Behind Closed Doors

In Behind Closed Doors, Grace and Millie represent innocence and good. Grace is a selfless person who works hard to take care of her sister and is always there for her. Millie is completely innocent and fun-loving. Jack, on the other hand, is pure evil. He wants to see Millie and Grace suffer and benefits from it. He kills his mother and their dog and gets pleasure from their pain. He is entirely selfish and, though he does have a clear sense that what he does is wrong, he doesn’t care. He is a true sociopath and Grace has to outsmart him and triumph in order to win her life back.

Jack expects Grace to basically act like a 1950s housewife. This is a cover for his keeping her imprisoned in the house. She also must execute cooking and hosting duties to perfection. Working women, Diane and Esther complain about having to balance raising kids with their jobs. They are mystified as to how Grace can keep herself entertained. Grace notes of Esther, “It’s not that she doesn’t appreciate perfection, as I first thought, it’s more that she’s suspicious of it” (38). Esther and Diane might have messier, more hectic lives, but they also have the privilege and freedom of being able to go out and work and make their own decisions, while Grace is literally stuck.