The portrayal of Marlene as a high-powered, dominant individual over her subordinates and family conflicts with my expectations of a work of literature from the feminist movement, as Marlene being shown as controlling and emulating a patriarchal personality masculine traits clashes with the feminist ideal of women being both empowered and working in harmony. (Elaboration, e.g. discussing 2nd wave, Marlene as like Thatcher) In Marlene’s interview with Jeanine, she repeatedly asks her direct and unsettling questions , with Jeanine’s passive responses receiving a “So you want a job with better prospects?” followed by “So you’ll take anything comparable?” and “Does that mean you don’t want a long-term job, Jeanine?” Churchill relies on crafting the projection and tone of Marlene’s voice to be authoritative and jarring (like an interrogation), and in doing so Marlene is shown as trying to force Jeanine into accepting something that may be disadvantageous to her, with Marlene lacking empathy for Jeanine’s wishes. (The nature of this dialogue influences) This is in contrast to the passive and self-doubting responses that Jeanine gives Marlene, asking her “I don’t know… What is it they do? … Just lampshades? … Yes I know. I don’t really… I just mean…” Jeanine’s dialogue contains short syntax which suggests to audiences her meekness and the dialogue projects a soft, frightful tone. Churchill portrays Jeanine as fearful and subject to Marlene’s manoeuvring of the conversation and thus susceptible to Marlene’s suggestion of a less prospective career move. Churchill clearly establishes a disunity between these two female characters as Marlene blatantly acts against Jeanine’s interests. In doing so, she is being portrayed as dominant and almost patriarchal in her handling of Jeanine, in that she wilfully disregards Jeanine’s opinion and forces her own onto her. As a result, my expectation that a feminist text will portray women as united and collaborative is subverted. Hence, by portraying Marlene as an overbearing, empowered woman who dominates the women around her, Churchill’s text presents conflicts between its portrayal of women and my expectations of the feminist movement.
