Historical Context
The 1970s were a pivotal era for the women's rights movement. Despite gaining the right to vote in the 1920s, most societal benefits were still dominated by men. In 1966, the National Organization for Women (NOW), a women's advocacy group, was established. A few years later, the feminist movement gained significant media attention with the launch of Ms. magazine. The women's movement reached its peak between 1972 and 1982, as efforts to pass a constitutional amendment for women's equal rights took center stage. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) successfully passed both chambers of Congress. However, the amendment required ratification by three-quarters of U.S. states to be enacted. A strong opposition, driven by unfounded fears that women would lose special privileges, be drafted into military service, and share public restrooms with men, gained momentum. Ultimately, this opposition succeeded, and the ERA was defeated.
Nevertheless, women achieved a significant victory in 1973 with the Supreme Court's landmark decision in the Roe v. Wade case. This ruling established the right of American women to access abortion services. While states retained some authority to impose limitations, the decision was a triumph for feminists, effectively granting women autonomy over their own bodies.
The successful opposition to the ERA signaled a growing conservative movement in the United States. This shift contributed to Ronald Reagan's election as president in 1980. Reagan appealed to a broad segment of the population who had experienced the sweeping changes of the 1960s and 1970s and believed the government should not be responsible for ensuring the rights of all individuals. Reagan emerged on the political stage at a time when the economy was struggling, and America's global influence appeared threatened by various adversaries. The conservative movement argued that reducing governmental involvement in certain areas would lead to economic prosperity and improved well-being for everyone.
Reagan's campaign pledged to support families. However, it became evident that this support did not extend to women's issues, but rather aimed to maintain women in traditional domestic roles. This stance ignored certain social realities, such as the rising divorce rate and the increase in single-parent households. For many women's rights activists, the 1980s became a period of renewed commitment to the fight for independence.
In 1980, struggles for freedom were also unfolding on the global stage. A pivotal incident in Poland hinted at the eventual collapse of the communist regimes dominating the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Polish shipyard workers initiated a strike to oppose a hike in meat prices. Their protest united the majority of the nation's workforce, who were increasingly dissatisfied with governmental control over their lives. This spirit of defiance spread among the broader Polish population, rallying under the slogan "Solidarity" to symbolize the unity of the working class. Ultimately, the strikers' demands were met, including the release of imprisoned dissidents. This movement provided Polish citizens with a platform to assert their rights. Eventually, the strikers managed to influence the government, and their leader, Lech Walesa, was elected as Poland's new president.
In the same year, former Beatle John Lennon was tragically shot and killed by an unstable fan, Mark David Chapman. This shocking event dashed any lingering hopes of a Beatles reunion, as the band had disbanded in the early 1970s. Lennon's murder sparked an ongoing debate about gun control, a conversation that gained further momentum when John Hinckley attempted to assassinate President Reagan shortly thereafter.
Literary Style
Dream Thesis
Pollock refers to Lizzie's recreation of the 1892 murder, which took place a decade earlier, as the "dream thesis." The play shuns realism and disrupts logical time flow. There are no distinct entrances or exits. The actors fluidly move between...
(This entire section contains 669 words.)
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the past and present. On stage, there are three genuine characters: Lizzie, the Actress, and her sister Emma. The others are drawn from memories of the 1892 incident, giving scenes with Borden, his wife, Harry, and Dr. Patrick a blurry, dream-like atmosphere. They are the spectral figures of Lizzie's recollection.
To enhance the surreal nature of these sequences, the flashbacks are not presented in a linear way. Events from the current time, the trial, and the lead-up to the murder are mixed together, reflecting the erratic nature of dreams and memories. The play's ambiguity grows when Lizzie suggests a game where the Actress portrays her. As the dream unfolds, the audience finds it difficult to maintain detachment. There is a constant question of reality versus illusion. As the two women take on their roles in the reenactment, the lines between Lizzie and the Actress blur. It becomes uncertain who the true Lizzie is.
This method invites reflection on the fluidity of truth, or perhaps the notion that truth has multiple facets, leading to multiple truths. The dream sequence is integral to a structure that features a play within a play, where action and conflict occur on various levels.
By having the Actress relive Lizzie's past and perceive events as Lizzie did, Pollock encourages the audience to do the same, viewing Lizzie's life from an outsider's perspective. This technique effectively sheds light on the personal journey Lizzie took leading to the murders.
Documentary Theatre
The origins of documentary theatre trace back to 1925 with the work of Erwin
Piscator. As Robert C. Nunn explains in Canadian Literature, this style
"abandons the traditional focus of dramatic theatre on the timelessness of the
human condition in favor of emphasizing the unfolding human situation within a
specific historical context." It seeks to uncover truths often obscured by mere
facts.
Documentary theatre explores the relationship between performers and the audience, as well as the connection between performance and reality. Techniques employed include dreams, reflections, monologues, and flashbacks interwoven throughout the piece. "These disrupt the action," noted Peter Weiss, a German playwright associated with the Theatre of Cruelty. Weiss wrote in Theatre Quarterly, "creating uncertainty, sometimes delivering a shock-effect, and revealing how individuals or groups are impacted by the depicted events, exposing the inner reality as opposed to external appearances."
Blood Relations effectively disrupts the audience's comfortable perceptions of truth, prompting them to ponder unresolved questions that linger in their minds even after the play concludes.
SymbolismBlood Relations intricately intertwines two significant symbols: the hatchet and the pigeons. These symbols are introduced to the audience early in the play. The birds are mentioned when Bridget is seen with bread crusts intended for them, highlighting their significance to Lizzie. The birds symbolize Lizzie's desire for freedom, her ability to soar away. This is evident in her playful banter with Dr. Patrick and her dreams of eloping to Boston with him. Yet, much like the caged birds, Lizzie is also trapped, receiving only scraps. The connection between Lizzie and the birds is deepened when Borden kills them. Just as he physically dismembers the birds, he metaphorically severs Lizzie's aspirations, destroying her hopes.
The hatchet, with its sharp edge, represents clarity and division. It is used by both Harry and Mr. Borden. This emblem of masculinity and dominance is, however, subverted when Lizzie uses it against her stepmother and father. The hatchet not only serves as a tool for her emancipation from oppressive parents but also grants Lizzie a notorious place in society. She becomes more than just a spinster; she is the woman who wielded the ax, killing her father and stepmother, a topic of intense discussion even a decade later. The hatchet symbolizes Lizzie's ability to rise above the patriarchal constraints that she felt imprisoned her.
Compare and Contrast
1892: Lizzie Borden is taken into custody for the gruesome murders of her father and stepmother, a crime that shocked the community. Eventually, an all-male jury finds Lizzie not guilty of the charges.
Today: Famous sports figure O. J. Simpson is accused of the violent murders of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. The trial garners massive media attention and is labeled “The Trial of the Century.” Despite overwhelming evidence pointing to Simpson, he is found not guilty. However, in a civil trial, he is held liable for the deaths of Nicole and Ron, resulting in a financial judgment against him in favor of Goldman's family. Many believe he avoided conviction through the strategic maneuvers of his skilled defense lawyer, Johnny Cochran, and still consider him guilty.
1890s: A wave of mergers and acquisitions leads to the creation of trusts aimed at reducing competition. This results in significant wealth accumulation for a few individuals, while workers’ real wages increase so marginally that they remain on the brink of financial collapse.
Today: Microsoft, a multi-billion dollar software giant, has successfully diminished or eliminated most competition, making chairman Bill Gates one of the richest individuals globally. The company faces scrutiny for potentially violating antitrust laws designed to prevent monopolistic practices.
1976: The inaugural Michigan Womyn's Festival (intentionally misspelling "woman" to exclude "man") is held, drawing women from across the nation. The event predominantly attracts lesbian women and significantly raises the visibility of the lesbian community.
1980: The onset of the AIDS crisis brings political issues of the gay and lesbian communities into the spotlight.
Today: Ellen Morgan, the lead character in the hit TV show Ellen, reveals she is a lesbian, mirroring the real-life coming out of actress Ellen DeGeneres. Despite backlash from conservative religious groups, the show remains on prime-time television. The LGBTQ+ community continues to advocate for equal rights and the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Bessai, Diane. Introduction to Blood Relation and Other Plays by Sharon
Pollock, NeWest Press, 1981, p. 8.
Gilbert, S. R. "Sharon Pollock" in Contemporary Dramatists, edited by James Vinson, St. Martin's Press, 1983, pp. 642-45.
Knowles, Richard Paul. "Sharon Pollock Personal Fictions" in Atlantic Provinces Book Review, February-March, 1987, p. 19.
Mombourquette, Mary Pat. "Blood Relations" in the International Encyclopedia of Theatre, Volume 1: The Plays, edited by Mark Dady-Hawkins, St. James Press (Detroit), 1992, pp. 71-72.
Nunn, Robert C. "Performing Fact: Canadian Documentary Theatre" in Canadian Literature, Winter, 1984, pp. 51-56.
Pollock, Sharon. "Canada's Playwrights: Finding Their Place" in Canadian Theatre Review, Spring, 1982, pp. 34-38.
Saddlemyer, Ann. "Crime in Literature: Canadian Drama" in Rough Justice, Essays on Crime in Literature, edited by M. L. Fredland, University of Toronto Press, 1991, pp. 214-30.
St. Pierre, Paul Matthew. "Sharon Pollock" in Canadian Writers Since 1960, second series, edited by W. H. New, Gale (Detroit), 1987, pp. 300-06.
Wallace, Robert, and Cynthia Zimmerman. The Work: Conversations with English-Canadian Playwrights, Coach House Press, 1982, pp. 114-41.
Weiss, Peter. "The Material and the Models" in Theatre Quarterly, January-March, 1971, pp. 41-43.
Further Reading
Langley, Winston E., and Vivian C. Fox, Editors. Women's Rights in the
United States: A Documentary History, Greenwood Press, 1994. This book
provides a comprehensive overview of the development of women's rights in the
United States. The content offers valuable context for understanding the
backgrounds of Pollock's female characters in Blood Relations.
Porter, Edwin H. The Fall River Tragedy: A History of the Borden Murders, King Philip Publishers, 1985. Authored by a journalist who reported on the Borden murder case, this reprint follows the original release, which was reportedly purchased entirely by Lizzie Borden.
Steele, Apollonia, and Jean F. Tener. The Sharon Pollock Papers, Canadian Archival Inventory Series, 1989. This work provides an excellent overview of Pollock's contributions. It also includes a critical essay on Pollock by Professor Denis Salter.
Zimmerman, Cynthia, Editor. Playwriting Women: Female Voices in English Canada, 1994. This study examines the works of six Canadian women playwrights, including Pollock, and explores feminist themes in their plays.
