Sophie Treadwell (1885-1970)
Starting her career as a journalist, Sophie Treadwell is now regarded as one of the most well known playwrights in the history of American women. Sophie began her career as a journalist, known as one of the first female foreign was correspondents during World War 1, where she was presented with the opportunity to interview Pancho Villa following the Mexican Revolution- the only American journalist to do so. Sophie developed the idea for her play, Machinal, after she reported on the murder trial of Ruth Snyder. (Arizona Library Web)
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Captivity of Helen Jones
Through the character of Helen Jones in Machinal, Sophie Treadwell illustrates a character that is driven to insanity by her surroundings. We learn throughout the play that the narrator of the play is a young woman that is responsible for the care of her mother. When she is offered the proposal of marriage by her new boss, she goes home to discuss the proposal with her mother. When the mother learns that the man is wealthy, she insists that Helen should marry him, even though she is in no way in love with him. During the 1920's, women were expected to marry early, and rely on their husbands for money. They were also expected to have children early in their marriage. Helen has a child and is so disgusted by the idea of having a child that she will not even hold her baby after delivery. Through this play, Helen Jones is the perfect example of a character that is held captive not only but her surrounding society's expectations, but also mental illness. She feels forced into a relationship that she doesn't actually want because she feels that it is the right thing to do according to the society she lives in, but the repetitive noises, the dark thought processes revealed, and ultimately the murder of her husband show the audience that Helen Jones is obviously struggling with more problems than just a relationship without love.