Humanist Infringement in Lynn Nottage's Ruined

Abstract

An American well-known playwright, Lynn Nottge, is considered one of the most prominent Afro-American dramatists in modern drama. She won the Pulitzer Prize for drama (2008) for her play Ruined. She has obtained a good reputation as one of African women's right defender after publishing her play. This paper presents the moral contradiction role and strategy of armies in wartime as a protector and defender of people rights in general and women in particular by using women's body as a weapon in wartime. Affected by modern wars, the female body is violated and turn into a part of conflict to accomplish definite political and military schedule. Armies substitute bullets by prostitution and sexual assault. In addition, throughout Ruined, Nottage raises a contemporary issue concerning African women situation in wartime. She portrays the opposite typical picture of conflict interests for army by staging the horrible and disastrous crimes and records stories of its victims.  She is exploring the direct and indirect dehumanization and crises of the chaos on raped women by the warring forces. In her play, she attempts to retell the forgotten and painful experiences and stories of raped victims in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the soldiers and rebellions alike. This paper sheds light on a critical and sensitive issue that addresses the dilemma of women during wartime in an armed conflict country where women violated bodies become a severe weapon for that war.