The Daughter's Double Bind: The Singleparent Family as Cultural Analogue in Two Turn-of-the-Century Dramas

Abstract

It may seem surprising how frequently single-parent families are found in plays written at the tum of the twentieth century. The number of plays by Ibsen, Chekhov, Brecht, Strindberg, and Shaw that involve single-parent families is remarkable, particularly as the issue of single parenthood itself rarely surfaces in the action. But upon examination, we can see how these fictional families often reflect the social dynamic of their era. As we encounter Nora Helmer, Hedda Gabler, Peer Gynt, the Prozorov sisters, the children of Mother Courage, Grusha's son, Miss Julie, and the daughters of Heartbreak House, the effect of the single-parent family is an important but implicit part of the action. These plays are not "about" the particular dynamics and politics of the single-parent family; indeed, the family make up seems almost accidental, not essential to the plot. It is, however, a critical part of the symbolic structure of the play.