The Little Foxes By Lilian Hellman

The play is a criticism of the early twentieth century American society. A hugely successful play that made a place for her in a male dominated dramatic canon and made her a Pulitzer finalist in 1939.

It focuses on the Hubbard family for the struggle for control of the family business in Alabama where Regina Hubbard Giddens schemes to gain ownership of the a business and in the process seeks to destroy her kinship ties and lost her daughter’s support. 

 

It focuses on the Hubbard family for the struggle for control of the family business in Alabama where Regina Hubbard Giddens schemes to gain ownership of the a business and in the process seeks to destroy her kinship ties and lost her daughter’s support. One can view her sympathetically given the array of social norms pitted against women in a patriarchal society or view her as scheming and deserving of the overwhelming loneliness at the end of the play. The play is more than about the controversial rise of a woman who outwits the male characters in the story but also showcases the exploitation of the working class in a capitalistic society.