Morality In Women’s Choice Of Profession: A Feminist Reading Of Mrs. Warren’s Profession

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) is an influential twentieth-century realist playwright inBritain. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in1925. So far his series of excellentdramas is inclusive of Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Major Barbara, Pygmalion, Saint Joan, TheApple Cart and many others with far-reaching influences on idealism, humanitarianism and moralconcern. This thesis analyzes Mrs. Warren’s Profession on moral grounds and is expected toprovide a new perspective. Scholars at home and abroad have extensively studied this play fromdifferent perspectives.This thesis adopts the thematic study and the comparative study as its analytical approaches,aiming to interpret the morality in women’s choice of professions in Mrs. Warren’s Professionthrough feminism. This thesis exposes the shackles and oppressions of the double-standardizedVictorian morality on women. It also probes the evils of the patriarchal society which is disguisedas being decent. Moreover, the thesis penetrates the two heroines’ moralities in their choice ofprofessions.This thesis points out that the double-standardized Victorian morality causes the Victorianwomen’s miserable situations. When a mercenary capitalism reaches its peak in the Victorian Age,the whole society has become male-dominated and has been filled with greed and unethicalstench. The women under the rigid class systems trying to improve their harsh living conditionshave no alternative but to go for the disgraceful profession. Such a representative as a fallenwoman in this play is Mrs. Warren, who operates and owns a string of brothels, but towardswhom Shaw shows great sympathy and comprehension. Different from Mrs. Warren or othertraditional Victorian women, Vivie acts as an epitome of New Woman, whose independence andbravery as well as self-consciousness leads her consciousness to rebel against the patriarchalsociety. Shaw demonstrates women’s status and gives much attention on women’s professionsand morality and also provides a direction for them, though Vivie’s fortune might be uncertainbut she is a role model for the future women.This thesis is composed of five parts. Introduction introduces the influence of Mrs. Warren’sProfession; George Bernard Shaw’s literary achievements; the content of this play; the literaturereviews of this play at home and abroad; the rationality of a feminist reading of this play; thestructure of the thesis. Chapter I relates the Victorian morality on women’s roles together with the double-standardized social norms which cause the miserable situations of the Victorian women.Chapter II dissects the moral issues in Mrs. Warren’s choice of profession, namely, any businessis good business as long as it is profitable. It further points out that the influence of Mrs. Warren’smoral issues on her daughter is complicated, and clarifies that Mrs. Warren is realistic andworldly-wise. Chapter III discourses upon the moral principles in Vivie’s choice of profession,simply put, she chooses to be the New Woman on feminism and is against the conventionalpatriarchal society. Conclusion gives a summary of this thesis and suggests the possible researchareas for this play’s future studies.