The Youthfulness and Loneliness in All That Heaven Allows

By analysing the use of red in Kay’s dress in the scene where she comes home for Christmas, other uses of red within the same scene, such as the red ribbons on the television, and the use of red in earlier scenes of the film, specifically when Cary wears a red dress when going on a date with Harvey, I intend to prove that in All That Heaven Allows the red dress represents youth, attractiveness, and social availability of whomever is wearing it. More specifically, Kay’s red dress in the scene when she announces her engagement not only symbolizes these characteristics within herself, but also the opposite - loneliness, motherhood, and the role of a widow - within her mother, Cary.

One of the first times this bright red is seen in the film is in an earlier scene when Cary is going out with Harvey. In this scene, Cary is wearing a red dress, the same colour as Kay’s when she announces her engagement, which elicits comments from her children that imply that it is not appropriate or natural for an older widow (such as Cary) to be wearing something so flashy. However, they become relieved when they find out she is going out with Harvey, a man they deem to be safe and age appropriate for their mother. Harvey’s harmlessness is shown through how plain he is in regard to colour, or lack thereof, when he enters their house. He is wearing neutral colours that match Cary’s couch, almost blending into the couch when he sits on it, whereas Cary stands out strongly against him with her bright red dress. This side by side comparison of the difference between the two’s clothing colours clearly depicts Harvey as boring and plain - descriptors that are more suitable for an older man such as himself - and Cary as stand out and more socially available, which are considered inappropriate characteristics for her, especially from her children.

Later on, in the scene when Kay comes home for Christmas and announces her engagement, and when Cary and Ron are broken up, the roles are switched; Kay is dressed in bright red and Cary is dressed very plainly and, like Harvey, matches the couch. This reversal of roles and colour matching is indicative that Cary is now the boring, non-stand out couch like Harvey was earlier, as well as that her role as the brightly coloured, social woman is now stripped from her and is instead played by Kay, who is young and for whom it is more acceptable to date.

The significance of these colours can also be seen through other objects in this scene, such as the television. In an earlier scene in the film, Cary’s friend, Sara, offers to buy her a television set. When Cary declines, Sara jokingly says that the reason Cary does not want one is because they are for lonely widows, and once she has one she admits that she is, in fact, a lonely widow. In the scene where Kay announces her engagement, Cary is gifted a television by her children. Sara’s earlier comments regarding television and loneliness are illustrated here, not only through the physical act of Cary being gifted a TV, but through the set up of the shot and the significance of colour. There is a shot in this scene where the camera is zoomed in on the TV and the reflection of Cary sitting on the couch can be seen on the screen of the TV, surrounded by red ribbons strewn on the edges of the TV - the same red as the one Kay is wearing and that Cary wore earlier in the film. In this shot, Cary is wearing a black dress and to the left of her, Kay’s red dress and hands can be seen, but her face is covered by the red bow that is placed on the actual TV.

Once again, through the changes in clothing colour, Cary is put into the same role that Harvey was in; neutral coloured, on the couch, and boring, and Kay is the saturated, attractive woman that Cary once was.. Not only is the relation between Cary and Kay’s red dress evident in the dress itself, by placing Cary in the centre of the television screen, which was set up to be a symbol of isolation from the start of the film, the red ribbons surrounding her and the TV serve as a reminder of her past youth and desirability. The reflection of Kay’s body in the red dress is also symbolic of this, as her face is covered by a bow on the television, and thus could represent a past version of Cary - be it the version of her when she was younger or even just from earlier on in the film.

To conclude, in the film, All That Heaven Allows, the red dress that Kay wears when she tells her mother about getting engaged represents her role as a young, attractive woman, while also signifying her mother, Cary, as being the opposite - an older mother and widow not available to date. The red dress was introduced as a point of interest from early on in the film, by having Cary’s children explicitly find it inappropriate for their mother to be wearing it, inevitably making it a symbol of what Cary should not be: desirable and looking to date. On the flip side, Harvey being considered safe by Cary’s children while also having a strong physical contrast to Cary makes him, the lack of colours he wears, and the couch he matches a signifier for what is deemed appropriate for an older person such as Cary. In this case, that is someone who is older, boring, and harmless in regard to dating and attraction. These colours and clothing and their assigned meanings return later in the film when Kay announces her engagement while wearing a red dress. Here, her dress indicates that she is a desirable young woman ready to date, and because she is young it is acceptable. When Cary is seen wearing dull clothes that match her couch in this scene, they represent that she is now the boring, older person that Harvey and his clothing signified earlier. These colours and their meanings and roles, specifically Cary’s, are cemented when the television is presented, as it was specifically referred to as a symbol of loneliness very early on in the film. By having these various signifiers introduced throughout the film and connecting them all in this scene, the film is effective in making Kay’s red dress representative of her youth, while also indicating that Cary is now put into the role of the lonesome widow she so desperately refused to be earlier.