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

Year 2018, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 193 - 198, 11.04.2018

Volha Korbut Salman

https://doi.org/10.18506/anemon.379462

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

Abstract

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.

Keywords

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

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