Introduction
“You Never Can Tell” is one of the famous modern dramas By George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) in which he expresses marriage and family life. Here, we find the conflict between two sorts of family life- one is characterized by Mrs. Clandon and Mr. Crampton characterizes the other.
Conflict in family life
In the play “You Never Can Tell”, G.B Shaw indicates a conflict between two sorts of family life. One is based on mutual respect and the other is dominated by husbands. When Mrs. Clandon’s Children want to know who their father is, she tells them about the ideals of family life.
Family is based on mutual understanding
Among two sorts of family life, a mutual understanding based on the family is one. Mrs. Clandon stands for this kind of family. In this kind of family, every member of the family can enjoy his/her rights to independence and privacy. Mrs. Clandon claims that her children grow up with mutual understanding based on family. In the play, Mrs. Clandon and Mr. Crampton are separated for lack of mutual respect for understanding.
More Notes: You Never Can Tell
Male-dominated family
Mr. Crampton stands for this second sort. In the second kind of family life, the husband becomes a domestic tyrant who denies his wife and children their rights. He is suspicious of his wife and wants the privacy of his wife and does not give her freedom which means the second sort of family is male-dominated family life.
Conclusion
In termination, we can say that family life should be based on duty, affection, morality, and religion. But Shaw displays different types of the family where a husband is a straightforward person which means a male-dominated family and the other is a mutual respect-based family.
