Jessie's Quest for Autonomy through Suicide in Marsha Norman's night Mother

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies
Cover of the book Jessie's Quest for Autonomy through Suicide in Marsha Norman's night Mother by Peter Brüstle, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Peter Brüstle ISBN: 9783638188739
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: April 30, 2003
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Peter Brüstle
ISBN: 9783638188739
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: April 30, 2003
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2001 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3 (A), University of Freiburg (English Seminar), course: Proseminar: Death in American Literature, 10 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: 'night, Mother, a more recent American play, which, in form of a dialogue between a mother and her adult daughter deals with the daughter's desperation for missing autonomy and her decision to gain control over her life by ending it, has met with controversial reception from critics after winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1983. On the one hand it was celebrated as a successful drama by a female playwright, whereas it was denied on the other hand as betraying Feminism. Still, in my paper this struggle will not be continued. What I am interested in here is, how the play treats the subject of free death as a specific way of dying. In our current society this subject arouses either greed for sensation or it is looked upon as a taboo and the public treatment or defense of it is normally denied. Examining the plays reception by critics it is striking that the protagonist's carried out death is mainly deemed positive or even compared with a heroic deed. In the face of this debate I will examine Jessie's desperation with her life and show, if she is in the end really successful in reaching autonomy and a personal identity through suicide. The first objects of my research are going to be Jessie's current situation, her inward state of mind and how she comes to the decision that death might constitute a solution to her problems. The next step will be a discussion of this decision and its justification with the help of two different works on suicide, of which one is rather a scientific study and the other one a philosophical treatise on the topic. Finally, I will have a look at those critiques which are in favor of Jessie's suicide as a positive and successful action and put them in context with the plot of the play, which will lead to a conclusion of what Jessie has actually reached and in how far her suicide might be seen as a wrong reaction.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2001 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3 (A), University of Freiburg (English Seminar), course: Proseminar: Death in American Literature, 10 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: 'night, Mother, a more recent American play, which, in form of a dialogue between a mother and her adult daughter deals with the daughter's desperation for missing autonomy and her decision to gain control over her life by ending it, has met with controversial reception from critics after winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1983. On the one hand it was celebrated as a successful drama by a female playwright, whereas it was denied on the other hand as betraying Feminism. Still, in my paper this struggle will not be continued. What I am interested in here is, how the play treats the subject of free death as a specific way of dying. In our current society this subject arouses either greed for sensation or it is looked upon as a taboo and the public treatment or defense of it is normally denied. Examining the plays reception by critics it is striking that the protagonist's carried out death is mainly deemed positive or even compared with a heroic deed. In the face of this debate I will examine Jessie's desperation with her life and show, if she is in the end really successful in reaching autonomy and a personal identity through suicide. The first objects of my research are going to be Jessie's current situation, her inward state of mind and how she comes to the decision that death might constitute a solution to her problems. The next step will be a discussion of this decision and its justification with the help of two different works on suicide, of which one is rather a scientific study and the other one a philosophical treatise on the topic. Finally, I will have a look at those critiques which are in favor of Jessie's suicide as a positive and successful action and put them in context with the plot of the play, which will lead to a conclusion of what Jessie has actually reached and in how far her suicide might be seen as a wrong reaction.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book Selecting compensation as an element to illustrate the difficulties multinational companies face in utilising expatriates by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book Lesson Plan for Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book How does the general orientation offered by Maslow's theory of self-actualization fit into the HRM culture? by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book Capital Controls, EMU and the Crisis of the European Monetary System by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book 'The Absentee': an interpretation - an analysis of Maria Edgeworth's novel by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book How to change your world by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book Was the victory over Hitler in the Great Patriotic War achieved inspite of Stalins policies ? by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book EVA as the best financial performance measure: the theory of reality by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book Teaching English in Switzerland - Commitment to Common Standards or Movement towards 'Globish'? by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book The Triple Bottom Line as the answer to the primary responsibility of the manager by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book Citizen and Non-Citizen Surveillance in Australia. Where is it justified? by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book Intercultural differences of customer emotions in service encounters by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book A case study of EasyJet and the airline industry by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book Analysis of Strategic move by Chipotle by Peter Brüstle
Cover of the book Einfluss der Einstellung zur Werbung auf die Bewertung des Produktes und die Kaufabsicht. by Peter Brüstle
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy