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Machinal Plot

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Play Card 5: Machinal

Machinal is an expressionist play written by American playwright Sophie Treadwell in 1928. Expressionism is defined as a rejection of realism that projects human emotions and seeks truth in humanity’s spiritual qualities. Elements included abnormal coloring on stage, mechanical movement, and nightmarish visions of humanity. Furthermore, protagonists in expressionist plays are seeking the goal of fulfillment, and the Young Woman in Machinal is seeking her fulfillment of peace and freedom.
Plot: The story consists of 9 “episodes” and revolves around a Young Woman who is following the mechanicalized role that women were expected to follow in society: having a job, a home, a husband, and children. Episode One begins in …show more content…

The workers tell Young Woman that their boss George H. Jones wants to meet in his office, and he proposes to Young Woman. In Episode Two, Young Woman is at home talking to her mother about refusing George's marriage proposal because she does not love him, but her mother claims that she would be crazy for not marrying a man who will give her shelter and financial stability. Young Woman decides to marry Geroge. Episode Three takes place in a hotel room on Young Woman and George’s honeymoon. Young Woman is afraid and skittish of George’s affectionate advances, and she goes into the bathroom crying because she misses her mother. In Episode Four, Young Woman is in a maternity ward and just gave birth to baby girl she clearly does not want. She violently chokes and gags and repeatedly asks to be left alone, but her husband and the doctor tell her to pull herself together. In Episode Five, the Young Woman, Telephone Girl, and two men all meet up together at a speakeasy. Young Woman makes a flirtatious connection with one of the men, and goes to his apartment in Episode Six. It is implied that the two made love, and the Young Woman asks to keep a flower she notices …show more content…

To start, the Young Woman is forced to conform to society’s ideal way of life for a woman. Everything in the Young Woman’s society is cold, overpowering, and mechanical. With each episode, she falls deeper into conforming into society’s expectations, especially when she marries her boss. For example, when she tries to explain to her mother that she cannot marry a man she does not love, her mother argues, “Love! - what does that amount to! Will it clothe you? Will it feed you? Will it pay the bills?” (17). Furthermore, gender inequality is a major issue in this play. The Young Woman has all of her decisions made for her, and the machine noises playing in the background represent the anxiety and uncomfortable energy growing inside of her. The Young Woman marries a man she does not love, gives birth to a child she does not want, and has an affair with a man she can never have. Gender inequality factors into all of these obstacles the Young Woman dealt with throughout the play. Finally, unjust punishment is a theme because the Young Woman is sentenced to death for murdering her husband. Unfortunately, the society she lived in failed to understand that the Young Woman did not want to conform to its mechanicalized way of life. She became so mentally ill by suffering through a life she did not want that she murdered her husband to finally feel free. “When I did what I did I was

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