Thesis
Compare the ways in which Barry and Mamet present misogyny in Oleanna and The Secret Scripture.
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Khushi SuriCandidate number: 5166
Q: Compare the ways in which Barry and Mamet present misogyny in Oleanna and The Secret
Scripture.
Despite being set in different countries and nearly a decade apart, misogyny is entwined in both
Oleanna1 and The Secret Scripture 2; they follow vulnerable women trapped within patriarchal
institutions. The power dynamics result in the protagonists’ and arguably antagonist’s hamartia.
Whilst The Secret Scripture analyses objectification and attitudes towards women, Oleanna explores
perceptions of political correctness and impact of misogyny on one’s mental health.
According to Featherstone, misogyny is an ‘enforcement mechanism’ for ‘a system that gives men
power over women’3, linking to abuse of male privilege where men purposefully or indirectly
intimidate women to conformity. Whilst Mamet employs a duologue between John and Carol, Barry
employs a dual framing narrative, allowing The Secret Scripture to parallel the intimacy of Oleanna,
providing unfiltered, shocking truths, becoming a novel about memory and conflicting versions of
the past. From the outset of Oleanna, the power imbalance is evident between John, a professor,
and Carol, a failing student, which is characteristic of the patriarchy. Their dialects further emphasise
this distinction; Carol is colloquial, whilst John’s superiority is evident in his use of pleonasm and
sophisticated diction in ‘term of art’. In contrast to John, Dr. Greene respects Roseanne, despite his
superior position; this may be due to Rosanne’s ‘oldest old-woman smile’, acting as ‘if she did not
quite understand’. Roseanne omits significant gaps in her narration, leaving the reader questioning
her reliability, especially when formal records differ to her version of events, linking with the theme
of deception and the façade needed in a misogynistic society. It is revealed Father Gaunt abused his
power, asking Roseanne to ‘let [him] be [her] father in this, as a priest ought’, and echoes John when
saying ‘if you let me take you under my wing, I can help you’. Although these actions cannot be
deemed misogynistic in themselves, the priest and John dominate and infantilise women . The 2016
film adaption of The Secret Scripture conveys intimacy between Father Gaunt and Roseanne,
something not explicitly depicted within the novel, but through jealousy he orders her banishment
to a mental asylum, deeming her a ‘nymphomaniac’ 4. Beginning in medias res with a phone
conversation between John and his wife, the dominant patriarchy is evident in Oleanna as the wife
remains physically absent, like Roseanne’s mother, but her submissive nature is evident by John
impatiently dominating the conversation. The phone as a prop acts as a constant reminder of familial
duties, but also interrupts the characters, stunting conversation and changing agenda. John abuses
his power as both man and teacher in a patriarchal society when he gives her a conditional offer ‘if
[she] will come back and meet with [him]…[Her] grade’s an A’. Their exchange, albeit lacking sexual
contact, parallels an affair as he ‘won’t tell anyone’. In both texts, an alleged affair is met with drastic
consequences; Tom divorces Roseanne after she is seen with John Lavelle and John loses his job,
wife, and home. This shows the act of infidelity is not inherently misogynistic as consequences affect
both genders.
Whilst Oleanna focuses on the idea women can have, and deserve power, The Secret Scripture
focuses on rigid gender roles. In Oleanna, the initial stage direction with ‘Carol [being] seated across
the desk from [John]’, sets a formal tone whilst conveying a sense of equality - significant within a
patriarchal institution. Indeed, the title ‘Oleanna’ is taken from a Norwegian folk song describing a
1
David Mamet, Oleanna (Methuen Drama, 1993)
2
Sebastian Barry, The Secret Scripture (Faber & Faber, 2015)
3
Eli Zaretsky, “What Does the Idea of Misogyny Really Describe? A response to Liza Featherstone”,
publicseminar.org, December 31, 2019, https://publicseminar.org/essays/what-does-the-idea-of-misogyny-
really-describe/ (accessed May 9, 2020)
4
The Secret Scripture. 2016. [film] Directed by J. Sheridan. Ireland: Vertigo Releasing.
, Khushi Suri
Candidate number: 5166
19th century escapist version of utopia,5 which, from a feminist perspective, involves equality. Whilst
Barry writes in ‘heightened prose’, conveying a sense of nostalgia to provide truths about misogyny,
Mamet reproduces everyday language, transgressing from ‘literary frills or phony theatricals’ 6,
common in a theatrical drama, setting the serious tone needed for tackling controversial issues.
Mamet presents this play as an arena for male-female power struggle; however, it is unclear
whether he supports Carol or John, perhaps hiding his perspective on feminism. Barry, in contrast, is
clearly empathetic to Roseanne, a victim of misogyny, as the novel is told from dual perspectives.
The reader witnesses both Roseanne’s unfiltered testimony, and Dr Greene who ‘[admired] and yet
at the same time [had] power over’ her. The noun ‘power’ connotes oppression, upholding
traditional gender roles, which juxtaposes his admiration of Roseanne, representing Dr. Greene'
internal conflict in his treatment of Roseanne. Braun concludes ‘Mamet showed greater empathy for
John, the unsuspecting victim, than for Carol, his naïve and vindictive attacker’ 7, supported by John
appealing to Carol’s feelings, a reversal institutional gender roles. Carol de-humanises herself when
determining an ‘animal … has no feelings’ after John suggests she is devoid of empathy, emphasising
John’s hatred of women who do not conform. This indicates misogyny is perpetuated by internalised
beliefs of women who have been conditioned by the patriarchy to underestimate their worth.
Attempting to re-establish dominance, John tells Carol she will be ‘humiliated’ and ‘they will dismiss
it. They will dismiss [her] complaint’. The use of the repetition of the verb ‘dismiss’, reinforces his
desire for Carol to conform. Braun, however, does not consider the hardships Mamet presents, with
Carol being among ‘hardworking students, who come here, who slave to come here – [he] has no
idea what it cost [Carol] to come to this school – [he] mocks [them]’. The italics add a tone of
contempt aimed towards John’s ‘so protected, so-elitist seat’. The sarcastic and malicious use of the
intensifier ‘so’, presents John as the misogynistic antagonist. It emphasises misogyny as a
threatening entity towards both the antagonist and protagonist that is not endorsed by the author.
Unlike Roseanne’s meek nature, John’s sense of ‘entitlement’ and ‘privilege’ allowed Carol to
dominate him using legal technicalities; it is this ‘power’ which leads to his downfall. Whilst Mamet
offers justice for the misogyny Carol faces with John losing his livelihood, Barry merely offers
catharsis with Roseanne being reunited with her proclaimed ‘dead’ son; however, the men who
caused her suffering are not punished, reflecting misogyny is perpetuated in society, as those who
endorse it are not negatively affected by its consequences.
A further example of a misogynistic society is seen with women being treated as inferior, in both
education and marriage, particularly prominent within Roseanne’s tale of her parents. She possesses
a tone of admiration describing her father who ‘slaved himself mercilessly in all kinds of weather’;
however, states her ‘mother never made miniature legends of her life’. She describes her to be
‘looking like a servant against kings’; this simile emphasises uneven distribution of power between
sexes, which Roseanne inherits stating ‘maybe the biggest error [she] made was [she] always felt the
equal’ of Tom. This mirrors power imbalances between both Roseanne’s and her mother’s
relationships, highlighting permanence of misogyny as lasting through generations and being
insurmountable. Unlike Roseanne, Carol states she ‘overcame prejudice. Economic, sexual…to gain
admittance…to pursue that same dream of security’ John pursues. There is a malicious tone in her
behaviour towards John, in her attempt to remove his book in exchange for a retrieval of her claims,
despite these claims representing her ‘group’. The ‘group’ is a euphemism for her fighting for
5
Wikimedia Foundation, “Oleanna (play)”, en-academic.com, 2010
https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/1174472 (accessed May 9, 2020)
6
David Mamet, Oleanna (Methuen Drama, 1993)
7
Faruk Kalay, “A Gender Study or Shift of Balance in David Mamet’s Oleanna”, research gate.net,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324418449_A_Gender_Study_or_Shift_Of_Balance_in_David_Ma
met's_Oleanna (accessed May 9, 2020)
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