During her time in the 1900s, Lillian Hellman was considered one of the most influential and successful playwrights of her time. While expanding into many different genres throughout her career as a playwright, Hellman also maintained her role as a screenwriter at a very popular time in Hollywood. She was best known for her highly controversial topics which eventually allowed her to express her strong political and social opinions. In this way, Hellman was able to show her feelings towards the society she lived in at the time and bring a sense of realism through writing rather than in person. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Born in 1905 in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, Hellman grew up in a family that was constantly on the move due to her father's constant business trips to New Orleans lasting up to six months at a time. He eventually studied at New York University from 1923 to 1924 and subsequently attended Columbia University for most of the remaining year. It was after this year that Hellman really began to feel an interest in writing and decided to pursue it with the dream of one day becoming a professional. It was at this point that Hellman married a man named Arthur Kober, who wrote for the New Yorker. Also, this wasn't a bad decision for Hellman, Kober would continue to help her find various jobs throughout New York City. These jobs would consist of working as a book reviewer for the New York Herald Tribune and reading screenplays for several studios. Before the marriage ended in 1932, Hellman also received a job as a manuscript reader for Liveright Publishers before taking a job as a master reader of plays for producer Herman Shumlin. After numerous years of contemplating her career potential as a writer, Hellman was convinced to give up her dream by her lifelong mentor named Dashiell Hammett. Hellman would spend a lot of time trying to learn from Hammett and watching as he continued to pursue his writing career. Furthermore, Hellman spent most of his life fighting social issues and representing them through his work. Many claimed that Hellman's works invited controversy and served as an escape route to spread his opinion on society. After finishing "The Children's Hour" in 1934, Hellman experienced an incident in Scotland through his writings. The basis of the play was about a child's accusation against two female teachers who he believed were having sexual relations with each other. Eventually the play would take a drastic turn when one of the women commits suicide due to multiple accusations of her sexuality. This play is a perfect example of Hellman's writing style and how it compares to many other writers of his time. Hellman wasn't afraid to push the norm of playwriting and attempt to reach audiences in a way that was very different from others. Her clear and sharp characterizations allowed her to achieve a very dramatic touch in her works, while still hinting at the theme of morality. Unfortunately, in his next play, Hellman would not be as successful as his previous one. This play was known as "In Days to Come" and was performed in 1936. It consists of a troubled family dealing with the issue between union and management. It was only with his next work that Hellman's success began to manifest itself again. With arguably one of his most successful works of his career, Hellman has developed a masterpiece.