Abstract

Oppression appears in different forms such as the oppressive forces of capitalism on working class people, the oppressive forces of patriarchy that is, of men towards women, and the oppressive forces of women over other women. The aim of this paper is to investigate the oppressive forces of capitalism on working and middle class women and the oppressive forces of patriarchy including both men and women over these two kind of classes in the society of Caryl Churchill’s Vinegar Tom (1976). Caryl Churchill has explored such issues in her works mainly pertaining to the position of women in male-dominated societies. Indeed, some of her works utilize various plot structures to harness support for the improvement of the position of women in society while some attempt illustrate women’s vain struggle against oppressive patriarchal agents.
The main concerns of the play are the empowerment of the upper class patriarchal agents as well as the repression of women which is everlasting in the societies ruled by patriarchs. Here, Churchill’s mission is to make an attempt to dismantle the patriarchal ideas which has made women’s repression commonplace.

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