The Children’s Hour as a Piece of Feminist Theatre Maddy Proulx College

Lillian Hellman is not a self-identified feminist. In fact, she has been cited multiple times stating that she is a skeptic of feminism, and thus does not write “feminist theater.” However, although Hellman did not necessarily believe that her works were feminist, there are many aspects of her writing, particularly in The Children’s Hour, that align with feminist theory. The Children’s Hour depicts lesbianism within a society that condemns it, yet Hellman claims that her play is not about lesbianism, it is about a lie and its consequences. While this was her intention and her statement can be considered truthful, the play is about queerness, shedding light on an aspect of some women’s lives that was taboo to discuss at the time.

For this reason, what Hellman is doing in The Children’s Hour is progressive in how it depicts women and the “not socially-acceptable” parts of their lives. The world of the play is extremely patriarchal and anti-queer, leading to the death of one of the female protagonists because she is made an outcast of society as a result of a rumor surrounding the protagonists’ sexualities. Though this narrative does not intentionally project a feminist message, the style in which Hellman writes The Children’s...