Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal is a strangely riveting play so filled with unlikable characters that it makes one want to scream and throttle whichever character is closest at hand, without prejudice as to which persona it might be, as they are all equally detestable in their own way. Unfortunately, the infuriating characters are exactly what make the play so fascinating. Each of the characters in the play, originally intended to display that life is an inescapable machine, exhibit many disturbing psychological qualities, and the main character suffers a slew of near textbook psychological misfortune. Whether Sophie Treadwell created her play with this facet intentionally or not is unknown, but the examples are so perfect it is difficult to …show more content…
From this, one can infer that Helen would have also been more prone to abuse, and other effects of low self-esteem. Some of the narcissistic characteristics Helen’s mother exhibits are her utter disregard and lack of respect for everything Helen says and the choices she makes, speaking over her, giving Helen her attention only once it applies directly to her “Vice president! His income must be– does he know you’ve got a mother to support?” (Treadwell 17), and an immediate overreaction to any sort of criticism. Many children with narcissistic parents may have grown up in both neglectful and verbally abusive situations, but Helen’s situation would have been compounded beyond that as she appears to have grown-up with only her mother as a parental figure. Helen’s father was revealed in the second act as, seemingly, long dead. The Second character who exhibits the most pressing issue is Helen’s husband, Mr. J, who proves to be a sexual predator. Helen’s physical repulsion, such as when the telephone girl asks her “Why’d you flinch, kid?” (Treadwell 10), and her reactions to Mr. J touching her should have been plenty of notice for him to stop. In the beginning, Mr. J has both status and rank over Helen as her boss, which puts their implied romantic relationship on shaky and inappropriate grounds because of Mr. J’s power over her. That he constantly touches her, treats her differently, and makes her feel
Josephina talks about how she was "subconsciously drawn toward men like [her] father...possessive," and "aggressive" (Gonzalez 7). Fathers often serve as models for their children of what a man should be like and Josephina grew attracted to men like father because of the ideal he set for her. Women tend to surround themselves with men like their fathers so a negative father figure can really damage a woman’s life. Finally, Josephina Gonzalez complains about being "deprived" of the "father all little girls should have" (Gonzalez 8). Josephina’s father was not there to guide her through the most crucial years of her development, to warn her about boys and protect her from the dangers of the world like all fathers do.
Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal is a strangely riveting play so filled with unlikable characters that it makes one want to scream and throttle which ever one is closest to hand without prejudice as to which persona it might be as they are all equally detestable in their own way. Unfortunately, the infuriating characters are exactly what make the play so fascinating. Each of the characters in the play, originally intended to display that life is an inescapable machine, exhibits many disturbing psychological qualities, and the main character suffers a slew of near textbook psychological misfortune. Whether Sophie Treadwell created her play with this facet intentionally or not is unknown, but the examples are so perfect it is difficult to think
Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal was loosely based and inspired by the murder trial of Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray, her lover. Together they conspired
At first glance, Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” Susan Glaspell’s Trifles, and Henrik Isben’s A Doll House seem to have nothing in common. However, the short story and plays have many similarities. Particularly, five women from these tales— Louise Mallard, Minnie Wright, Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Hale, and Nora Helmer—make drastic decisions that appear to be motiveless. Without context, any reader could be confused by Louise’s death, Nora’s departure, and Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale’s unanimous effort to cover up the murder that Minnie Wright committed, which also seems to lack serious motive. However, all of these women’s settings, situations, and lives have connections that make their motives similar. Emotion motivates all five women—not just
In the film Joan demonstrates what Benokraitis (2015:162) explains is narcissism; playing with love. Benokraitis (2015:162) also expresses that “Narcissists believe that they are unique, smarter, and more attractive than others, and they constantly seek attention”. Linda Martinez-Lewi, Ph.D. Narcissistic Personality Clinical Expert, articulates that “Narcissistic mothers are one woman armies of human destruction. They are an elite team of ninja killers of the psyches of their children. One narcissistic mother does more psychological damage than you can imagine”. In her book she writes that “Showing disingenuous compassion or concern for others is a clever stage act the high-level narcissist uses to convince others to play his or her game” (Martinez-Lewi, 2008:18).
‘So many women make such a big deal out of these things. But you're stronger than that’” (Walls 184). Sexual assault is dangerous and potentially traumatic. When Jeannette tries to confide in her mother after this incident, however, Rose Mary fails to address the issue directly. Instead of fulfilling her parental role by confronting Stanley, she tells Jeannette that she is “probably imagining it” and that she should not make it a “big deal.” By avoiding this responsibility, Rose Mary is neglecting her child—in a traumatic situation where Jeannette needs help, her mother downplays the danger. When she asks if Jeannette is okay, she simply “shrugged and nodded” (Walls 184). The indifference of her reaction suggests that she feels unable to genuinely confide in her mother. Jeannette’s relationship with Rose Mary has deteriorated due to her neglect of the situation’s severity. Later, Rex’s irresponsibility forces his daughter into a similar
Murder, torture, and mayhem are merely three of the unique problems that can be found throughout the one act play Trifles by Susan Glaspell. The writer opens up the story by explaining the situation of Mrs. Wright, a middle aged woman who is being accused of murdering her husband. The crime scene is a mess. A sheriff, the prosecuting attorney and their wives are looking in to the gruesome death that occurred upstairs in the Wright household. It is immediately found that the men focus their attention to the area around the body of Mr. Wright in search of evidence. However, it is the women begin to stumble across the clues that may lead to Mrs. Wright’s persecution. As more evidence is found we are lead to believe that Mrs. Wright did, in fact, kill her husband. By the end of the play the reader is still left wondering, why? Was it a case of self-defense, or is there something much deeper going on? Once a full understanding is reached, it becomes apparent that the only basis that should be used for dropping the charges of this case should be built on the notion of mental insanity. Mrs. Wright clearly demonstrates psychological tendencies that are symptomatic of Dissociative Disorders (Ben-Zvi, 145). With an evaluation of her past life, her behavior immediately after killing her husband, and evidence that is later found by the women, it becomes clear that Mrs. Wright was stricken with a Dissociative Disorder.
She offers some parenting advice to her son and daughter in law but they disregard her ideas. It is obvious she still has a large say in what happens in the family because the family ends up vacationing where she wants to. Then of course there is the Misfit his character in this story is a multifaceted one. On the surface he is a criminal an outcast even. It is clear he has doubt in himself he feels like he doesn’t fit in anywhere, he has no family and he is alone, which makes him seem like a maddened individual.
While the book demonstrates Helen’s mother as the dominant figure of the family and against special education for Helen due to her above-average intelligence, DeClement portrays Helen’s father in a passive manner.
Oates begins the story depicting an image of Connie and her narcissism, how “she had a quick nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors, or checking other peoples faces, to make sure her own was all right.” (Kirszner 453). Connie’s mother was always getting on to her about being so artificial and comparing Connie to her older sister, age 24, June. June does not spend a lot of time on her looks, she has a good job, cleans the house, and has a good relationship with their mother. Connie, on the other hand, does not have a good relationship with her mother, and at one point she even wishes her mother dead as well as herself (Kirszner 453). The father works all the time and during the time he is home for dinner he reads the newspaper and then goes to bed (Kirszner 453). The relationship with the father is almost non-existent. In addition to a deficient family environment, this was
For instance, Robbins gets close to Henry. After Robbins is left with Henry, he “[comes] to know [how] smart Henry was” (17). Eventually, Robbins develops a fatherly love for Henry; he even refers to Henry as “my boy” (19). Simultaneously though, Robbins calls Henry “[his] property” (19). It is not physical abuse that Henry suffers but it is the fact that Robbins, after treating Henry like a son, feels no sorrow or regret for using degrading term to refer to Henry, which Henry must suffer through. Moreover, Robbins wife, Philomena also experiences abuse from him, even though Philomena is loved by him. Whenever Philomena wants something Robbins does not approve of, Robbins with threaten and abuse her. For instance, when Philomena runs way to her home town, Robbins chases after and when he catches her, he threaten to “take away [the] children” (116). Philomena must suffer this abuse because and only because she is Robbins’ slave. Finally, John Skiffington and his wife, Winifred, also become close to their slave but end up hurting her. For their wedding, they receive a child slave as a present. They do not sell her as they fear she could end up with an abusive master so eventually the couple develop a parental love for her. Despite this fact, the couple have total control over Minerva’s life. She does not do anything by her own will, her will is chosen by her masters. It is clear to see the situation slavery has created: masters come to love theirs slave but still degrade
A play that certainly goes against what was viewed as the norm for gender, sexuality and family structure is Machinal by Sophie Treadwell. Written in 1928, at a time when the role of women was to get married and rear children, Treadwell represents a young woman, Helen Jones, who rebels against this societally-set expectation. Helen works in a large and faceless company; and is set apart from her peers from the very beginning of the play, when she is late for work. This motif of going against the ‘machine’ of her society us something that continues throughout the action; and something which was quite radical for the time, especially considering the fact that the protagonist is female. Helen goes against gender expectations by being disgusted
The play first introduces Mrs. Chater as the woman who was found in “carnal embrace” with Septimus (2). By starting the play with an affair, Stoppard introduces the idea that the free will of
Author Karen Russell takes a different approach to open the eyes of her audience. In “Reeling for the Empire,” young girls recruited to work at a mill all transform into silkworms. Each personality is not identifiable from the next, giving the chance for each factory girl to “reinvent her past.” All of these stories, in ways similar and dissimilar, discuss how appearances can shape ideas that are not necessarily true. The deceit that stems from the characters’ appearances in “The Second Bakery Attack” and “Reeling for the Empire” all share a common motif in that the characters who use their appearance to mislead are looking to gain a sense of satisfaction with themselves. All of the characters seek to be liberated from their respective obstacles. To deceive by utilizing one’s appearance is extremely relevant to these short stories because it is a
Many of the characters we studied in this summer had a very difficult situation caused by themselves. Undoubtedly, each person has their own defects, however this does not mean we have to be slaves of our weaknesses and fears. Pitifully, some fears can become so strong that they can turn a person's life miserable. In addition, people who are victims of their own fear and sins can commit insane things to the people who are around them. Some clear examples of this type of people are Mathilde Loisel, Mrs. Mallard and the Narrator of the Black Cat.