The Feminist Shaw by Nishtha Mishra

Author:Nishtha Mishra [Mishra, Nishtha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780429280443
Goodreads: 59148743
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2021-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

Thus, Praed was full of praises for her. However, instead of being flattered by Praed’s praise Vivie goes on to show the practical shortcomings in the education system. She frankly confesses that she can only work to provide mathematical calculations for electricians, engineers, business and economic companies etc. without understanding what these facts and figures will stand for. Vanity is not her cup of tea: “Outside mathematics, lawn-tennis, eating, sleeping, cycling, and walking, I'm a more ignorant barbarian than any woman could possibly be who hadn't gone in for the tripos” (Mrs. Warren’s Profession 63).

She continues to give the same unconventional impression throughout the play, starting from her conversation with Praed in the very first act. She displays a clear distaste for Art and Music – the conventional options allowed to the ladies of her time. By then, the operas and concerts that used to be the sole delight for the Ladies until late Victorian period, had become an unbearable experience for the New Women as they were well aware of the waste of “women’s time”. More than arts and culture, the then contemporary New Women preferred: “I like working and getting paid for it … a comfortable chair, a cigar, a little whisky, and a novel with a good detective story in it” (ibid.).

Even in terms of sexual expression, Vivie is devoid of any sentimentality which could have been expected from her seeing the traditionally accepted view of women with regard to love affairs and their love interests. Her relationship with Frank, which marked the only times she displayed some affection for someone, were also not characterised by an overflow of sentiments and emotions. She mercilessly dismisses Frank when she is not in the mood to bear up with his frivolity.

Even during her most vulnerable moment with Frank, where she was seen as totally oblivious of her ‘New Woman’ self, is short-lived and she recovers her composer within minutes. For the audience, her most shocking response occurs at the end of the play when she remains unaffected by Frank’s note, which might have signalled his intention to break all associations with her. This is the same unsentimental attitude she displays towards her mother in cutting off all associations with her.

She proves herself to be every inch a “New Woman”. She plays an instrumental role in breaking Mrs. Warren’s logical views, which related marriage and prostitution as two sides of the same coin for deriving money and support from men. She showed that working as an assistant to those who require her academic skills and not her sexual skills could be the better way out from the moral dilemma of either marrying someone or pimping one’s self for the sake of securing a livelihood.

The above-mentioned highly controversial statement of Mrs. Kitty Warren regarding prostitution and marriage also embodied the logic of the ‘New Woman’. As a result of this Mrs. Warren could also be considered a ‘New Woman’, who stands by her opinion, and is a thorough and hard-heartened businesswoman, who is well experienced and successful in her work.

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