Compare and contrast the ways in which 'Top Girls' by Caryl Churchill and 'Death of a Salesman' by Arthur Miller present parent-child relationship...

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Parent-child relationships are used to create dramatic effect in both 'Top Girls' and 'Death of a Salesman' as the main parent-child relationships presented in both plays are based on lies which creates a sense of conflict. However because 'Top Girls' is mainly focused on the uncertainty of Angie not knowing who her mother it is arguable that 'Top Girls' is more dramatic in its portrayal.

Throughout both 'Top Girls' and 'Death of a Salesman' the main parent-child relationships that are presented are ones of tension and are based on lies and secrecy. In 'Top Girls' it is evident that the mother-daughter relationship between Joyce and Angie is not one of closeness as it has been built on lies. There is an indication to the audience that Angie believes that “I'm my aunt’s child” which is the main source of conflict between Joyce and Angie. Joyce calls Angie a “fucking rotten little cunt” which is shocking as it not language the audience would expect a mother to label her child with, which suggests Angie is not Joyce’s daughter therefore creating dramatic effect. The suggestion that Angie is not Joyce’s daughter creates dramatic effect until the very end of the play as the closing scene is simply Angie repeating the word “Mum?” The questioning suggests Angie has heard Joyce and Marlene’s previous conversation, in which it is revealed that Marlene is Angie’s mum therefore dramatic effect is created as the audience is left questioning whether Angie knows the truth.
Similarly in 'Death of a Salesman' the relationship between Willy and Biff, father and son, is one that has been built on lies which causes conflict between the pair, much like Joyce and Angie in 'Top Girls.' From the outset of 'Death of a Salesman' it is evident that the...

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...c in its portrayal as Gret's story and death is unexpected whereas Willy's suicide was hinted at from the very outset of the play.

Both 'Top Girls' and 'Death of a Salesman' present a variety of parent-child relationships and each relationship is presented in different way due to the different personalities of the characters portrayed. Willy is presented to be a man who has lost everything due to pinning his hopes on the ‘American Dream’ in an attempt to be a role model for his sons, whereas Marlene is a career driven independent women of the 80’s who has no aspiration to be a role model for her daughter. However 'Top Girls' is more dramatic in its portrayal as there is tension and uncertainty throughout the entire play surrounding the parent-child relationship whereas in 'Death of a Salesman' the reasons behind the troublesome relationships are clearly expressed.

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