Abstract
Socialist-feminism discusses the subordination and victimization of women in relation with men, the capitalist structure of the society, its institutions, the hegemonic patriarchal culture and history. Marsha Norman as a contemporary American feminist playwright portrays the position of women as victims of the societies they live in her plays. This study aims not to analyze Marsha Norman's plays in a detailed manner, but the purpose of this work is to give an introductory knowledge about Norman's female characters in her plays Third and Oak, Loving Daniel Boone, Sarah and Abraham and Circus Valentine by discussing their oppression in relation with the historical, cultural and social perspectives which are the main points of discussion in the Socialist-Feminist Theory.
Highlights
Marsha Norman, a contemporary American feminist playwright writes her plays with a view to determining the extent of the autonomy women have acquired in American society
In spite of these movements which seemed to have changed the social status of women in the family, at the work-place and in the society at large, it would be a total illusion to suggest that women think, act and behave completely autonomously and they are, as Marsha Norman claims, “the central characters in their own lives.”
Contrary to what Marsha Norman declares in her interview, the plays that constitute this study reveal the historical, cultural and social elements as significantly influential in causing both the roots of women’s oppression and the continuation of their subordination, even today
Summary
Marsha Norman, a contemporary American feminist playwright writes her plays with a view to determining the extent of the autonomy women have acquired in American society. As a matter of fact, this perspective defines the goal of the socialist-feminism since this movement "moves beyond an attempt to create equality of women within the system to a struggle for equality within a new system that is not dependent on male domination or any exploitation of one group by another." [2] to actualize "the elimination of sex roles" and to gain their autonomy, "women [...] must work along with other oppressed groups." [3] In Circus Valentine, Goldie, who is the embodiment of a working class, ethnic and minority group, is reflected as a totally dissatisfied woman who has lost her faith in her work, her husband and life in general, and feels lost Her unpleasant situation is closely related to the situation of the other people who work in the same circus and share the same house, work and fate with her. By working in these jobs, these women at the same time become a reserve labor force in the capitalist system and are perceived as lower waged workers and as house-keepers, and on the larger scale, provide extra profit to their employers, which intensifies their oppression and victimization in capitalist patriarchal societies
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