Abstract
John Galsworthy’s A Family Man: In Three Acts examines the conflict between patriarchal authority, individual freedom, and social respectability in early twentieth-century English society. Through the experiences of John Builder and his family, the play questions the assumption that a man’s position as husband and father automatically establishes his moral superiority. Builder’s insistence on maintaining domestic authority creates tensions with his wife, Julia, and his daughters, Athene and Maud. Athene’s resistance to conventional expectations of marriage and family life exposes the limitations of traditional domestic values. The confrontation between Builder and his daughter further reveals the conflict between private authority and public accountability. Galsworthy connects the family dispute with wider social concerns by examining Builder’s ambition for civic recognition and his anxiety about public reputation. The play employs dramatic irony, realistic dialogue, characterisation, and contrasting perspectives to expose the difference between outward respectability and genuine moral responsibility. This study analyses the representation of patriarchal power, generational conflict, marital relationships, and individual autonomy, with particular attention to the relationship between domestic conduct and social morality. It also considers how the play’s dramatic structure develops its criticism of conventional authority. By presenting family life as a reflection of wider social attitudes, Galsworthy challenges the belief that obedience is essential to domestic harmony. The study argues that meaningful family relationships depend upon mutual understanding, compassion, and respect for individual dignity. A Family Man remains significant for its examination of the tension between inherited social conventions and the changing expectations of individuals seeking freedom and equality within the family.