Fefu and Her Friends

by

María Irene Fornés

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Fefu and Her Friends makes teaching easy.
Themes and Colors
Abstract Representation and Interpretation Theme Icon
Empowerment, Female Independence, and Feminism Theme Icon
Attraction, Romance, and Companionship Theme Icon
Friendship and Mutual Support Theme Icon
Suffering, Repression, and Violence Theme Icon
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Fefu and Her Friends, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.

Abstract Representation and Interpretation

As an experimental play that prioritizes the audience’s experience and perception over the actual plot or narrative arc, Fefu and Her Friends uses abstract representation to capture a certain feeling of reality. Of course, the play doesn’t fall under the umbrella of Realism, but its experimental elements do invite audience members to immerse themselves in the lived experience of the characters. This, in turn, places an emphasis on what it feels like to move through…

read analysis of Abstract Representation and Interpretation

Empowerment, Female Independence, and Feminism

Fefu and Her Friends is often considered a feminist play, largely because of its tacit acknowledgement and rejection of society’s repressive gender norms. The women staying in Fefu’s house are all very aware of the ways in which restrictive gender dynamics influence their everyday lives, but the play itself actually focuses on the women’s complete independence from men. To that end, no men appear in the play, making Fefu and Her Friends an ensemble…

read analysis of Empowerment, Female Independence, and Feminism

Attraction, Romance, and Companionship

The characters in Fefu and Her Friends often talk about their romantic relationships, ultimately exploring the tensions and complexities of being romantically involved with another person. Paula and Cecilia are particularly good examples of people who struggle to understand their own romantic feelings, since they used to be lovers. Now, though, they’re trying to find a way to be in each other’s lives in the aftermath of their affair—a task that is especially difficult because…

read analysis of Attraction, Romance, and Companionship
Get the entire Fefu and Her Friends LitChart as a printable PDF.
Fefu and Her Friends PDF

Friendship and Mutual Support

Although Fefu and Her Friends is highly experimental and abstract, one thing is quite clear: it is, in its most simplistic form, a play that examines the ins and outs of friendship. The play’s title itself demonstrates this, in addition to the fact that the play centers around a gathering of eight old friends. All of the women who have come to Fefu’s house have different relationships with each other. Christina and Fefu

read analysis of Friendship and Mutual Support

Suffering, Repression, and Violence

On its surface, Fefu and Her Friends explores a day in the life of eight friends who have gathered to plan a fundraiser, but the play goes deeper by hinting at the ways in which these women privately suffer in their personal lives. At the beginning of the play, Fefu insists that her husband, Phillip, married her “to have a constant reminder of how loathsome women are.” By saying this, she foregrounds the play…

read analysis of Suffering, Repression, and Violence