Women

In Bonnie and Clyde, Bonnie has been corroborating with Clyde’s criminal activities. Far from the classical depiction of a passive character of women, Bonnie has been depicted as a “revolutionized” image of a heroine. She was not the typical women who had a weak image in the film, rather, she had an equal footing with Clyde.

Gangster movies, violence, and crime were rarely associated with female sexuality before the 1960s, and Bonnie and Clyde shattered those stereotypes.

Men

In Bonnie and Clyde, the two main stars have their gender roles completely reversed. This is key in seeing how men are represented in Bonnie and Clyde, Clyde isn’t your typical love interest like in Warren Beaty’s other film, instead he is a multi-layered, impulsive and reckless character. This suggests Arthur Penn wanted to represent Men as being just as emotionally vulnerable as a woman, this is highly influential at the time because men in movies were only love interests, or mysterious gangsters without an actual personality.

Authority Figures

 if not all, the authority figures in these films demonstrate a ruthless disregard for the truth and a sadistic pleasure in their ability to torment. If Bonnie and Clyde represent the attitude of the youth, then there is no question that Sheriff Frank Hamer symbolizes the older generation.

People of Colour

People of Colour are notably absent throughout the majority of the film, besides the character of Davis, who works with Otis Harris. Davis has no lines in the film, and can be seen waiting to be instructed by Harris before shooting the gun at the window. This is a negative representation, as Davis’ character is not represented equally to his white co-worker. However, it may be historically accurate, as racial prejudice was still common in the 1930s.