In Hitchcock’s “Notorious,” there is a constant battle for the place of the father figure in Alicia’s life. Between Devlin, Paul, and Alex, Alicia is faced with three men who hold roles with power and often have power over her. There is an increased level of power that comes with the parental role, and that additional amount is something each of these men wants. Alicia is inevitably the focus of this male-dominated world simply by being the only woman aside from Alex’s mother, so the men cling to her femininity as a symbol of what they can dominate and achieve.

Quite literally, Alex poisons Alicia to a point where she cannot move to have full physical control over her and create a dependency. This is similar to how an infant depends on their parents. Alicia’s weakness leveled her with a baby who cannot do anything without assistance. Alex asserted his position over Alicia as someone older, smarter, and superior without giving her a chance to reject him or run away.

Devlin, however, takes a less domineering approach in his efforts to gain the power held by Alicia’s father figure. He is generally caring and supportive and does not force himself into her life. Contrary to Alex’s forceful take, Devlin even starts to step away from Alicia at one point and commits to a job away from her. Devlin wants to be wanted equally to how much he wants Alicia in his life, and that reciprocity is important to him in their relationship.

Paul, Devlin’s boss, has the least connection with Alicia, but serves almost as a higher power father. He is somewhat of a mysterious figure because we know very little about him and his life. Because he gives orders to Devlin and Alicia, Paul does hold a certain amount of parental-like power. It resembles the dynamic between a teenager and her father. While all three characters fight for Alicia’s attention, they do so in different ways and seek to represent different aspects of the father figure.