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Mrs. Warren’s Profession by George Bernard Shaw Summary

The lives of Vivie Warren and her mother, Mrs. Warren, are the principal subjects of George Bernard Shaw’s drama Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Social status, gender roles, morality, and societal hypocrisy are among the topics covered in the narrative.

A young, well-educated woman named Vivie Warren returns to England at the start of the play after studying in Europe. She is an intellectual, self-reliant lady who is focused on the future and has a strong sense of self. Vivie is prepared to take on the world after completing her studies at Cambridge. Vivie has been given a luxurious existence by her affluent mother, Mrs. Warren. Mrs. Warren is glad to see her daughter again and wishes them a pleasant reunion.

At the beginning of the play, Vivie doesn’t know how her mother got her wealth. She believes her mother has amassed riches via the operation of a business or some other reliable source. However, Mrs. Warren is keeping a sinister secret from Vivie. In actuality, Mrs. Warren has amassed her fortune from operating a number of brothels. She has made a lot of money from her many years of involvement in the prostitute industry.

When Vivie starts to discover certain odd details about her mother’s life, the story changes. She finds out that Sir George Crofts, a wealthy man who also helps run the brothels, is Mrs. Warren’s business partner. As Vivie learns more about her mother’s background, her doubts increase. When Vivie begins to inquire about her mother’s wealth, Mrs. Warren eventually tells her daughter the truth after some difficulty.

According to Mrs. Warren, she has been operating brothels for a long time, and the money she has made from this business has enabled her to provide Vivie with the greatest education and a comfortable life. She contends that in a society when women like her had little choices, she took the necessary actions to survive. Despite the fact that society views her employment as sinful, Mrs. Warren says it allowed her to escape the poverty and adversity that many women experience. She also notes that a large number of the affluent men in society, such as politicians and businesspeople, profit by her efforts yet ignore them.

However, the revelation shocks and appalls Vivie. She finds it hard to believe that her mother worked in such a field. Vivie feels deceived and humiliated by her mother’s behavior. She had always thought of her mother as strong and self-reliant, but she now understands that her strength derived from her capacity to control and exploit other people. Their relationship suffers as a result of Vivie’s inability to comprehend how her mother could defend her behavior.

The play’s main focus shifts to the struggle between Mrs. Warren and Vivie. Vivie, who has always prioritized her independence and work, finds it difficult to reconcile her mother’s decisions with her own morals. She cannot understand that her mother’s occupation was essential to her survival since she feels it is unethical. According to Vivie, she is not like her mother. She feels that women should be able to succeed without using such tactics because she has worked hard to obtain her position in society.

However, Mrs. Warren argues for what she did. She claims that in order to provide her kid a better life, she took the appropriate actions. She sees her job as a brothel owner as a way to gain empowerment. According to her, she has been able to provide Vivie the freedom and opportunity that many women in her position could only imagine having. Mrs. Warren also thinks that Vivie’s rejection of her history is an indication of her immaturity and lack of life experience.

The mother-daughter conflict intensifies throughout the play. Vivie is more resolved than ever to put her mother’s history behind her. She chooses to concentrate on her own profession rather than accept her mother’s financial assistance. Vivie doesn’t want to live in the world her mother has made, and she won’t let her mother’s behavior dictate how she lives.

Vivie’s decision to live independently and leave her mother marks the culmination of the story. She informs Mrs. Warren that she will fend for herself and that she no longer needs her. Vivie is resolved to shed the stain of her mother’s history and lead an honorable life. She thinks she can live on her own without assistance because she has made her own decisions.

But Mrs. Warren is heartbroken by her daughter’s choice. She believes that all she has done for her is being rejected by Vivie when she rejects her. Given everything she has given up to make sure Vivie succeeds, Mrs. Warren finds it incomprehensible that Vivie would abandon her. Mrs. Warren makes an effort to persuade Vivie to stay, but she is certain about her choice.

Vivie’s departure from her mother’s house in the play’s closing minutes represents her separation from the past and her will to forge her own future. Vivie decides to live life on her own terms and walks away from her mother at the play’s conclusion. The play’s moral and societal themes, as well as the complicated mother-daughter relationship, are left for the audience to consider.

To sum up, Mrs. Warren’s Profession is a potent drama that examines the intricate relationships between gender, morality, and socioeconomic status. The connection between Vivie and Mrs. Warren is central to the storyline, which emphasizes the difficulties women have in a culture that frequently restricts their options. Shaw invites the audience to consider the principles that influence their own lives and criticizes society’s moral dishonesty via the mother-daughter struggle.

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