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Mrs Warren Behind Closed Doors

Page history last edited by Demetria Stewart 14 years, 11 months ago

 

 

 

Mrs. Warren: Behind Closed Doors

 

 

 

 

 

     Mrs. Warren Profession is a play written by George Bernard Shaw. This play focuses on Mrs. Warren who happens to be a prostitute and the overseer of many high-quality brothels, and her daughter, Vivie, who has attended Cambridge and who is portrayed as being somewhat prudish throughout the play. When Vivie discovers how her mother's fortune was gained, she is shocked and horrified. Much of the play is spent following their relationship and how they come to terms with the issues presented within the play.

      Mrs. Warren is described as being "formerly pretty" and "fairly presentable old black guard of a woman." Also from her dialogues within the play we see that she can be a bit crude and offensive, while having a domineering personality to match. She is a strong woman who is living two very different lives. She has essentially taken the circumstances given by society at that time and used them to gain an advantage. After Vivie, discovers her mother's true profession, Mrs.  Warren explains to Vivie her painstaking childhood, and the circumstances surrounding her entry into prostitution. They make up for a brief time, until Vivie learns that her mother's business is still up and running.

      When choosing an image to tell the story of Mrs. Warren, I wanted to focus more on the "double life" she led. I feel as though more than anything else, this play is a testament to what women faced in that age. While prostitution is a small part of the play, I think  it speaks volumes of the plight of women who wanted things such as freedom of sexual expression and independence as well as equality in pursuing education and work if they chose to. Mrs.  Warren was one of the women who took advantage of the circumstances into which she was born and ultimately made them work for her.

      The image I have chosen is of a woman who is split in half. On one side she is shown in her undergarments with little to no make-up, standing in a bedroom parlor. On the other side, the same woman is dressed and made up with a head piece to match. She is seen walking about town clutching her purse. I feel this image speak to who the main characters really was.

     This image conveys her story of the difference between what is happening behind closed doors and the things one allows others to see. For many years Mrs. Warren hid from her daughter the details about her business and her profession. However, what Vivie did see was a strong woman who held some type of place in society. From this one image you can take many different routes, specifically linking it to Mrs. Warren.

      For me, this image represents who Mrs. Warren was and who she wanted to be. She was at one time a fallen woman who wanted to be and have more in life. And now she is that woman she feels she should be; she makes no excuses for it nor does she deny her ongoing involvement in the business. I think that at one time, Mrs Warren believed in being an upstanding conservative woman; however the means used to get to such a place were not honorable. We can think of how hard living a double life could have been; imitating the person you wanted to be until you had enough means to get there. Was there any other choice for her to choose other than this?

     While it is easy for Vivie to point out tha teveryone has a choice in every situation good or bad, she does not realize that every choice made has consequences. The choice Mrs. Warren made may have not been the best one morally, but in the end, she comes to toerms with the fact that it was the best one made for her.  She speaks of herself as being right for her business and her business being right for her.

     Mrs Warren is a woman who has herself come to terms withthe choice she made. I think this image is a firm representation of her as a woman who does indeed live a double life but who has managed to pull them both together. By finally being honest with ehr daugther about her life, her business, and her way of life, I think Mrs. Warren was able to come to to terms with herself, being proud of who she is, her accomplishments, and what she has become. Although her daughter may not accept her mother's line of work, I think Vivie can respect the fact that her mother made a way for herself in a society that did little to help women who were in her position.

 

 

 

 

 

                Works Cited

 

Shaw, George Bernard. Mrs. Warren's Profession. Calfornia: Digireads.com, 2007.

 

 

 

 

 

                Project Group Members

 

Member Name

University

Course

Demetria M. Stewart Eastern Michigan University LITR 443
     
     
     
     

 

 

             

 

 

     Project Completed: Winter 2009

 

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