الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 310 |  |  |
| | | from | 310 | | |
Abstract
This dissertation deals with Shepard’s delineation of his characters as well as his exploration of the depth the self will reach in order to heal the wounds of the past and to alleviate their pains. The study is concerned with the females’ attempts to gain autonomous identities in a patriarchal society and reflects turbulent family relationships, since these topics represent basic concerns addressed in Shepard’s plays. Although all of the selected plays deal with the theme of female autonomy and the alienation of the American individual, each shows the protagonist at a different stage of his or her quest.
The study aims at exploring Shepard’s evolving view of women and their continuous acquisition of strength throughout the course of the feminist movement which is reflected in each of his family dramas. In each of his family plays, beginning with Curse of the Starving Class, the female characters gain more strength than their counterparts in the previous family play. Through male/female relationship, Shepard demonstrates the dysfunction and disintegration of the American family. Another factor Shepard tackles in his plays is the turbulent father/son relationship which hints at the dramatist’s rocky relationship with his own father.