Brilliant Lies by David Williamson shows that sexual harassment is a twisted combination of sex and power.
Brilliant Lies by David Williamson shows that sexual harassment is a twisted combination of sex and power. Susy Conner uses sex to gain power, Gary Fitzgerald uses power to gain sex and Brian Conner was too drunk to realise his abuse of both power and sexual harassment. All of these characters wanted something and they all thought they knew how to get it by using either sex or power, or a little of each.
Susy has always relied on her looks and sex appeal to get her by and to gain power. She used her looks to get a job by wearing a low cut top and a short skirt to the interview for LifeChoice Options. "She came in with everything showing." (6) When Susy 's case wasn 't going so well because Katy had admitted to lying, Susy thought she could get married instead to solve her financial problems. If it had come down to that Susy would have used her looks to find herself a suitable husband. She has lived off men for the majority of her life. For three years Susy was "...passed from hand to hand around the half dozen or so wealthy unmarried heterosexual men left in the city." (3) Before that she had lived off her father 's money until he went broke.
Susy really thought that using a sexual harassment claim would get her money. "I 'm fine. I 'm taking them to court and they 're going to have to pay a lot of money." (10) Susy 's sexual harassment claim was her power over Gary. She knew that it put him in a very bad position so she thought that she could ask for $40, 000 and have a better chance of getting it than if she had spoken the truth.
Before Susy had been fired, she had had another power over Gary: her looks. From the very start she knew she had a certain affect on Gary. Susy 's appearance got to Gary in such a way that Gary convinced Vince to hire her because he "...thought she had potential." (6)
Gary, at times, is the opposite from Susy. He uses his power to gain sex. A perfect example of this is when Gary demanded that Susy "get down on [her] knees, crawl to
Susy has always relied on her looks and sex appeal to get her by and to gain power. She used her looks to get a job by wearing a low cut top and a short skirt to the interview for LifeChoice Options. "She came in with everything showing." (6) When Susy 's case wasn 't going so well because Katy had admitted to lying, Susy thought she could get married instead to solve her financial problems. If it had come down to that Susy would have used her looks to find herself a suitable husband. She has lived off men for the majority of her life. For three years Susy was "...passed from hand to hand around the half dozen or so wealthy unmarried heterosexual men left in the city." (3) Before that she had lived off her father 's money until he went broke.
Susy really thought that using a sexual harassment claim would get her money. "I 'm fine. I 'm taking them to court and they 're going to have to pay a lot of money." (10) Susy 's sexual harassment claim was her power over Gary. She knew that it put him in a very bad position so she thought that she could ask for $40, 000 and have a better chance of getting it than if she had spoken the truth.
Before Susy had been fired, she had had another power over Gary: her looks. From the very start she knew she had a certain affect on Gary. Susy 's appearance got to Gary in such a way that Gary convinced Vince to hire her because he "...thought she had potential." (6)
Gary, at times, is the opposite from Susy. He uses his power to gain sex. A perfect example of this is when Gary demanded that Susy "get down on [her] knees, crawl to