ones. The pain she faces give her a special sensitivity to be kind to others, especially those vulnerable. Her legacy extends beyond her death, as she motivates people to seek justice and realize there’s more to life than it appears to be at first sight. Laura's kindness and desire for redemption paint a nuanced picture of a young woman who strives to maintain her goodness amidst overwhelming challenges. She challenges the simplistic definitions of good and evil, reminding us that the human experience is full of contradictions, and that goodness often shines brightest in the darkest of times.