Compare the presentations of power and its consequences in Caryl Churchill's 'Top Girls' and Jeanette Winterson's 'Oranges are not the only fruit'.

It is evident that both texts present an aspect of power to be through male-female relationships, as female characters appear to gain power by moving away from male dominance. The 1970s have often been described as the ‘decade of feminism’, and with both texts being relative to this period (‘Oranges’ beginning prior and ‘Top Girls’ afterward), one can see how power for women is presented as being obtained by moving away from patriarchal control. This is clear in ‘Top Girls’ by the Brechtian alienation in Act One, as the characters spreading across different time periods have been brought together by Churchill, in a dinner to celebrate the power gained by Marlene, as Nijo identifies that she is now “over all the women you work with. And the men.” From this, one can see how Churchill succeeded in her goal to make Act One a festive scene, as she highlights the importance of Marlene breaking through the glass ceiling and achieving a post above the men in her agency, which is how she has gained power. Churchill’s presentation of a strong woman transcending male dominance is far different to her presentation of Betty in ‘Cloud 9’ who desires to fulfil the wants and demands of men. However, the 1974 Employment Protection Act can be used to support a critique of Marlene’s power, because a consequence of her advancement was to neglect her family, despite acts in place to protect her employment if she were to have children. Winterson also presents the respect and power of a women who overcome the dynamics of patriarchal society within the fairy-tale aspect of the text. As the woman in the fairy-tale replies to the Prince “if you want to chat… you’ll have to come back later, I’m working to a deadline”, Winterson satirises the class assumptions of typical stories – much alike Patient Griselda who is an example of a woman who obeyed men and was working class before her advantageous marriage. Though there is a humorous aspect to this, with the woman's flippant attitude demeaning the Prince’s wants to just a “chat”, the reader is also made aware of the fact that this woman is deemed powerful because she does not give in to the Prince but rather is busy “working”. What is more, Winterson's use of a fractured narrative enables the reader to see this story within the text critically, as a reflection on wider society, thus we are encouraged to reflect on the likelihood of this happening in our own society, and whether or not it should.