Top Girls Flashcards
Socio-political context to the play
- Written by Caryl Churchill (feminist, socialist)
- 1982 (1980s)
- Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister
Thatcherism
Margaret Thatcher was the first woman to hold office
Her policies emphasized :
* free-market capitalism
* individualism (TO HER her success is a proof of progress for all women)
* her politicies furthered class divides and never really adressed gender equity
Marlene
- Embodies Thatcherism
- Individualist - believes in meritocracy (and self-reliance)
- Neewly promoted as the managing director of the Top Girls Employment Agency
Top Girls’ Themes
- feminism // individualism // breaking through the glass ceiling (struggles)
- social structures (classes, patriarchy)
- family, sacrificies, motherhood
- ambition, success, capitalism
Marlene as a symbol
- Her sacrifices show that ambition comes with a cost [a] personal relationships [b] feminine solidarity
- Seeking professional success clashes with what’s expected from women (their “social” duties such as motherhood)
Angie as a symbol
- Future generations of (middle-class) women
- Cyclical and hereditary aspect of inequality perpuation
- Her presence in the play is a haunting reminder of Marlene’s sacrifices
Angie
- Socially awkward
- Emotionally troubled
- Lacks direction
- Grew in an unfavorable environment with few to no tools to overcome the struggles of being a working-class woman
Joyce
- Serves as a foil to Marlene
- Working-class woman who sacrifices personal ambition to care for her family
- Values collective responsibility and criticizes the social structure/system
[Act 3] Marlene and Joyce’s argument
Joyce’s resentment towards Marlene’s abandonment and their conflicting views on class, success, family, and ambition shows how CONFLICTING it is for women to balance personal and professional ambitions.
Pope Joan
Shows how gender can directly keep women from reaching their goals in a male-dominated world.
“I think I should have been a man.”
Lady Nijo
- Was raised from birth to live a life of sexual service to the Emperor (her father gave her over to him)
- Harmful effects of patriarchy on women
- Critique of upper classes
Isabella Bird
English explorer, writer, and naturalist
* Tensions between societal expectations and personal ambitions
* Defied Victorian norms to pursue her adventurous spirits
“I didn’t want to be the best, I just wanted to be good at what I did.”
Dull Gret
- A comic yet powerful figure of rebellion
- Symbolizes women’s strength
- Hope of fighting against overwhelming odds
Patient Griselda
- Extreme loyalty, obedience, and sacrifices expected from women
- [?] Cost of such sacrifices > is it “patience” ? Is it worth it ?
(She did end up getting her children back…) Is this the only way for a woman to get her way through in a male-dominated world? (//The Taming of the Shrew).
Writing style in Top Girls
Overlapping/chaotic dialogue (shows how hard it is for women to be heard and understood).
Kit
She’s Angie’s young and curious friend ; Represents innocence and potential of youth.
Victorian Ideology
Men were physically strong, while women were weak. For men sex was central, and for women reproduction was central. Men were independent, while women were dependent. Men belonged in the public sphere, while women belonged in the private sphere. Men were meant to participate in politics and in paid work, while women were meant to run households and raise families. Women were also thought to be naturally more religious and morally finer than men (who were distracted by sexual passions by which women supposedly were untroubled). While most working-class families could not live out the doctrine of separate spheres, because they could not survive on a single male wage, the ideology was influential across all classes.
Themes
[Feminism and Gender Roles]
[Ambition and Sacrifice]
[Class and Social Inequity]
[Motherhood and Family Dynamics]
[Identity and Self-Realization]
Feminism and Gender Roles
- Gender roles restrict the way women can live their lives
Traditional Roles ==> caregivers, wives, mothers - Women’s success shouldn’t imply sacrificing personal relationships and feminine solidarity
Ambition and Sacrifice
Success is strongly tied with sacrifices. The play questions wether those sacrifices are worth it for women.
Class and Social Inequality
The play critiques the myth of meritocracy : social mobility is not accessible to everyone particularly women from low socioeconomic upbringing.
Joyce and Marlene’s conflict show how divided classes are.
Additionally, the working women interviewed at the agency also face barriers to upward mobility, showing how class, gender, and economic circumstances intersect to limit opportunities for many women.
Motherhood and Family Dynamics
The idea that motherhood is incompatible with professional success.
Identity and Self-Realization
Characters struggle with self-definition:
Marlene : her struggle with identity and self-realization in Top Girls is revealed through the contradictions between her success and her personal sacrifices, particularly her emotional detachment and isolation. While she defines herself through her career and rejection of traditional femininity, the play suggests that this self-construction is incomplete and fraught with internal conflict.
Angie: struggles with her sense of self, her place in the world (particularly because of her aunt/mother situation)
