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Quote 4

Judy:   “If I let you change me, will that do it? If I do what you tell me, will you love me?”
Scottie:   “Yes—yes.”
Judy:   “Alright then, I’ll do it. I don’t care anymore about me.”

This exchange takes place in Judy’s apartment after Scottie spends an entire day attempting to transform Judy into Madeleine. Judy has finally given in to the romantic delusion that has already destroyed Scottie. Until this exchange, Judy has tried to convince Scottie to love her for her true self. But it is now clear to her that he will love her only as Madeleine. Judy’s surrender provides a clear understanding of what motivates her: an overwhelming desire to be accepted and loved. She is willing to delude herself and live in Scottie’s world of fantasy and illusion to attain that goal. Undoubtedly, the same motivation must have originally led her to accept the role of Madeleine at Gavin Elster’s request. Her conscious decision to stop caring about herself opens the door to the disintegration of Judy’s identity. She so successfully adopts the persona of Madeleine that she makes the fatal mistake of putting on Madeleine’s “Carlotta” necklace. By the time Scottie drags her to the top of the bell tower, she is no longer certain of her own identity, speaking to him alternately as Judy and Madeleine. Judy’s willingness to abdicate her own identity and her ultimate disintegration is realized in her death at the bell tower.

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