From Captivity to Liberation: Women’s Metamorphosis Through SelfAwareness in Sarah Daniels ’The Devil’s Gateway

The years beginning with 1960 witnessed several alterations in the thoughts of the women identified as ‘second-wave’ feminists with regard to both social and political perspectives, which was led by the influence of women’s movements. The women of that period directed their attention more to such matters like discrimination, gender, inequality, and violence whereas they were still interested in domestic issues. Women’s new interests were fundamental sources of the works of such prominent feminist playwrights like Sarah Daniels displaying tendencies towards second-wave feminism. In this study, one of the debatable plays of her, The Devil’s Gateway (1983) is analysed in terms of the gradual transformation of the female characters through self-awareness, regarding their positions in both domestic and public domain as well. In the light of the background of Daniels’ period, with hermeneutic analysis and feminist criticism, the study also aims to observe triggering factors for the women’s awakening in detail from the very beginning to the end of the play. The evaluations of the study are revealed in the conclusion part.

ESARETTEN ÖZGÜRLÜĞE: SARAH DANIELS’IN THE DEVIL’S GATEWAY OYUNUNDA ÖZ FARKINDALIK ÇERÇEVESINDE KADINLARIN DEĞIŞIMI

1960’la başlayan yıllar, kadın hareketlerinin etkisi altında ‘ikinci dalga’ feministler olarak bilinen kadınların hem sosyal hem de siyasi bakış açılarına göre düşüncelerinde çeşitli değişikliklere şahitlik etmiştir. O dönemin kadınları ev içi meselelere hala ilgi duyarken dikkatlerini ayrımcılık, cinsiyet, eşitsizlik ve şiddet gibi konulara daha fazla yöneltmişlerdir. Kadınların bu yeni ilgi alanları ikinci dalga feminizm akımı içerisinde yer alan Sarah Daniels gibi önemli feminist yazarların eserleri için temel kaynaklardı. Bu çalışmada Daniels’ın tartışmalı eserlerinden biri olan The Devil’s Gateway (1983) hem evde hem de kamusal alandaki konumlarını göz önünde bulundurarak kadın karakterlerin farkındalık çerçevesinde aşamalı değişimlerini incelenmektedir. Ayrıca bu çalışma Daniels’ın döneminin temeli ışığında, yorumlayıcı analiz ve feminist eleştiri aracılığıyla oyunun başından sonuna kadar kadınların uyanışını tetikleyen etmenleri ayrıntılı bir şekilde gözlemlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmanın bulguları sonuç kısmında verilmektedir.

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