Lily, Maggie’s independent single sister is very much against men she thinks ‘there aw dirty beasts’. As she argues with Maggie about John but Maggie straight away stands up for her husband.
“You leave John alane! He does his best for us”
Even though Maggie knows John doesn’t do anything for her and her children she still stands strongly by her husband as that was the right thing to do.
Not only does Maggie have her husband to run around after her and look after her, but she also has five children.
“If you’ve got wee ans, you’ve got tae put up wi the fella that gie’d ya them”
The women in the play are constantly making excuses for the men and their behaviour. Maggie is particularly bad at doing this. This is a prime example of this behaviour as Mrs Bone her neighbour gets domestically abused and this is Maggie’s attempt to offer her support.
As the play progresses Maggie gradually starts to see sense and comes to realise how weak men really are.
“They canna staun up tae things like a wummen”
This shows female strength and is the start of a major turning point for Maggie as she becomes more and more disenchanted with her life.
Jenny, Maggie’s eldest daughter runs of at the beginning of the play but returns at the end with money and the opportunity for Maggie and her family to escape poverty. Maggie grabs the opportunity despite John’s requests. For Maggie this is a moment of self-discovery she can have the control of her own life now.
“I can manage him ….. I can aye manage him”
This is a very revealing line as it reveals that there is hope for things to change and get better. She is an independent woman.
Whereas Barbs the main female character in “Perfect Days” is a very independent woman from the beginning of the play. She is financially independent due to her success in hairdressing. Spending her time between TV appearances and doing celebrities hair. A well grounded, hard working, strong woman. But don’t be fooled she may seem to have everything but she doesn’t. She wants a baby.
Barbs has three male figures in her life Brendan her gay best friend, Davie her unreliable ex-husband and Grant her ‘toyboy’ 14 years her junior. Although Barbs doesn’t rely on any of them she still needs them to be there. Essentially the only reason she needs a man in her life is 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”
This portrays the men as naïve, thoughtless easy to manipulate characters. As Barbs sees them only in a chemical light due to their only use to her being to reproduce. Due to Barbs unsuccessful attempts to have a baby she ends up turning to Brendan who offers to donate his sperm in a bid to artificially conceive a baby.
Whilst Brendan and Barbs are trying to conceive a baby, Barbs is secretly having a fling with grant. Who very much believes he loves Barbs. But Grant and Brendan don’t know about each others affairs with Barbs. And when it the truth is revealed it ends in Grant asking Barbs.
“Why are you so ashamed of me”
Barbs is an independent woman, who doesn’t want a man in her life she just wants some fun but Grant mistakes this for something more and falls in love with her.
As the play comes to an end Barbs, Mum Sadie passes away but at the same time there’s some good news.
“I’m Pregnant . . . . . I want my mother”
Finally Barbs has the baby she wanted but at the same time she lost someone she loved dearly.
In conclusion the representation of the women in the two Scottish plays I have studied show that women don’t need men to survive, that sometimes you’re just better off without them.
I feel that the representation of women in both plays reflect real women and the issues that are dealt with are ones that still reoccur every day.
“Ena Lamont Stewart” the writer of “Men should Weep” really made her play highlight poverty and how bad it was, also the way that women were treated. Sadly this is something that a lot of women can still relate to. I feel that she was successful in doing this and showing what effects a male dominated society can have.
“Liz Lochead” the writer of “Perfect Days” really expressed that women can be independent. That woman can make their own way in life and be just as successful as men if not even more.
