Bernstein uses a lot of examples to explore the interactions the objects which script our actions and the performances that ensue. My favorite example was the "Tarzan and Jane" cut-out. By standing behind a painted image, the man assumes the look of a muscular savage standing among footlights, like a strongman in a circus, while the woman becomes his curvacious sidepiece. They are playing at a stereotype of gender roles that we've all seen a million times.
What I found interesting was the second image, in which the woman takes on the role of the strong man and the man becomes the buxom beauty. Oh, how droll- they're standing in the wrong places! But according to Bernstein, both of these responses are scripted- drawing a comparison to the majority who sobbed at Little Nell or Eva's death, and the minority who laughed at it. Apparently, "The appeal of the Tarzan/Jane cutout is that its constraints allow for a temporary, Bakhtinian inversion that reinforces rather than undermines existing configurations of power." So, the woman may play at being the aggressive masculine character, but at the end of the day, we all know who's in charge.
But the cutout doesn't just enforce, it also projects- and the image it projects is that of a heterosexual couple. While two women or two men could stand in the cutout, it is designed to appeal to the man and woman, walking hand-in-hand down the boardwalk. It projects the image of who should stand behind it, and draws in those who conform- whether their intention is to enforce or transgress the norm.
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