55 pages 1 hour read

Caryl Churchill

Top Girls

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1982

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Act II, Scene 1Act Summaries & Analyses

Act II, Scene 1 Summary

Content Warning: This guide includes discussion of rape of girls and women, child brides, sex, childbirth, miscarriage, abortion, babies dying or being killed, taking children from their mothers, adoption, dead kittens, murder, and blood.

At the Top Girls Employment Agency, Marlene is meeting with Jeanine, who is played by the actor who plays Griselda. Marlene reviews her typing test results, which are mediocre. Jeanine is working as a secretary, but she wants a job with better pay and prospects for advancement. She is also trying to save money because she is planning a wedding. When she mentions the upcoming wedding, Marlene asks what kind of prospects she has in mind and whether she would leave her new job to start a family. They both agree that Jeanine shouldn’t mention her upcoming nuptials to any prospective employers. Jeanine says she wants to work for an advertising company, and Marlene comments that “they’re looking for something glossier” (31). Jeanine replies that she can dress differently, but Marlene explains that the glossiness refers to her resume rather than appearance. Marlene tells Jeanine about two jobs, one for a knitwear company and one for a company that makes lampshades.