The Impact of the Feminist Movement and Sisterhood in Wendy Wasserstein's: The Sisters Rosensweig

The Nineteenth and Twentieth century was considered the major turning points in the history of America which witnessed the uprising of the social, economic and political fields. It was the time for America to transform from a rural into industrial country. The two centuries witnessed a new kind of revolution that helped women to end the injustice and oppression they experienced for many years. The Feminist Movement contributed to obtain the women's legal and social rights. As social observer, the Feminist playwrights helped the movement to spread its ideas and views through their dramatic productions. One of the Feminist playwrights that was considered the voice of her generation was Wendy Wasserstein who devoted her plays to depict women and their problems through the second half of the twentieth century. Wasserstein was described as an author of women's identity crises. Her heroines were intelligent and successful, but unfortunately without self-confidence. Wendy Wasserstein (1950-2006) was born in New York. She was the daughter of Morris Wasserstein, a textile manufacturer and Lola Schleifer Wasserstein who emigrated from Poland to America when Germany occupied Poland during the World War II. At the age of eleven, her family moved to settle in the upper side of Manhattan where she attended a series of young women schools. She received her B. A. degree from Mount Holyoke in 1971, and her M.A. degree from City College where she studied Creative Writings. What motivated Wasserstein to be a playwright is her experience to observe the American culture. She is considered the most influential American dramatists and the voice of her generation. The research discusses Wasserstein's The Sisters Rosensweig (1993), which depicts the life of three middle-aged sisters who reunite again to help each other to move to the next stage of their life.