Machinal Context Flashcards
The play was written by ____ who was a _____ and a ______
Sophie Treadwell; Journalist, Femenist
The play was written in ___
1928
The play was based on the murder trial of _________ in ____
Ruth Snyder, 1927
3 social factors present in Machinal which link to the Patriarchy:
Womens rights, Economy, Law
Women rights are shown by the mistreatment of Young Woman, who is so mistreated that she is never mentioned by an official name in the script (she is referred to as Helen, but in the script it just says YOUNG WOMAN: or WIFE:)
The economy is one sided for men and the patriarchy in general. The economy can link to the 1929 wall street crash two years later.
The law is referred to as corrupt and patriarchal, too. with the death penalty being applied to women much more than men. it also shows how for Young Woman to escape her relationship, the law forces her to die. She is dead either way.
who raised Treadwell?
Her mother. she had no father figure and was raised as a strong independent woman
What did Treadwells name change to after marriage?
She didnt change it :) get pranked. She focused more on her career and decided not to be defined by males around her, she instead broke social stereotypes in order to protest the societal norms.
How did Treadwell help women gain the right to vote in 1920
She marched alongside for the suffragette movement (first wave femenism)
women were / were not allowed to file for divorce
were not
alchohol was illegal / legal
illegal (speakeasy scene)
Same sex relationships were illegal / legal / frowned upon, but legal
illegal (speakeasy scene)
women had less rights, the society was ______
patriarchal.
in the 1920s, there was an economic ____
boom.
Use of factories, machines and industrial inventions. Tied to the idea of “Machinal” and the American dream.
