The Crisis of Parent-Child Relationships in Bernard Shaw’s Play Mrs. Warren’s Profession

Abstract

Bernard Shaw’s play Mrs. Warren’s Profession (1894) is applauded for its astute view of the corruption at the heart of Victorian society. It centers on Mrs. Warren, who, forced by the economic hardships of the nineteenth century London, becomes a prostitute and runs several successful brothels. Through her characterization, Shaw exposes social corruption and hypocrisy, and explores the personal consequences of such a profession, as Mrs. Warren fails to gain respect and love of her daughter Vivie, who discovers the truth about her mother’s occupation. The paper argues that it is the combination of social ills and negative personality traits that damage the conventional paradigm of parent-child relationships. To support the claim, the paper investigates into the epitomes of Vivie’s reaction to her mother’s way of living that are going through various stages throughout the play and culminating in Vivie’s final decision not to see Mrs. Warren again.   

Keywords

• Bernard Shaw,Mrs. Warren’s Profession,Hypocrisy,Corruption,Parent-Child Relationships

Bernard Shaw'ın Bayan Warren'ın Mesleği İsimli Oyunundaki Ebeveyn-Çocuk İlişkileri Krizi

Öz

Bernard Shaw'ın Bayan Warren'ın Mesleği (1984) isimli oyunu, Viktoryen toplumun kalbindeki yozlaşmayı zekice betimlediği için takdir toplamıştır. Oyun, 19. yüzyıl Londra'sının ekonomik güçlükleriyle mücadele etmeye mecbur bırakılmış ve bu yüzden hayat kadını olmuş olan ve başarılı birkaç genelev işleten Bayan Warren’ın etrafında dönmektedir. Karakteri oluştururken Shaw, hem toplumsal yozlaşmayı ve ikiyüzlülüğü gözler önüne serer, hem de böyle bir mesleği yapmanın kişisel sonuçlarını irdeler çünkü Bayan Warren, kendisinin mesleği hakkındaki gerçeği öğrenen kızı Vivie’nin saygı ve sevgisini kaybeder. Bu makale, bu durumun, geleneksel ebeveyn-çocuk ilişkilerine zarar veren toplumsal sorunların ve olumsuz kişilik özelliklerinin bir birleşimi olduğunu iddia eder. Bu iddiayı desteklemek için, bu makale, Vivie'nin, oyunun çeşitli aşamalarında görülen, annesinin yaşadığı hayat tarzına karşı tepkilerinin örneklerini inceleyecek ve Vivie'nin, Bayan Warren'ı tekrar görmek istemediğine dair son kararı ile sonuçlanacaktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Bernard Shaw,Bayan Warren’ın Mesleği,İkiyüzlülük,Ahlâk Bozukluğu,Ebeveyn-Çocuk İlişkileri

Kaynakça

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