GENDER INEQUALITY AS REFLECTED IN TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’ THE GLASS MENAGERIE.
A THESIS
BY
SRI WINDY NASTA SEBAYANG REG. NO. 070705062
UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA
FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
MEDAN
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION
I, Sri Windy Nasta Sebayang, declare that I am the sole author of this thesis.
Except where reference is made in the text of this thesis, this thesis contains no
material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a paper by
which I have qualified for or awarded another degree.
No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main
text of the thesis. This thesis has not been submitted in any tertiary education.
Signed :
COPYRIGHT DECLARATION
Name : Sri Windy Nasta Sebayang
Title of this thesis : Gender Inequality As Reflected In Tennessee Williams’
The Glass Menagerie
Qualification : S-1 / Sarjana Sastra
Department : English
I am willing that my thesis should be available for reproduction at the discretion
on the librarian of the English Department, Faculty of Cultural Studies, University
of Sumatera Utara on the understanding that users are made aware of their
obligation under law of the Republic Indonesia.
Signed :
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to praise my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who
always loves, helps, and gives me His wonderful blessings in my life. I would also
like to thank Him for He has given me strength and knowledge to finish my thesis
entitled ‘An Analysis of Feminism in Maya Angelou’s Selected Poems’.
I would like to thank the Dean of Faculty of Cultural Studies, Dr. Drs.
Syahron Lubis, M. A.; the head of English Deparment, Dr. Drs. Muhizar Muchtar,
M. S.; the secretary of English Department, Dr. Dra. Nurlela, M. Hum; and all the
lecturers of English Department for all the opportunities and facilities that have
been given to me and also for all of their attentions during my academic affairs.
I would also like to thank my supervisor, Drs. Parlindungan Purba, M.
Hum, and my co-supervisor, Drs. Siamir Marulafau, M. Hum for their
suggestions, advices, ideas, guidance, and all the corrections that they have given
to me in the process of doing this thesis.
My unending gratitude is devoted to my beloved family. I would like to
thank my dear parents who always support me mentally and financially and
always pray to me. Thank you for everything Mom and Dad, I really love you.
I want to thank for Ray Priory Sitorus, special man in my life. Thank you
for support and spirit you have given to me. It all are very valuable to me
I want to thank my closest friends in Manuk Matemate Mates, thanks to
Nurianti, Elisa, Abrina, Mita, Bania. Thank you friends, you are great buddies.
Also to Vinarcy, Nanda and Delifa, great struggles in finishing our thesis guys!
Hahaha. And thanks to Bang Amran for so much help in registration and
administration.
And to all relatives and friends who can’t be mentioned, I just can say:
thank you all. I could not have finished my thesis without you. Finally, I hope this
thesis will always be beneficial for the readers.
May God bless us all, forever and ever.
Medan, 2011
The Writer
Sri Windy Nasta Sebayang
ABSTRACT
Judul skripsi ini adalah Gender Inequality As Reflected in Tennessee Williams’
The Glass Menagerie. Skripsi ini menganalisis tentang ketidaksetaraan gender
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION...i
COPYRIGHT DECLARATION...ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...iii
ABSTRACT...v
TABLE OF CONTENTS...vi
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Background of Study...1
1.2 The Problem of Study...4
1.3 The Objective of Study...5
1.4 The Scope of Study...5
1.5 The Significance of Study...5
1.6 The Review of Related Literature ...6
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW 2.1 Gender...9
2.2 Literature...23
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH
3.1 Data Collecting Procedure...31
3.2 Data Selecting Procedure...31
3.3 Data Analyzing Procedure...32
CHAPTER IV GENDER INEQUALITY AS REFLECTED IN
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’ THE GLASS
MENAGERIE.
4.1 Women Are Treated Differently From Men...33
4.2 Women Do Not Have The Same Opportunities
Than Men...45
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1 Conclusions...49
5.2 Suggestions...50
BIBLIOGRAPHY...ix
APPENDIX: APPENDIX A (SUMMARY OF THE THE GLASS MENAGERIE)
APPENDIX B (BIOGRAPHY OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS)
ABSTRACT
Judul skripsi ini adalah Gender Inequality As Reflected in Tennessee Williams’
The Glass Menagerie. Skripsi ini menganalisis tentang ketidaksetaraan gender
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Background of Study
The word ‘literature’ is derived from the Latin ‘littera’ which means letter.
It refers to the written or printed works. This word was used to mention every
kind of writing generally. The word "literature" has different meanings depending
on who is using it and in what context. It could be applied broadly to mean any
symbolic record, encompassing everything from images and sculptures to letters.
In a more narrow sense the term could mean only text composed of letters, or
other examples of symbolic written language. However, now, the term ‘literature’
is focused more and restricted to merely imaginative works, which comes up from
the imaginative mind of the person who had talent to create stories. Literature is
creative and an art implies a process of creating artistic writing that colors human
life history through medium language (Wellek, 1951:15). Literature is a term used
to describe written or spoken material. Broadly speaking, "literature" is used to
describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but
the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination,
including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.
Literature is more important than just a historical or cultural artifact.
Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. Learning about books and
literature, can increase knowledge about literary works, such as tragedies of
poems, stories, and plays. Literature has three general genres. Those are poetry,
derived from the Greek word poiein means ‘to make’ or ‘to construct’. Poietis
means the maker, and the word poet and poetess, the writer. Poietis means the
making and it became poetry, the art of poet. The word ‘prose’ is derived from the
Latin prosa, which literally translate to ‘straight forward’. Drama is the object that
I am going to analyze. Drama is a form of literature intended for performance by
actors.
Play is a literary work written for performance on the stage or a drama. A
play is a form o
little preference whether their plays were performed or read. The term "play" can
refer to both the written works of playwrights and to their complete theatrical
performance.
In this thesis I want to discuss about gender inequality that contained in
Tennessee Wiliams’s The Glass Menagerie. During 1944-1945, his "memory
play"
a success. It moved to New York where it had a successful Broadway run. The
play tells the story of a young man Tom, his disabled sister, Laura, and their
controlling mother Amanda, who tries to make a match between Laura and a
gentleman caller. Many people believe that Tennessee used his own familial
relationships as inspiration for the play.
Williams' greatest successes) said of Williams: "Everything in his life is in his
plays, and everything in his plays is in his life.”The Glass Menagerie won the
The play is centered around the theme of family starting with the father of
Laura and Tom abandoning the family when they were just children and finally
Tom’s selfish abandonment of his family who is entirely dependent on him.
In The Glass Menagerie, family means obligations. This play raises questions of
duty and responsibility to your other family members, and for the most part in
gender specific roles. We see that it is the job of the male to bring home money,
and the daughter to look pretty and get married.
Gender is a social construction with important consequeces in everybody
life. Social role theory proposes that the social structure is the underlying force for
the gender differences. Social role theory proposes that the sex-differentiated
behavior is driven by the division of labor between two sexes within a society.
Division of labor creates gender roles, which in turn, lead to gendered social
behavior.
Gender inequality is the social construct that results in women not having
the same rights, opportunities, or privileges as men . The gender-based violence
against women theory emphasizes the importance of educating women and men
as to the dangers and limitations of gender role conditioning and the supporting
belief systems specific to those roles. The violence against women perspective
connects all forms of male violence against women such as child sexual abuse,
rape, sexual harassment, workplace violence, beatings, and homicide across the
age spectrum of women’s lives. It also acknowledges a connection between male
violence against women and other forms of domination based on race, sexual
orientation, class, and other social constructs. This perspective implies an intimate
political,economic, and social exploitation. Thio (1985:242), said that there are
basic differences in what societies expect of men and women. Even when men
and women hold the same jobs with the same status, they may face different
expectations.
According to the explaination above, I am interested in analyzing about
Gender Inequality as Reflected in Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie
because in this play the issue of gender is dominant and the play portrayal
differences of male and female in terms of gender inequality. Tennessee
Williams’s The Glass Menagerie is great play and it was best play of the season
and in this play there are many gender differences that occurred. Although they
resist the roles prescribed to them, Laura and Tom both eventually assimilate to
the gender inequality cast by their mother (Amanda).
1.2 The Problems of Study
Perkins in The American Tradition in Literature Tenth Edition
(2002:1260-1301), show that the relation with gender inequality in Tennessee
Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. Based on the statement above, I finally
formulate the problems of study as follows:
1. How are women treated differently than men?
1.3 The Objective of Study
Related to statements of problem, the objectives of the study of the thesis
are:
1. To find out how women are treated differently from men.
2. To show how women don’t have the same opportunities than men in Tennessee
Wiliams’s The Glass Menagerie.
1.4 The Scope of Study
In this thesis, the scope of study is limited and focused on the gender
inequality as reflected in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, that
problem is limited to how women are treated differently in comparison with men
and how women themselves can not have equal opportunities than men. And in
this play, women who experience these differences is Laura, who always treated
differently by his mother Amanda than his brother Tom. And this thesis, will be
analyze to be focused on gender inequality that contained in the play The Glass
Menegerie.
1.5 The Significance of Study
This thesis explains about the gender differences that found in The Glass
Menagerie. This study can expand the reader’s knowledge and this thesis can be
one of the sources of information for students. It also can be usefull for the readers
so that they can get some important information about gender roles in knowledge
of sociology because I use extrinsic theory by analyze my thesis. By reading from
experienced by the characters, that is the existence of gender inequality that
occurred in it. So the readers can understand about gender inequality as reflected
in Tennessee Williams’The Glass Menagerie especially to find the problem how
the gender inequality experienced by the characters in the play. I hope the finding
of this study can make the readers want to continue and find desire to reading
other literary works.
1.6 The Review of Related Literature
In this thesis I use some books from the library that useful to help me find
the information about the play and the teory that related to sociology, they are:
1. The American Tradition in Literature Tenth Edition by Barbara Perkins(2002).
This book is the source of my information so i can know about the play of The
Glass Menagerie itself, and also in this book I can find the biography by the
author along with his works.
2. Sociology An Introduction by Alex Thio (1985). I use this book as one of
references to find the explanation of the theory of gender and to find out problems
related to the gender itself. Here i know that sociology is the study of human
social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having
as its subject matter our own behaviour as social beings. The scope of sociology is
extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between
individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes.
3. Sociology in Our Times by Diana Kendall (1996). I also use this book as a
reference on the social problems that can support the statement of my problem.
many important data here. That family, gender and sexuality form a broad area of
inquiry studied in many subfields of sociology. The sociology of the family
examines the family, as an
concern for the comparatively modern historical emergence of th
and its distinct
4. Theory of Literature by Rene Wellek and Warren Austin (1967). In this book
said that, There are two approaches in analyzing literary works. They are intrinsic
and extrinsic approach
And I also find some suitable and usefull references from the internet
about gender itself to complete my data. Here i found that, Gender role is a term
used in the social sciences and humanities to denote a set of behavioral norms that
accompany a given gendered status (also called a gendered identity) in a given
social group or system. Gender is one component of the gender or sex system,
which refers to "the set of arrangements by which a society transforms biological
sexuality into products of human activity, and in which these transformed needs
are satisfied" (Reiter 1975: 159). Every known society has a gender or sex system,
although the components and workings of this system vary widely from society to
society. And here, knowledge of sociology helps me to get the deeper
understanding about gender inequality in my problem. (Quoted from
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Gender
Gender is a social construction with important consequeces in everybody
life. Gender is constructed both socially through social interactions as well as
biologically through chromosomes, brain structure, and hormonal differences.
Gender refers to the social, psychological, and cultural attributes of masculinity
and femininity that are based on the above biological distinctions. Gender pertains
to the socially learned patterns of behaviour and the psychological or emotional
expression or attitudes that distinguish males from females. Ideas about
masculinity and femininity are culturally derived and pattern the ways in which
males and females are treated from birth onward. Gender is an important factor in
shaping people’s self image and social identities. Gender is learned through the
socialization process and thus is and achieved status. Gender is a major source of
social inequality, not only are man and women as signed different roles, but these
roles are also judged and rewarded unequally. Just as our society has inequalities
based on race and ethic background, so it has inequalities based on sex. Men and
women have unequal access to social rewards.
Gender is a social construction with important consequences in everyday
life. Just have stereotypes regardings race/ethnicity have built in notions of
superiorty and inferiority, gender stereotypes hold that men and women are
inherently different in attributes, behavior, and aspirations. Stereotypes define
appearance. Women are stereotyped as weak, emotional, nurturing, dependent,
and anxious about their appearance.
Not only that, Gender is a status characteristic, which can be used to
support discrimination in much the same way that other statused such as race,
religion, and age are used. It is the status of beeing a woman that influences a
woman’s career aspirations, her hiring possibillities, her promotion changes, and
her salary, as much ass the personal qualifications she prossesses or gains throgh
education. Much of the discrimination againts women is a matter of the upper
status group, men, retaining power, and privilege.
Gender role is a lifelong process whereby people learn the values, attitudes,
motivation, and behaviour considered appropriate to each sex by their culture.
Even before a baby is born, its sex is a subject of speculation, and the different
gender role relationships it will from birth on already are being decided. Tischler
(1996:327) states that:
find enough money to raise her in a setting where she will the right kind of man to marry.
A society reveals its cocepts of gender through the social roles it assigns to
each sex. A social role is a set of expectations and behaviors associated with a
specific position in a social system. A gender role, then, is a social role associated
with being male or female.
Different habits of men and women are explained by different roles in the
process of evolution. Although life conditions have changed, both men and
women tend to follow their biological programs.Men tend to retain a firm sense of
direction – they need to trace the game, catch it, and find the way home, while
women have a better peripheral vision that helps them to see what happening
around the house, to spot an approaching danger, to notice changes in the
childrens behavior and appearance. Mens brains are programmed to hunting,
which explains their narrow range of vision, while womens brains are able to
decipher a wider range of information
In our society , as in all others, males and females are socialized differently.
In addition, each culture defines gender role differently. This process is not
limited to childhood but continues through adolescence, adulthood, and old age.
From birth, parents interact differently with children depending on their sex, and
through this interaction parents can instill different values or traits in their
children on the basis of what is normative for their sex. This internalization of
gender norms can be seen through the example of which types of toys children are
typically given (“feminine” toys often reinforce interaction, nurturing, and
that parents give to their children. Education also plays an integral role in the
creation of gender norms.
Gender role definitions in Western society have reflected a tension between
two oppsing forces the similarities between the sexes and the differences. This
focus on the home strengthened the value and role of women, who were seen as
faithful Christians (Protestants believed that everyone should read scripture, this
promoting female literacy), loving spouses, and responsible parents.There were
thought to be few innate differences between the sexes, yet women remained
subordinate to their husbands. Men were dominant in the competitive economic
and political worlds, while women held sway in sacred, moral, and emotional
sprheres, particularly in the family.
Gender roles is some persistent differences between men and women.
Women eexperience a mandate to both marry and be a mother. Often, marriage is
viewed as the true entry into adulthood. And women are expected not only to
become mother but to want to be mothers. Obviously, men play a role in these
events,but they do not appear to be as critical in identifying the life course for a
man. Society defines men’s roles by economic success. Traditional gender roles
have most severely restricted females. Gender stereotypes have been consistent
over time although the study of sex differences is a modern discipline. Research
has shown that while girls do have advantages in verbal abilities (grammar,
spelling and writing) and boys do appear to be more advanced in their
visual-spatial abilities than girls, no sex differences in math concepts have been
in jobs such as firefighters, doctors, and police officers and more women in
nurturing type careers such as nurses and teachers. There are numerous theories
on why sex differences exist but most can be categorized in supporting either a
nature or nurture theory. Those that support biological factors argue that people
behave as they do just because they are biologically male or female.
Men and women have traditionally played certain familiar gender roles.
Sometimes these roles are very apparent. Gender roles are largely culturally
defined, and so vary over time, from one culture to the next, and even within a
society. No matter what gender roles that play, will be maintain a single gender
identity. Gender identity cuts across to sexual preference. Being male or female
includes having a personal sense of gender, as well as culturally defined norms
and roles.
Gender Equality is a social order in which women and men share the same
opportunities and the same constraints on full participation in both the economic
and the domestic realm. Gender equality is central to economic and human
development in a country. Removing inequalities gives societies a better chance to
develop. When women and men have relative equality, economies grow faster,
children's health improves and there is less corruption. Gender equality is an
important human right. Gender equality and women's empowerment are human
rights that lie at the heart of development and the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals. Despite the progress that has been made, six out of ten of
world's poorest people are still women and girls, less than 16 percent of the
school gates are girls and, both in times of armed conflict and behind closed doors
at home, women are still systematically subjected to violence. That is why UNDP
integrates gender equality and women's empowerment in its four main areas of
work: poverty reduction, democratic governance, crisis prevention and recovery,
and environment and sustainable development. Rossi (1964:261) states that:
The traditional conception of masculine and feminine are inappropriate to the kind of world we can live in during the second half of the twentieth century. An androgynous conception of sex role means that each sex will cultivate some of the characteristics usually associated with the other in traditional sex role difinition.
Rossi proposed that boys be socialized to be tender and expressive so they
will later feel free to express these equalities in their social relationships. He also
recomends that girls be inculcated with achievement need, workmanship, and
assertiveness so they will feel free to express these equalities in their adult life .
This socialization strategy is assumed to ultimately enable both men and women
to develop the full range of human equalities regardless of their gender. The
movement towards gender equality, especially in Western countries, began with
the
relation to a woman's property rights in marriage. This situation has begun to
change in recent years. As more and more women have entered the job market,
husbands have begun to share responsibilities of home with their wives. It is also
easy for a working wife to feel responsible for any problems her children might
have. Whereas she may feel guilty for not staying at home, her husband is likely
to assume that it is normal, and he will be take care their home. Gender equality
is also the goal of th
Putri also talked about gender in her speech about gender equality that should
happened in this country. Megawati Soekarno Putri (Metro TV, June 9th 2011,
11:50 am) said that:
Gender should not differentiate between men and women, because they are actually equal. Who can distinguish them is actually a level of intelligence and their intellect. When sister is smarter than her brother, then who will be success and stand out must be the sister, not the brother. Similarly, women also can be a president, it can be happen because of knowledge and the level of her intelligence, no different from the man who can become a president.
It is clearly seen that Megawati did not agree the existence of
gender differences between men and women in the opportunity to get a
chance to success and become a leader. It can be seen from her
background that Megawati was a former president of the Republic of
Indonesia, which once headed and powerful in Indonesia.
Gender Inequality refers to the obvious or hidden disparity between
gender. Gender inequality can further be understood trough the mechanism of
sexism. Discrimination takes place in this manner as men and women are subject
to prejudicial treatment on the basis of gender alone
Gender inequality is one which has been publicly reverberating through society
for decades. The problem of inequality in employment being one of the most
pressing issues today. In order to examine this situation one must try to get to the
root of the problem and must understand the sociological factors that cause
women to have a much more difficult time getting the same benefits, wages, and
job opportunities as their male counterparts. The society in which we live has
and therefore it is not surprising that our society reflects those biases which exist
as a result of this male-domination. It is important to examine all facets of this
problem, but in order to fully tackle the issue one must recognize that this
inequality in the workforce is rooted in what shapes future employees and
employers education. Gender inequality refers to the obvious or hidden disparity
between individuals due to gender.
Gender inequality is constructed both socially through social interactions
as well as biologically through chromosomes, brain structure, and hormonal
differences.
gender systems may reflect on to the inequalities that manifest in numerous
dimensions of daily life. Gender inequality stems from distinctions, whether
empirically grounded or socially constructed. Gender inequality can further be
understood through the mechanisms of
manner as men and women are subject to prejudicial treatment on the basis of
gender alone. Sexism occurs when men and women are framed within two
dimensions of social cognition. In our society there are inequalities based on sex,
man and women have unequal access to social rewards. This gender stratification
reflects male dominance, the social situation in which more power and prestige
are given to men than to women. Benevolent sexism takes place when women are
viewed as possessing low degrees of competency and high degrees of warmth.
Although this is the result of a more positive stereotype of women, this still
contributes to gender inequality as this stereotype is only applied to women who
conform to the caring or nurturing stereotypes, with the remaining women still
form of sexism has negative effects as well, as these notions of women include the
idea that women are weak and in need of the protection of men.
Gender inequalities often stem from social structures that have
institutionalized conceptions of gender differences. From birth, parents act toward
children on the basis of the child’s sex. Baby boys are perceived to be less fragile
than girls and tend to be treated more roughly by their parents. Girl babies are
thought to be cute, sweet, and cuddly and receive more gentle treatment (Kendall
1996:361). And here Popenoe (1986:334) states that:
Men and women are different physically, and they think, feel, act, and relate to others in different ways. Mens are rational, and womens are emotional. Men go out and earn living, women are mother and homemakers. Men seek money and power, women find fulfillment through their husband and children.
Differential treatment continues as children grow. Parents tend to use
physical punishment on boys more often than on girls, and boys especially are
strongly discouraged from playing with the ‘wrong’toys, such as dolls.
The man’s world outside the home was viewed as a harsh and heartless
jungle in which men needed strenght, ambition, and aggresion. Woman’s world
was the home, and her job was to comfort and care for husband and children,
maintaining harmony and teaching her children to comform to society’s norms.
Thio (1985:242) said that:
hold back their emotions and must not cry, but women are expected to be emotional, even to cry easily.
Gender differences are also commonly found in employment, career and
the acceptance of wages between men and women. There are three main reasons
for the deferential between man’s and women’s wages, that they are:
1. Human capital factors. On this condition there are some factors that
influence, such as education, experience, training, and commitment to
work. Human capital factors account for less than half of the gap in the
earnings between man and woman.
2. Institutional barriers such as occupational seregation.
3. And discrimination.
Wage differentials occur with job segregation because concentraining only
in certain fields, women increase the supply of workers for these jobs and
decrease their own wages. Socialization , training, and costom have made it
difficult for women to enter male-dominated fields, although more and more
women are doing so,many barriers still remain. Occupations staffed may be given
higher prestige than those staffed by women. Men’s work, no matter what it is,
tends to be seen as more prestigious.
To the high degree, the job market is still segregated by gender . The
worlds of “men’s work” and “women’s work” are as different, they are vastly
unequal in power, pay and prestige. In some case, whole industries and
occupations are dominated by one sex or the other, such as coal mining and
logging or nursing and textile manufacturing (all most all female). In other cases,
man and women work in the same setting but hold different position, where men
only pay less than “male” occupations but usually offer fewer benefits ( such as
health insurance and pension plans ), fewer oppurtunities for promotions, and less
job security.
Gender inequality specifically addresses the interface between human
rights obligations and trade rules as well as the linkages between intellectual
property norms and gender issues. Finally, a number of concrete approaches to
improving the gender sensitivity of both international trade activities and
policy-making are examined. These include an exploration of “gender trade impact
assessment” as a tool to ensure gender-conscious trade policy formulation, a
review of some capacity-building experiences targeted specifically at women, an
examination of information and communication technologies as empowering tools
for women traders, as well as an analysis of the gender dimension of fair trade and
other corporate social responsibility initiatives. The views expressed in this
volume are varied and no straightforward conclusions can be established.
Nonetheless, with regard to the developing countries’ experiences reviewed here,
it can be said that international trade has, in a number of cases, contributed to the
redistribution of income in favour of women. This is generally due to the
numerous employment and business opportunities created by trade in the
manufacturing and services sectors. As a result, not only is the status of women in
society and within their households enhanced by their capacity to earn income,
countries as a whole also benefit from women’s work as it significantly
contributes to export competitiveness and industrial diversification. Gender
inequality and discrimination is argued to cause and perpetuate poverty and
and resources are key influences in individuals' abilities to take advantage of
external livelihood opportunities or respond appropriately to threats. High
education levels and social integration significantly improve the productivity of
all members of the household and improve equity throughout society. Gender
Equity Indices seek to provide the tools to demonstrate this feature of poverty.
Men and women receive significantly different economic rewards for their
work. Men’s work moved away from the home, women’s became more home
centered and lost its commercial value. Women’s work was considered “useful,”
men’s work had monetary and exchange value and so contributed to the market
economy. Power and prestige in a market system can be gained mainly through
earning money, those with the most earning power will have the highest status.
Men’s work has ranked as much more important than women’s work.
The number of women in the workforce has increased dramatically in
recents decades, but a pattern of gender inequality on the job continues. Women
still tend to be channeled into traditionally “feminime” occupations and to earn
less than men even thought they may perform comparable jobs. Current efforts to
close this gap focus on the notion of comparable worth, basing wages on the
amount of skill, effort, responsibility, and risk the job entails, plus the amount of
income the job produces. And men’s power in the workplace sets the stage of
gender bias, which can be especially strong when women enter traditionally male
occupations. The darkest aspect of gender bias is sexual harrasment, the demand
that someone respond to or tolerate unwanted sexual attention from a person with
power over the victim. Since men and women have had different life experiences,
they approach them from different perspectives. For example, women who enter
politics today typically do so for different reasons from men. Men often embark
on a political career to make business contacts or build on them, a natural
extension of their livelihood, women generally become involved because they
want to help. This difference in interest is relevant to the likelihood of their future
success.
There are many kinds of gender inequality which are as follows:
1. Natality inequality
In this type of inequality a preference is given for boys over girls that
many male-dominated societies have, gender inequality can manifest itself in the
form of the parents wanting the newborn to be a boy rather than a girl. There was
a time when this could be no more than a wish (a daydream or a nightmare,
depending on one's perspective), but with the availability of modern techniques to
determine the gender of the foetus, sex-selective abortion has become common in
many countries.
2. Professional or Employment inequality
In terms of employment as well as promotion in work and occupation, women
often face greater handicap than men. A country like Japan and India may be quite
egalitarian in matters of demography or basic facilities, and even, to a great
extent, in higher education, and yet progress to elevated levels of employment and
3. Ownership inequality
In many societies the ownership of property can also be very unequal. Even
basic assets such as homes and land may be very asymmetrically shared. The
absence of claims to property can not only reduce the voice of women, but also
make it harder for women to enter and flourish in commercial, economic and even
some social activities. This type of inequality has existed in most parts of the
world, though there are also local variations.
4. Household inequality
There are often enough, basic inequalities in gender relations within the family
or the household, which can take many different forms. Even in cases in which
there are no overt signs of anti-female bias in, say, survival or son-preference or
education, or even in promotion to higher executive positions, the family
arrangements can be quite unequal in terms of sharing the burden of housework
and child care.
5. Special opportunity inequality
Even when there is relatively little difference in basic facilities including
schooling, the opportunities of higher education may be far fewer for young
women than for young men. Indeed, gender bias in higher education and
professional training can be observed even in some of the richest countries in the
2.2 Literature
Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly
speaking, "literature" is used to describe anything from creative writing to more
technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to
works of the creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and
nonfiction. The word "literature" has different meanings depending on who is
using it and in what context. It could be applied broadly to mean any symbolic
record, encompassing everything from images and sculptures to letters. In a more
narrow sense the term could mean only text composed of letters, or other
examples of symbolic written language. An even more narrow interpretation is
that text have a physical form, such as on paper or some other portable form, to
the exclusion of inscriptions or digital media.
Literature is a body of written works related by subject‐matter (e.g. the
literature of computing), by language or place of origin (e.g. Russian literature), or
by prevailing cultural standards of merit. In this last sense, ‘literature’ is taken to
include oral, dramatic, and broadcast compositions that may not have been
published in written form but which have been (or deserve to be) preserved. Since
the 19th century, the broader sense of literature as a totality of written or printed
works has given way to more exclusive definitions based on criteria of
imaginative, creative, or artistic value, usually related to a work's absence of
factual or practical reference. Until the mid‐20th century, many kinds of
non‐fictional writing in philosophy, history, biography,
definition of literature as that body of works which, deserves to be preserved as
part of the current reproduction of meanings within a given culture. This sense
seems more tenable than the later attempts to divide literature as creative,
imaginative, fictional, or non‐practical from factual writings or practically
effective works of propaganda,
In analyzing Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie, feminist theory
and gender theory in analyzing the problems will be used. Because gender and
feminism have close relation in literary works. Feminist theory is the extension of
nature of
experience, and feminist politics in a variety of fields, such as
theory based on the idea that women have a different relationship with nature and
environment to men. While generally providing a critique of
much of feminist theory also focuses on analyzing
promotion of
include
And gender is an important area of study in many disciplines, such as
gender. For instance in anthropology, sociology and psychology, gender is often
studied as a practice, whereas in cultural studies representations of gender are
more often examined. Gender studies is also a discipline in itself, an
wide range of disciplines.
a number of phases. The first she calls "feminist critique", where the feminist
reader examines the ideologies behind literary phenomena. The second Showalter
calls
"the
language, the trajectory of the individual or collective female literary career and
inscription and the literary effects of th
Wellek and Warren in their Theory of Literature proposed two approaches
in analyzing literary works, they are intrinsic approach and extrinsic approach.
Intrinsic approach is an approach which analyzes the literary work based on the
text and the structural points of literary work which comprises the characters, plot,
setting, theme, style, and point of view. Extrinsic approach is an approach which
analyzes the literary work and its connection with other knowledge and external
factors such as biography, history, culture, psychology, sociology, etc.
In analyzing The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, extrinsic
construct results that in women not having the same rights, opportunities, or
privileges as men and men’s superiority has also been supported by the culture.
And according to M. H. Abrams in his book The Mirror and the Lamp in
1953 (quoted from www.uwec.edu/ranowlan/intr_crit_rdg_lit_081400.htm)
divides critical theory of literature into four kinds, they are mimetic theory,
pragmatic theory, expressive theory, and objective theory.
Mimetic theory (the theory of imitation) defines literature in relation to
life, seeing it as a way of reproducing or recreating the experiences of man’s life
in words. Abrams (1976:8-9) stated that mimetic theory is the most primitive
aesthetic approach. The idea was developed through Plato’s vision that the literary
work itself cannot represent the real life, but is only the imitation of what
happened in our surroundings. Aristotle, on the other hand, declined Plato’s
argument by stated that literary work as an art aims to purify the emotion (the
Latin word ‘catharsis’).
Pragmatic theory relates literary work to its readers. It is called pragmatic
because literature may give the practical result to its readers, and is sometimes
also called affective since literature may give emotional effect to its readers.
Pragmatic theory is used to reveal the functions of literary work in the middle of
society, the spread, and the development. Pragmatic theory deals with the
competence of the readers.
Expressive theory focuses on the relation between the literary work and its
expression and the emotion of its writer which are influenced by the background
and the experience of the writer.
Objective theory focuses on the literary work itself, its language, forms,
and devices. This kinds of critical theory of literature, makes sense of the meaning
and significance of literature by focusing upon the literary text in deliberate
abstraction from its relations to its writer, its readers, and surrounding
social-historical and political-ideological contexts; the aim here is to understand the
literary work. Each work is to be judged by its own criteria for internal
consistency, its intrinsic rather than extrinsic qualities.
In this thesis, also will be use expressive theory to discuss Tennessee
Williams’s The Glass Menagerie. Because in expressive theory believes that a
literary work is produced through the expression and the emotion of the
playwright which are influenced by his/her background and experiences.
2.3 Play
A play is a form o
scripted
than just
have had little preference whether their plays were performed or read. The term
"play" can refer to both the written works of playwrights and to their complete
theatrical performance. A
has continued to evolve over the years. During the 18th and 19th centuries,
verse form until comparatively recently A play is something to act out or do a
performence. And drama is similar to it, its not acting out from something, but
doing a play is drama.
Genres which includes in play are:
• Comedy
Comedies are plays which are designed to b
often filled with witty remarks, unusual characters, and strange circumstances.
Certain comedies are geared toward different age groups.
the two original play types of
of a comedy would be William Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night Dream,"
or for a more modern example the skits from "Saturday Night Live".
• Farce
A generally nonsensical genre of play,
involve
play "The Comedy of Errors," or Mark Twain's play "Is He Dead?"
• Satirical
people while at the same time attempting to make a political or social statement,
for example pointing out governmental corruption. An example of a satire would
be George Orwell novel "Animal Farm," or Jonathan Swift book "Gulliver's
• Tragedy
These plays often involve death and are designed to cause the reader or
viewer to fee
dramatic conflicts.
Greece. Some examples of tragedies include William Shakespeare's play "Romeo
and Juliet," and also John Webster's play "The Duchess of Malfi."
• Historical
These plays focus on actual historical events. They can be tragedies or
comedies, but are often neither of these.
popularised by
Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace," and William Shakespeare's play "King John."
• Terminology
The term "play" can be either a general term, or more specifically refer to a
non-musical play. Sometimes the term "straight play" is used in contrast to
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH
3.1 Data Collecting Procedure
The first procedure is data collecting data. In this procedure, the library
research is applied by searching and collecting the references that contain and
support the topics from the library and any other places.
In this first procedure, Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie is
used as the main source of the data. The play is read many times to get full
understanding about the content of the play. In addition to that, other suitable
references, such as The American Tradition in Literature books that discuss about
Tennessee Williams’s literary works and the whole biography of Tennessee
Williams, books or articles that talk about gender, are also collected to support the
analysis of this thesis.
3.2 Data Selecting Procedure
The second procedure is selecting the data. All the data collected in the
first step that are significant and related to the topic of the study are selected. All
the information and quotations that have been collected will be selected and only
the data that are very significant are used in the process of making the analysis of
3.3 Data Analyzing Procedure
The last procedure is analyzing the data. Since I apply analytical
descriptive method, I analyze the data by describing all the selected data that is
continued with analyzing then giving the sufficient understanding. In Teori,
Metode, dan Teknik Penelitian Sastra dari Strukturalisme Hingga
Prostrukturalisme Perspektif Wacana Naratif (2004:53), Kutha Ratna states that:
Metode deskriptif analitik dilakukan dengan cara mendeskripsikan fakta-fakta yang kemudian disusul dengan analisis. Secara Etimologis deskripsi dan analisis berarti menguraikan. Meskipun demikian, analisis yang berasal dari bahasa Yunani, analyein (‘ana’ = atas, ‘lyein’ = lepas, urai), telah diberikan arti tambahan, tidak semata-mata menguraikan, melainkan juga memberikan pemahaman dan penjelasan secukup-cukupnya.
Therefore, this last procedure is the process of describing the collected
data and analyzing them. The data are including the significant things which deal
with gender inequality in Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Manegerie, such as
how women are treated differently than men as well as how women don’t have the
same opportunities than men.
Since this thesis uses expressive theory that shows the play is the result of
the playwright’s imagination and experience, finally the collected data from the
play will be analyzed clearly. This is intended to make the conclusions of the
CHAPTER IV
GENDER INEQUALITY AS REFLECTED IN TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’S THE GLASS MENAGERIE
4.1 Women Are Treated Differently From Men
Man and woman treated diffrently because their differences between the
sex have been attributed to inborn biologgical factors. Gender role distiction
within societies were said to drive from biologically based differences in ability,
motivation, and interest. Eagly (1997: 146) said that: Social role theory “treats
these differing distributions of women and men into roles as the primary origin of
sex-differentiated social behavior, their impact on behavior is mediated by
psychological and social processes” . In all societies the obvious biological
difference between men and women is used as a justification for forcing them into
different social roles which limit and shape their attitudes and behavior. That is to
say, no society is content with the natural difference of sex, but each insists on
adding to it a cultural difference of gender. The simple physical facts therefore
always become associated with complex psychological qualities. It is not enough
for a man to be male, he also has to appear masculine. A woman, in addition to
being female, must also be feminine. Gelles (1999:361) said that: Gender is part
of social structure that a set of social and cultural practices that both reflect and
Right from birth, babies are usually treated according to their gender. Baby
boys tend to be wrapped in blue blankets,while girls in pink. Boys are handled
more roughly than girls, boys are bounced around and lifted high in the air but
girls are cuddled cooed over. Boys are often left alone to explore their
environment but girls are protected against any posible accident. In everyday life,
it can be seen that a mother always wants her daughter to look pretty all the time
and looking forward for her daughter can marry to the right man. Whereas for
boys, she wants her son to become a great man, have a good career in his work
and give her son responsiblity in family. This such thing can be seen in The Glass
Menagerie. Amanda differentiates between her daughter and son by telling Laura
to keep looking beautiful and interesting to attract the gentelman callers. Amanda
believes in the importance of a woman’s appearance. Mother wants her children
learn to categorize themselves by gender very early on in life. A part of this is
learning how to display and perform gendered identities as masculine or feminine.
Boys learn to manipulate their physical and social environment through physical
strength or other skills, while girls learn to present themselves as objects to be
viewed.
The term ‘gender inequality’ is often related to a condition where women
and men are treated differently. In The Glass Menagerie itself, it can be seen how
a mother named Amanda treats her both children in different ways. Generally,
men are often treated in more special ways than women. But in The Glass
Menagerie, a contrastive thing is revealed. In this case, Amanda treats her
Amanda believes in the importance of a woman’s appearance. She is sure
that a woman is a creature who is born to be treated in special ways. So, when
there is a party in Wingfield’s apartment, Amanda asks Laura to stay fresh and
pretty to attract gentelmen callers because she is a young woman whose beauty
and attractiveness are assets for her to look more special in men’s views. This is
reflected on page 1262 of the play:
Amanda: Resume your seat, little sister – I want you to stay fresh
and pretty – for gentlemen callers!" (p.1262, Amanda).
Thio (1985) in his book said that: “Girls seeing their mother, they learn the
importance of being pretty and feel that they must rely more on their beauty than
intelligence to attract man”.
Girls are always treated gently in his family with full attention. A mother
always wants her daughter always look beautiful and attractive because she think
it is capital of important for woman in daily life to get attention from the opposite
sex. In this case it does not mean that a mother not think that how importance for
a woman to master the ways to interacting with other people while the speech.
Women are also in demands for can be flexible in mastering words and
conversation. As can be seen in play The Glass Menagerie, Amanda assigns
certain responsibilities to her daughter and her son, according to their genders.
The resulting difference in the male and female character is then described as
inborn and used to defend the existing power arrangement. Only those who accept
it are normal, and only they can expect to succeed. The male social role is
advantages only to feminine women. The aggressive man will run the bigger
business; the pretty, agreeable woman will find the richer husband. In other
words, masculinity and femininity are gender qualities which are developed in
response to social discrimination. However, once they have been developed, they
justify and cement it. The masculine and feminine gender roles mutually reinforce
each other and thereby perpetuate the inequality on which they are based.
Nevertheless, Amanda still focuses on her daughter, Laura than Tom. Amanda
asks Laura to not only have to possess a pretty face and a graceful figure to attract
gentlemen callers, but also have to have a nimble wit and an eloquence in
speaking so that she can entertain those gentlemen callers. It showed on page
1263:
Amanda: They knew how to entertain their gentlemen callers. It
wasn’t enough for a girl to be possessed of a pretty face and a
graceful figure – although I wasn’t slighted in either respect. She
also needed to have a nimble wit and a tongue to meet all
occasions." (The Glass Menagerie, p.1263 ).
Amanda judges a woman’s worth by how much attention she receives
from men. Image on screen, Amanda as a girl on a porch, greeting callers. In here
Amanda shows gender inequality between women and men, she showed that men
are stronger than women in doing work that involves physical.Eagly (1997:148)
said that: Social role theory “treats these differing distributions of women and
men into roles as the primary origin of sex-differentiated social behavior, their
Amanda’s repeated instructions to ‘stay fresh and pretty’ underscore the
value she places on attractiveness for women. Kendall (1996: 361) said: From
birth, parents act toward child’s sex. Baby boys are perceived to be less fragile
than girls and tend to be treated more roughly by their parents. Girl babies are
thought to be “cute, sweet, and cuddly” and receive more gentle treatment.
Amanda assigns certain responsibilities to her daughter and her son, according to
their genders. She taught his children to behave accordance by their gender that
should be. She believes that women are the most special creatures in the world.
Therefore, she really wants her daughter, Laura, to look fresh and pretty in
gentlemen callers’ views.
Laura [rising]: Mother, let me clear the table.
Amanda: No, dear, you go in front and study your typewriter chart.
Or practice your shorthand a little. Stay fresh and pretty! - It's
almost time for our gentlemen callers to start arriving. [She
flounces girlishly toward the kitchenette] How many do you
suppose we're going to entertain this afternoon?" (The Glass
menagerie, p.1263).
Laura recognizes clearly the gender roles that she is expected to fill.
Neverthless, her mother fears if she may fail to do so. Therefore, Amanda always
treats Laura in more special ways because she does not want her to be an old
maid.It quotations faund on pages 1264 and 1266 in the play:
LAURA: Mother’s afraid I’m going to be an old maid. (The Glass
AMANDA: I know so well what becomes of unmarried woman who
aren't prepared to occupy a position. I've seen such pitiful cases in
the South - barely tolerated spinsters living upon the grudging
patronage of sister's husband or brother's wife! - stuck away in
some little mousetrap of a room - encouraged by one in-law to visit
another - little birdlike women without any nest - eating the crust of
humility all their life! Is that the future that we've mapped out for
ourselves? I swear it's the only alternative I can think of! [She
pauses.] It isn't a very pleasant alternative, is it? [She pauses
again.] Of course - some girls do marry." (The Glas Menagerie,
p.1266)
A mother always wants her children to know the gender rules as that
children ought to behave when face of to the opposite sex. And here Amanda
teaches to his son and daughter that man should come to women with manly and
woman has the rights to choose the right man for her. Amanda explains about
how gender rules that supposed happen between men and women.
Well, in the South we had so many servants. Gone, gone, gone. All
vestige of gracious living! Gone completely! I wasn’t prepared for
what the future brought me. All of my gentlemen callers were sons
of planters and so of course I assumed that I would be married to
one and raise my family on a large piece of land with plenty of
servants. But man proposes—and woman accepts the proposal!
Amanda really loves Laura. She treats her differently from Tom. She even
asks Tom to look out for Laura before she gets married because she is still young
and dependent. Amanda stresses on Tom that Laura is his only sister and he still
has responsibility to take care of her and find out the right man for her. Because of
gender stereotyping, Amanda makes Tom to have a responsibility to find out a
couple for his older sister Laura. Popenoe (1986:342) said: But men and women
tend to have diffrent attitudes toward marriage. For most women today, marriage
is stil the realization of a dream. And mother who have been unhappy in their own
marriages hope that their daughters will find the “right man”. Here Amanda wants
Laura to get a good man and he makes it become Tom’s responsibility.It showed
on pages 1274:
AMANDA: I mean that as soon as Laura has got somebody to take
care of her, married, a home of her own, independent ?- why, then
you'll be free to go wherever you please, on land, on sea,
whichever way the wind blows you !
But until that time you've got to look out for your sister. I don't say
me because I'm oldand don't matter - I say for your sister because
she's young and dependent. (The Glass menagerie, p.1274)
Because of Amanda’s over protection and love to Laura, she has even
made many plans for Laura which are not based on a desire for her daughter’s
own satisfaction, but a fulfillment of the gender roles she sees in the world around
AMANDA: ...I put her in business college - a dismal failure!
Frightened so it made her sick at the stomach.
I took her over to the Young People's League at the church.
Another fiasco. She spoke to nobody, nobody spoke to her. Now all
she does is fool with those pieces of glass and play those worn-out
records. What kind of life is that for a girl to lead?(The Glass
Menagerie, p.1274)
Amanda absolutely wants a better life for Laura. She wants her only
daughter to have a good husband in her life. Amanda does not really care about
Tom because she still focuses on Laura’s future. Amanda even places the
responsibility on Tom to help Laura fulfill the duties of her gender as a woman.
So, it is clear that Tom only becomes a tool for Amanda to find the right man to
be Laura’s husband.
AMANDA: Do you realize he’s the first young man we’ve
introduced to your sister? It’s terrible, disgraceful that poor little
sister has never received a single gentleman caller! Tom, come
inside!(The Glass menagerie, p.1278)
When Laura gets a special treatment from Amanda, Tom only becomes a
person who is teased by his mother. While they are having dinner together,
Amanda always criticizes Tom on page 1262 in the play:
AMANDA [to her son]: Honey, don't push with your fingers. If you
bread. And chew !chew! Animals havesections in their stomachs
which enable them to digest flood without mastication, but human
beings are supposed to chew their food before they swallow it
down. Eat food leisurely, son, and really enjoy it. A well-cooked
meal has lots of delicate flavours that have to be held in the mouth
for appreciation. So chew your food and give your salivary glands
a chance to function ! (The Glass Menagerie, p.1262)
Amanda always ctiticizes Tom. She thinks that Tom never cares about her
and her sister, Laura who is crippled and has no job at all. She also blames on
Tom for his selfishness. And this finally causes Tom feel uncomfortable.
Therefore, he prefers going somewhere outside the house to staying at home.
AMANDA: Don't think about us, a mother deserted, an unmarried
sister who's crippled and has no job ! Don't let anything interfere
with your selfish pleasure I just go, go, go - to the movies !(The
Glass Menagerie, p.1299)
Man and woman is treated differently because of gender responsibilities
that already exist in a social environment that has existed and applied. Woman
who were seen as innately maternal and social where naturally suitedto managing
the children and house hold. While man who were regarded as bold and
competitive, rational, and not inclined to be swayed by emotions, where naturally
suited to managing the bussiness of goverment, war and commerce. Like Popenoe
(1986) said that: Men and women are different physically, and they think, feel,
emotional. Men go out and earn living, women are mother and homemakers. Men
seek money and power, women find fulfillment through their husband and
children. And in this play Amanda has forced Tom to work at a warehouse (a
shoes factory). However, Tom actually dislikes that job because he does not feel
free working there. Unfortunately, Amanda is too imposing the gender roles on
Tom because she believes that a man has to possess a great job and good career
advancement. And that’s what Amanda wants from Tom. Finally, Tom complains
about her mother’s will because he wants to get a job which suits him. It showed
on page 1269:
TOM: Listen !You think I'm crazy about the warehouse? [He bonds
fiercely toward her slight figure.] You think I'm in love with the
Continental Shoemakers? You think I want to spend fifty-five years
down there in that - celotex interior! with - fluorescent – tubes!
Look! I'd rather somebody picked up a crowbar and battered out
my brains - than go back mornings! I go ! Every time you come in
yelling that God damn 'Rise and Shine!'(The Glass Menagerie,
p.1269)
From the quotation above, Tom complains about coercionfrom his mother
who has always stressed his obligations as men to work to earn money and
continue to increase his career. Here, Tom shows how he rebels against the gender
rule that should be on its way. He does not like the way his mother forces him to
follow the gender rule.
Again, Tom is treated differently from Laura. Tom is burdened by her
obligations of a man to work and finance his family. In the play The Glass
Menagerie can be seen clearly that Amanda acted as a dominant mother who has
the power in differentiate her children as men and women. Wilson (1966: 98) said
that: The wife dominant type of structure is associated with high-achieving but
tense and rejecting son. For the boy, the socialization process requires read
judements not demanded of the girl. Like in the labor force in the United States is
based on the assumption that most workers are men with families to support. And
here Tom, complains again for the gender roles that his mother made for him to
do. It showed on page 1268:
TOM: House, house ! Who pays rent on it, who makes a slave of
himself to – (The Glass Menagerie, p.1268).
In the role gender inequality, man should be the one who should be
working in the family, become successful and experienced an increase in his job,
and show masculinity at work. Wilson (1966: 124) said that : Gender may play an
important role in the ways that people make attribution about success and
failures. For the male-linked items, when a male did well his success was
attributed primarily to skill. In case when a female did well, however, her
successful performance was more likely to be attributed to luck. Similar pattern
way man’s failures exist in attributed to external circumstance but woman failures
to be attribute more lack of hand work and ability. In this play, Amanda
continues to remind Tom that he must rise in the world of his job and do not let
I’ve had to put up solitary battle as these years. But you are my
right-hand bower! Don’tfail down, don’t fail! (The Glass
Menagerie, p.1272).
Here, Amanda reminds Tom again to be on his duty as a man. Amanda
makes clear how gender inequality is stressed on her children. Gender inequality
is the unequal and biased treatment between the two sexes. That strongly believe
that the unequal treatment is something that should have stayed in social life.
In the play, Amanda as a mother distinguish her treatment to Tom and
Laura, as man and woman. Where Amanda wants Tom to behave as a man
according to his gender. While Laura behave vulnerable as a woman who needs
protection from a man. In religion according to Browne (1988:56) said that:
Women are either invisible or occupy subordinates position to men in most
religious scriptures. For example, in the Christian Bible, Eve is formed from a rib
taken from a man, and it was Eve the evil temptress who led Adam astray and laid
the basis for original sin in Christianity and Judaism. God is always seen as male,
Jesus is male, Christ’s 12 apostles were all men. In Islam, Mohammed is a man.
Aldrige (2007) notes that, in the Qur’an, women are legally inferior to men,
lacking the same rights as their husbands, to whom they must submit. De
Beauvior (1953) argues that most scriptures in most religions suggest that ‘man is
master by divine right’. And in the religion women associate God with love,
comfort and forgiveness, which are linked with traditional femininity and family
roles. I
