Feminist Approach to Man on the Moon Marigolds

A play written by a man with the only visible characters being women is in itself something for feminist critics to work with. One point I found fascinating in the play was how all three of the main characters, Beatrice, Ruthie, and Tillie, seem somehow incomplete. Beatrice and Ruthie are the almost typical overtly feminine characters who wear red lipstick and smoke. Yet they are social outcasts because they are thought to be crazy. Tillie can be seen as breaking out of the stereotypical female role by being successful in school, especially in science. However, she is the one who finds a male figure, even if we don't see much of him in the play. While none of the characters are stereotypically feminine characters, they aren't strong either.