‘I just canna understand a women who lets her man bash her aboot…..’
Standing up to men was unheard of you just wouldn’t do it. Yet Lily, Maggie’s sister who is an independent single women with no man in her life doesn’t understand why anyone would let someone else beat them up. Mrs Bone prefers to keep it quite about what goes on like a lot of other women. It is all about men feeling that they have power over women.
Not only do men expect everything to be done for them but they also expect that everything is for them. A prime example of this is when Lily brings the kids some food and John expects it to be for him.
‘it’s no for you! It’s far Bertie and the ither weans, ye pig-heided fool!’
From this you can tell that Lily doesn’t like John due to the fact that he doesn’t work or help out around the house. However John doesn’t like Lily as she provides for his family and he looks upon himself as the provider, even though he doesn’t do anything for his family.
Throughout the play John manages to pick out quite a few of his own faults without even realising what he is doing.
‘a mans nae right to bring weans intae the world if he canne provide for them’
Nonetheless this is exactly what he has done, he has six children, no form of income and he has no notion in helping around the house.
As the play progresses the reader begins to realise that the men are a far weaker and stupider sex than the women, also that the women are far stronger and intelligent.
‘They canna stawn up tae things like a women, they loose their heids and start shouting’
Men are portrayed to have little control over themselves and their actions. Unlike the women who are far more in control with themselves. When John has a conflict with his daughter this is displayed.
Throughout the majority of the play men are seen to have a large control over women but as the play develops Maggie’s journey from oppressed housewife to self-empowered women displays the power shift between the two. At the end of the play Maggie has a very revealing line.
‘I can manage him, I can aye manage him’
At this point Maggie realises that she has control over her own life and that things don’t have to be the way they are at the moment, there is hope for a better life.
This shows that although at the beginning of the play men seemed to have a lot of control. But they ended up being the weak self-centred character.
‘Perfect days’ is a play which examines a wealthy successful single woman’s life that is searching for happiness. There are three male figures in the play Brendan, Barbs gay best friend who plays a positive role in her life, Davie her unreliable ex-husband and Grant her ‘toyboy’ who is fourteen years to her junior.
All three men play a different role in her life and even though Barbs is financially independent she isn’t emotionally. She relies on the men in her life to support her emotionally. Most of all she needs them when she decides that she wants to have a baby. This is essentially the only reason Barbs wants a man in her life, to reproduce.
‘I tell him no need for precautions I’ve got a coil which is a lie but he doesn’t need to know that’
This portrays men as naïve, thoughtless and easy to manipulate characters. Barbs sees them in a clinical light as she feels she only needs them to reproduce.
Davie is seen to be a very irresponsible character not only is he seeing someone who is twenty years to his junior but he then announces something even more shocking.
‘I’m going to be a Daddy’
This is a shock to Barbs but she is happy for Davie. Male stupidity is conveyed through Davies actions.
Brendan is an extremely ‘feminine’ character, he is used to show that male and females can have successful relationships. When Barbs attempts to have a baby are unsuccessful she turns to Brendan who happily agrees to try and have a baby with her. But whilst they are doing that Barb also has her ‘toyboy’ Grant on the side. Who doesn’t know about Brendan and who Brendan doesn’t know about. Grant is seen to give Barbs a lot of happiness but their relationship ends with Grant asking.
‘Why are you so ashamed of me?’
This portrays Grant as a very naïve character as Barbs was only using him for a bit of fun the relationship as never serious, yet he looked upon it to be.
In conclusion the portrayal of men and masculinity in two Scottish plays that I have studied are that they completely dominate the society. They are selfish self-absorbed characters.
In “Men Should Weep” this is portrayed through John a very self-absorbed character. I think the writer’s purpose was to show how bad the conditions were that people use to live in and some people still do.
In “Perfect Days” the men are portrayed to be very stupid and weak characters. I feel that the writer’s purpose was to show that women can cope without men.
