The notion of the “New Woman” arose in the late 19th century primarily defining middle-class women who chastised then-current social expectations of women. As stated by Susan Cruea, professor of English and women's studies at Bowling Green University, “the most important trait of the New Woman was the assertion of her right, not just to an education or a job outside the home, but to a career, which met his personal needs and satisfied his interests. Rejecting marriage and motherhood, she devoted herself to a career aimed at emotional and intellectual fulfillment” (200). In Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, “Mrs. Warren's Profession,” Vivie Warren is typically considered the representation of the New Woman; however, both Mrs. Warren and Vivie encompass New Woman ideals through a career-focused life and rejection of marriage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Career-oriented women are an integral part of the ideals of the New Woman. Both Mrs. Kitty Warren and Miss Vivie Warren are upper-middle-class working women; their career paths differ greatly, which can largely be attributed to the circumstances of their youth. Mrs. Kitty Warren, for example, was born into a working-class single mother home. This prompted her to find work as a waitress, working fourteen hours a day for just four shillings a week and board in the bar at Waterloo station. She didn't consider a life of prostitution until Liz visited her at work and convinced her to leave. Until she chose a life of prostitution, Ms. Warren made career-driven decisions based on chances of survival rather than economic success; those doors didn't open for her until her collaboration with Sir Crofts. Her decision to open brothels across Europe separates her need for economic survival from the true career-oriented quality of the New Woman. Mrs. Warren's success as a madam and owner of numerous brothers across Europe is what separates her from the vast majority of women who become prostitutes, making her a New Woman. According to Barbara Meil Hobson's research, presented in the 1987 essay “Successful Madams,” “the image of the prostitute as someone who accumulates savings from her trade, invests her capital wisely, and achieves a small fortune was not very realistic either.” ”. (Jacobo 889). He goes on to suggest that mandatory medical bills, the percentage taken by their madams, and the cost of clothes and makeup left these prostitutes with a very low income by the end of the night. Mrs Warren's financial success was founded on her business partnership with Sir Crofts. She takes credit by attributing her success to his advice and the money he advanced her. When he reveals the truth about the business partnership to Vivie, he says he has invested more than £40,000 in the business and without that funding it wouldn't have been possible. While Sir Crofts' money may have been pertinent to the founding of their company, Mrs. Warren's decision to continue the business years after it is financially stable attributes to her identity in the New Woman. With a life devoid of romance, he finds satisfaction in his entrepreneurial prospects. He knows no other life and wishes to begin a more moral life. Vivie most strongly represents the concept of the New Woman regarding career because, although it was generally consideredIt was not traditional for a woman to have a job, her profession as an accountant was more socially acceptable than her mother's profession as a lady. The circumstances of his youth are exactly the opposite of those of his mother. Although she similarly had little to no relationship with her mother, her mother's financial success granted her many opportunities that most women did not have, such as a college education. Vivie's educational opportunity is very different from that of other women of the time considering that "when Oxford and Cambridge opened their doors to women, many families refused to let their intelligent daughters attend for fear that they would become unmarriageable" (Hughes) . Being a New Woman herself, Mrs Warren would not have been too quick to consider marriage the greatest achievement Vivie could achieve. She values Vivie's education and opportunities as much as Vivie herself. The result of Mrs Warren's ideals regarding Vivie's education allowed her to attend Cambridge University as an honors mathematics student and achieve a high score in the mathematics tripos exam – an achievement that many women would not have had the chance to try to succeed, not to mention the reality. be successful. To further perpetuate Vivie as the New Woman ideal, she took the tripos exam for the simple fact that her mother would pay her £50 to do so. Her academic success gave her the opportunity to pursue a career in mathematics as an accountant in Chancery Lane. Vivie departs from expectations of femininity not only by having a male-dominated career, but also in the finer details of the game, typically found in the captions, such as how she chose to decorate her office with masculine touches. You notice that his office contains a desk with a cigar box and a slew of papers spread across it, in disarray. She is proud of her independent success, which she demonstrates by sending her monthly allowance back to her mother after finding out where the money came from. She rejects Sir Croft's proposal, an offer that is presented to her more as a business proposal than a marriage proposal. She would rather earn her own money and have the ability to support herself on her own income than marry a rich man and keep the money when her husband dies. The rejection of marriage and romantic relationships is a staple of the New Woman lifestyle. The expected role of women during this period was that of a housewife, who stayed at home to look after the children and keep the house in order. Mrs. Kitty Warren defied this expectation by never marrying or maintaining a romantic relationship. Even his non-romantic relationships were emotionless. Her friendship with Praed is the closest to a typical friendship, but she still seems to be emotionally distant from him. Her relationship with Sir Crofts is slightly more complicated as they are business partners and he was potentially one of her clients. Although she considers him a business partner, she does not respect his ways or his morality. She is absolutely against his desire to marry Vivie because she believes her daughter deserves better. It is never made clear whether or not he wants Vivie to get married or whether he understands that this is unlikely to happen. Vivie, who also understands the ideals of the New Woman through her rejection of marriage starting with her persistence in rejecting Frank's affection. Although part of his love for Vivie comes from his luck, he also seems to genuinely love her. The only time she indulges in her affection is when she is exceptionally angry at her mother. After Mrs. Warren tells her daughter the truth about her career, Vivie isn't sure.
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