Rear Window: Why Doesn't Jefferies Want to Marry Lisa?

 

One of the main questions that comes up while watching Rear Window is why L.B Jefferies is so reluctant to marry his fiancé, Lisa. She seems to be the perfect girl for him. Lisa is beautiful, classy, and well-connected, and seems to be absolutely obsessed with Jefferies. However, Jefferies is convinced that she would not be able to keep up with his rugged photographer lifestyle and is adamant that they should not get married.

I think that Jefferies feelings towards Lisa are simply a reflection of his feelings towards marriage. Jefferies is not keen on the idea of being married. He watches the marriages of others outside of his window and beliefs that it is not lifestyle for him. He picks up on Mr. and Mrs. Thorwald so quickly because he has been watching their seemingly miserable marriage for so long. I believe that Jefferies feelings towards Lisa have very little to do with her and everything to do with the institution of marriage.

At the end of the movie, Jefferies and Lisa are pictured together in a happy relationship. Jefferies seems to have accepted Lisa as a part of his life due to the incredible lengths she was willing to go for him over the course of the movie. I think that due to Lisa's actions, Jefferies realized that his feelings for her were strong enough to overcome his distaste for marriage. 

Rear Window is a movie that questions the institution of marriage. It asks if marriage is really the best way to live out their entire lives, which was a less common idea at the time the movie was released. However, (and maybe it's a sign of the times) marriage won out in the end.