Identity In Top Girls

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Compare and contrast the presentation of women’s struggle for identity in Top Girls and A Streetcar Named Desire. Consider alternative viewpoints and comment on the dramatic and theatrical aspects of the texts in your response.
Women's struggle for identity is a common issue explored in both A Streetcar Named Desire and Top Girls alike. Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire has been interpreted as both a psychological drama and as social drama, and focuses on the character of Blanche Dubois and her personal journey in finding her identity. This leads to her eventual destruction by Stanley Kowalski, who can be interpreted as a figure of 'hegemonic masculinity'. Churchill's Top Girls is a non-didactic social drama from the 1980s, a significant …show more content…

Marlene's critical, misogynistic view of Jeanine through a male lens is evident, 'Your presentation’s OK, you look fine, just be confident and go in there convinced that this is the best job for you and you are the best person for the job.’8 Throughout this scene, Marlene scrutinises Jeanine's appearance and censors her personal life in order to get her a job, which reflects both Marlene's and society's expectations of the working woman. This is particularly significant, as it prominently displays Marlene's adoption of a patriarchal attitude in order to further her workplace success at the expense of other women. In this way, Marlene's adoption of masculinity for personal gain is directly oppositional to Churchill's own socialist leanings. Through this, Marlene can be regarded as Churchill's 'straw woman' of bourgeois feminism. However, it can be argued that her scrutiny benefits Jeanine, as Marlene is viewing her as a man would. Although misogynistic, this will ultimately help Jeanine meet patriarchal expectations. Chronologically the last scene in Top Girls, no solution is offered, which is considered a 'feminine' ending to the play. This can be compared to the view of the ending of Streetcar as masculine, due to the fact it provides a clear end to Blanche's story. It is implied that Marlene's selfish, individualist approach towards other women will not change after the events of Top Girls, whereas Blanche's identity and sense of self has been completely destroyed. Marlene's attitude towards work also links to Caryl Churchill's experience of American feminism, which was much more centered around Capitalist gain compared to British feminism, which was largely based on collectivist, socialist principles. In comparison, A Streetcar Named Desire features intrasexual opression in a subtler way. Stella states 'I couldn't believe her

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