Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Zahra Ghiasian ¹
• Saeed Shapouri ²

¹ M.S Student, Tehran Art University

² Assistant Professor, Theater Department, Azad University, CTB

Abstract

Simone de Beauvoir in her well-known book of the “Second Sex” proposed several unique concepts of existentialist feminism for the first time. Based upon these specific definitions such as the “sex-gender distinction”, that is, the distinction between biological sex and the social and historical construction of a gender and related stereotypes, she succeeded in rationalizing the fundamental source of women's oppression in the historical and social construction of a female stereotype as the quintessential “other” gender or sex.  Based upon such existentialist feministic definitions, Simon de Beauvoir explored and explained a woman’s different roles in the context of her own society; social roles such as a loyal wife, a lover and/or a Narcissistic woman. Further, she succeeded in picturing how a woman that lives under an unbearable social pressure can unconsciously suppress herself and therefore live a miserable life. In this study, we endeavored to explain a woman’s social role from the Simon de Beauvoir’s viewpoint using three contemporary dramas: “a streetcar named desire” by Tennessee Williams; “they are alive” by Athol Fugard; and “ghosts” by Henrik Ibsen. Here, we argued and presented that how Simon de Beauvoir’s existentialist feministic viewpoint can significantly influence and replace the exiting definition of a woman in a male dominated society as an equally acceptable female part of the civilized society as opposed to the existing reflection of a woman in the masculine society as the “other sex or gender”.   

Keywords

• other
• Feminism
• de Beauvoir
• woman
• Modern drama