Discussion board-Relationship between Artists and Their Societies
Condescension, power plays, withholding, imposed expectations– these are among the modes of interaction within the Winslow family dynamic, with Richard often on the receiving end. Compounding this is, unbeknownst to him, the bet of which he is the object, a bet placed between his family members and the visiting woman for whom he develops feelings. Despite bouncing back and forth as if a game piece on a gameboard of manipulations and power paradigms, Richard holds firmly to the conviction that he is a writer and, if nurtured and supported, could make it as a writer.
The tensions between asserting himself and deferring to his family’s edicts abound, reverberating from beginning to end of the play. Richard grapples with refusing the family’s commands (as in moving out of his room) and thwarting their behavior (as in destroying his brother’s annual speech at the last minute), and accepting their decrees (as in not objecting to an allowance halved) and acquiescing to their wishes (as in caring about what his mother would want). The struggle certainly echoes the one between Richard as artist and Richard as businessman subservient to the family’s goals for him, and the struggle reaches epic proportions, at least in Richard’s head, when he likens his plight as artist to America’s fight for independence.
In light of these aspects to the Winslow family as Philip Barry presents them, along with any other insights you glean, what does the relationship between Richard and his family suggest about the relationship between artists and their societies? Please use the text to support your claim.
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