Garson Kanin's born yesterday : a study of some features of post-WWII America

Abstract EN

I want everybody to be smart, as smart as they can be.

A world full of ignorant people is too dangerous to live in" (Kanin; 210).

This quote from Born Yesterday seems to be Kanin’s personal philosophy instilled during his early childhood and explored through his canon of work.

In many of his plays, kanin explores highly controversial themes; these themes reflect his outspoken political and social views.

A clearly influential figure in the 20th century theatre, Kanin was able to draw a portrait of America post-WWII through his satirical play Born Yesterday.

The play, actually, depicts the transformation of a former chorus girl from an ignorant young "lady" into an educated and cultured "woman".

Revolving around the characters of Billie Dawn, her boyfriend Harry Brock, and her tutor Paul Verrall, the play conveys the 1940s era looking for luxurious life, power and money.

The present paper is basically a political and social commentary on Kanin's Born Yesterday.

The study focuses on the discussion of three axes: women’s education rights, gender roles, and post-war politics.

Analyzing these issues within the scope of the play, the research paper explores how they intermingle with each others to present various colours in depicting a portrait to exhibit some features of post-WWII America.

The paper ends with a conclusion which states briefly the main findings of the study