Hedwig's Awakening in Wentworth's The War Brides

Abstract

Marion Craig Wentworth, through her one act play The War Brides, tries to reflect on the contemporary social scenario and the condition of female in patriarchal society. Wentworth's female characters in the play represent all marginalized women of patriarchal society. Wentworth has used two categories of women characters: first category is intelligent and awakened from the male domination, whereas the second is ignorant and want to play supporting role for the patriarchy. The protagonist, Hedwig is of first category and is conscious to revolt against male domination but Minna, Mother Gertrude and Amelia are of second category and play supporting role to flourish patriarchy. Hoffman, Arno, Hertz and Franz are male characters who are departing soldiers and are ready to accept death in the war front for the patriotism and nationalism. These soldiers take things as if they are fated by destiny and want to admit that their lots are what can bring them as what they deserve without opposing social and political norms.

The playwright, through The War Brides, shows the impact of gender discrimination to operation upon women and their gradual awakening condition to revolt against males in the patriarchal society. The female protagonist of the play, Hedwig, gradually awakens from the discriminatory male oriented society. She is a pioneer woman in the play who is capable of leading all female characters by awakening them from their marginalized condition in the patriarchal society. The War Brides then examines the miserable condition of women who are sidelined by compelling them to get married to departing soldiers and making them war widows at their early age. In the course of development of the plot of the play, the protagonist establishes herself against the patriarchy's social norms of traditional gender role and proves herself equal to male by trying to tear gender barrier created by males. She is the woman of radical vision and wants radical change of male dominated society. To find this conclusion here I used radical feminist theory as research methodology.