Top Girls

Characterization of Feminism in Top Girls Caryl Churchill’s play Top Girls contains many social observations about the modern woman. This is done mainly by great characterization. In the play Top Girls we come to know many women, both modern and historical, who appear to be extremely successful. At the time this play was written, in 1982, feminism, and the successes of the modern “business women” was an earthshaking movement that had an extreme effected on society. This feminist movement is the backbone that shapes all of the characters in the play Top Girls. The characters in Act I, Scene I (p. 1604) of Top Girls, stand as symbols of successful women in various times and places through out the past 1200 years. In this scene Marlene, who has been recently promoted to head of the Top Girls Employment Agency, is hosting a dinner party for other successful women in history to celebrate with her. The guest include; Pope Joan of the 9th Century; Isabella’s Bird, a well traveled Scottish woman of the 19th Century; Lady Nijo, a 13th Century courtesan to the Japanese emperor and later a Buddhist nun; Dull Gret, a hearty peasant woman pictured battling the devils in hell in a 16th Century painting; and Patient Grise

Women are pushed in two different directions, that of family and career. This is done so Marlene will have no restraints on her ability to get a powerful job. We come to find in the play that Marlene has left her child, Angie, with her sister to raise as her own. Kidd tells her that he has a family to support, with three children, and that she should let Howard have the job as managing director. their own femininity and taking on male roles, or male characteristics in order to come out on top. Marlene has assumed many manly qualities as stated in the third paragraph. This self-absorption is a trait that we se continue on through the play with many of the other characters. Each of these women share a common thread; they succeeded in a male dominated world by ignoring 2. These are the characteristics that are needed to succeed in the male dominated business world of today as well as when the play was written in 1982. The play Top Girls is about analyzing what happens to women when they assume men"tms roles in order to succeed. Marlene then basically tells her if he doesn"tmt like it then he can find another job, and tells her to 4. Joan"tms character has taken this to the extreme.