From The Domestic To The Society

Lillian Hellman is one of the most significant women playwrights in the history of American drama. This thesis attempts to examine the "departure" in the endings of Lillian Hellman's three domestic plays, The Little Foxes, Watch on the Rhine and Toys in the Attic. Hellman's family plays not only follow the tradition of European dramas structurally, but also show her concern on the significant social and political events in different periods in the American history.The thesis consists of an introduction, three chapters as the main body, and a conclusion. The introduction includes mainly a literature survey of previous research on Lillian Hellman's plays and an explanation of the reasons for the choice of the present topic.Chapter One focuses on the first kind of home departure in Hellman's plays—getting out of the possessive love as Julian does in Toys in the Attic. The play depicts the relationship between Julian and his elder sisters—a psychologically infantile, tangled web of a codependency. Carries's sexual possession and Anna's maternal bond with Julian become the main characteristic in their attitude towards their beloved younger brother. We can see that the reason of their behaviors originates in women's status in that period of American history and their family background. The necessity and possibility for Julian to become an independent man and his transition from dependency to independency are also explained.Chapter Two deals with The Little Foxes and maintains that the heroine leaves home due to her longing for a Utopia-like ideal world, seeking a new way of life, like Alexandra in The Little Foxes. Regina and Birdie are two different kinds of women in the 1900s, but Alexandra does not want to follow in their footsteps. Regina becomes a devil from a victim, while Birdie keeps silent in the face of Hubbards' oppression. The industrialized North is a new world for Southerners. Her longing for a new way of life will bear the burden of a necessary transition and break the circle of the clan, although she may be a disillusioned spinsterish social worker.Chapter Three concentrates on the third kind of protagonist's departure from home, i.e., taking the responsibility for the freedom of human beings as shown in the character of Kurt in Watch on the Rhine. This play is set during World War II and the anti-Fascism struggle in the 1940s. The hero leaves his family to fulfill the task and goes back to Europe. The transition of the attitude of the American family reveals Hellman's aim to arouse people's attention to the international affairs and makes a transition from isolationism to universalism.In conclusion, through the exploration of the different kinds of "departure" from home as endings of her plays, Hellman successfully displays a panoramic view of the society in all of her family plays, and shows her deep concern for the social life of her countryfolks. That is one of the reasons why her dramas enjoy the reputation of masterpieces in the canon of American drama.