“I’m Cold All the Time Anyway”: A Psycho-Feminist Study of Marsha Norman’s ’Night, Mother

This article is an inter-disciplinary study of Marsh Norman’s ‘Night, Mother. Marsha Norman is an American playwright who is famous for addressing the dilemmas of women in her writings. Female characters in her plays are generally depicted as victims of their societies. They are situated in a place in which they are powerless and helpless about improving their own conditions. This study aims at exposing the psychological suffering of the main character in relation to the socially imposed standards of living. According to different theories of feminist critics such as Kate Millet, Luce Irigary, Jane Stoppard, and psycho feminist theories of Nancy Chodorow, in addition to going back to the science of psychology, it shows that the life of women is predetermined by social values and norms. It also shows that the kind of life assigned to women based on their gender roles and feminine duty is the factor behind women’s psychological anguish and self-destructive decisions, such as committing suicide.