Western society in literature in the twentieth century swayed closely on the idea of traditional social gender roles, to the modern gender roles that were developing. Writers during this time would portray men and women roles, as they saw it in society. As the Western culture progressed societies view changed as well with gender roles. In the early stages of the twentieth century, playwrights such as Strindberg, Ibsen, and Lorca, wrote characters such as men and women in gender roles that fit to the societal norms during that time.
Plays like Trifles by Susan Glaspell, gave the appearance of the common societal gender roles in Western cultures. The play shows the controversy of men having the power and wisdom over women. Glaspell shows through …show more content…
Rather than having gender roles as the typical social norm, writers would write in Brechtian styles, creating characters and themes that questioned societies normal gender roles. Brecht influenced and impacted gender roles in Western writing, making a shift in the way that society saw traditional gender roles. Brecht shocked audiences with his theme of gender roles and gender identities in his play The Good Person of Szechuan, by showing people that women can be successful in the business world as good as a man can. The idea of portraying a prostitute woman as the best person in to represent good faith of religion, which happens to dress as her male cousin to make business deals, shows the idea that men are not superior to …show more content…
In one perspective of the play, the characters are portraying how gender role norms were then, compared to how they are changing. Characters in the play change from the typical family in society, with the issues being ignored. There is the idea throughout the whole family of gender issues and gender identity that is being suppressed.
Gender Identity keeps playing a big role in western societies culture and writing. Writers were progressing through the different societal norms of gender roles and gender identities. With the roles of gender being questioned, writer were experimenting more with the idea of gender roles and going against the societal norms.
In the play M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang, Hwang creates a male character that dresses and acts like a woman in order to spy on the French embassy. Hwang uses gender roles in his writing by creating the role of a traditional Chinese woman, with traditional values. The fact that the Western man doesn’t question this man who is playing a woman, shows the ignorance of the Western society gender roles. The norm for gender roles in Western society and culture was the man worked, while the woman took care of the home. The idea of homosexuality in Western and Eastern culture was not accepted and frowned