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Essay / Women's Struggle for Autonomy in the Glassworks...
Women's Struggle for Autonomy in the Glass Menagerie and ExtremitiesIn The Glass Menagerie by Tennesse Williams and Extremities by William Mastrosimone, both plays depict the struggle of women to maintain their autonomy. Williams created a character named Amanda, who was abandoned by her husband, raised two children and struggled with life's difficulties. Mastrosimone's character Marjorie stood up to the rapist and made him confess to his crime, thereby protecting his autonomy and bringing out justice. Both characters attempted to maintain their independence, but the results were different due to their personalities and methods of handling situations. William's Amanda and Mastrosimone's Marjorie were very strong and empowered women. In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda was an extremely controlling mother. Her husband left the family and she had to raise two children. The play's setting was in the 1930s in the Southern State. The challenge faced by a single mother in those days was much greater than today. However, she managed to endure life's difficulties, taking care of her extremely shy daughter and her determined son. In Extremeties, Marjorie was a modern, independent woman. She was an intelligent person who refused to be manipulated by the rapist and stood firmly for justice. Both women held strong even though they faced extreme adversity. The continued struggle to maintain their independence developed strong characters throughout both books. However, these two women handled the situation differently due to their different social environments and personalities. Amanda grew up in the southern states where racial prejudice was widespread. She was a member of DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and she was very proud to be a member because she always put on her best clothes whenever she attended the meetings. Life's adversity led her to look to the past. She always talked about her glorious past and how she had received seventeen gentlemen on a Sunday afternoon. She told her children, “Among my interlocutors were some of the most prominent young planters in the Mississippi Delta, planters and sons of planters!” (Meyer 1868) On one occasion, when arranging for her daughter to meet a gentleman, her attitude was funny and friendly, but it reflected her attempt to dwell on past glory. The reason for her tragedy was that she was trying to maintain her autonomy by focusing on the old way of life of Southern society..