Analyzing the contrasting aspects of her self-inflicted isolation highlighted Ibsen’s intended meaning of the work as a whole. His inclusion of the patriarchal social structure, the importance of reputation, the sacrifice motif, and the leading of self-realization into a chance at redemption transformed the entertaining drama into a masterpiece that challenged social themes established at the time A Doll’s House was written. Nora’s “unhealable rift” forced between herself and her home undoubtedly changed the entire course of her life, yet without it, she would still be stuck in a doll’s house, unable to become her own individual and constantly relying on Torvald for her sense of
Freedom is something that many people have sought and continue to look for on a daily basis, and the characters in Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, demonstrate a search for freedom from various aspects of life. Some characters want to be free from the social roles that have been established by the time period, others look to be liberated from monetary obligations they have, and some want to be rid of the reputations that are surrounding them. The characters throughout the play express the desire to be free from whatever his hindering them. When people are in difficult situations, they usually look to freedom as the end goal. It is sometimes seen as the reward for hard work and determination.
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House share common themes of independence. The Awakening presents Edna Pontellier, an unsatisfied woman who constantly seeks independence through “awakening.” Meanwhile A Doll’s House introduces Nora Helmer, a wife with a secret that destroys her marriage. The Awakening and A Doll’s House share parallel thoughts and idea about independence through strong female protagonist. Edna and Nora are parallel characters in their behavior and their despite pursuit for independence. Along with Edna and Nora; several more characters are parallel to each other.
Edna Pontellier in the novel, The Awakening, is a self-driven woman determined to become independent and free whilst undergoing a significant change in behavior throughout the novel. She attempts to withstand societal expectations by doing certain things that were not socially acceptable during this time period. While doing so, she experiences many different struggles during her awakening. These struggles that Edna undergoes may be described as internal as well as external. In the awakening, there is a constant conflict between inner and outer Edna.
During the nineteenth century, possessions, including women, and the home represented status, wealth, and power that only men possessed. In The Awakening, the protagonist, Edna Pontellier, becomes highly conscious of herself as an individual who has the potential to be self-sufficient and do as she desires. She begins to defy the standards of woman during the nineteenth century through iconoclastic beliefs that eventually lead Edna to participating in an affair and leaving her husband, Leonce. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin uses the motif of the home to highlight Edna’s responsibilities as a mother and wife and to also track the progression and evolution of Edna’s state of freedom. Mr. Pontellier takes great pride in his household possessions, including Edna, so as his wife, she is obligated to perform her duties that are expected of her, which limits her free-will.
In the text name “The Shining Houses” by Alice Munro, a character named Mary experiences stresses in her life which attribute to not only her individuality but to her development as a character as the story progresses. Mary begins to express herself as inquisitive, as she faced self-conflict she became benevolent and at the end, she was selfless. Thereby, an individual’s identity is always evolving and adapting with conjunction to their environment around them. Facets such as society, their experiences and their connections with others aid individuals to understand who they are, to define their singularity in the world and therefore, an individual’s identity is significant to allow them to confront challenges. The short story named “The Shining Houses” by Alice Munro is based on societal pressures inflicted on an individual and the quest to find one’s identity through self conflict and hardships.
Chris Gardner once said, “If you want something, go get it. Period.” When comparing Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll House,” to Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles,” many similarities are seen. Gender roles continue to evolve and change—it has only been for a relatively short time that women have broken through their defined roles to be seen on the same level as men on a wide scale basis. Indeed, much of history’s pages are written from a patriarchal perspective, opening the way for the female protagonists and complimentary characters in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll's House to challenge those gender roles, providing interesting points of comparison and contrast between the plays and challenging us to think about gender roles in a new way. Trifles
Mrs. Pontellier in The Awakening seems tired of being married to her husband and finds Robert more interesting. She wants to be a more independent woman, but her feelings for Robert are evident, much to the displeasure of Mr. Pontellier, causing tension in their marriage. Wuthering Heights and The Awakening focuses more on the inner workings of marriage, in relation to the marriages that were one-sided. In The Awakening Edna, also known as Mrs. Pontellier, is a married woman on vacation with her husband and kids to Grand Isle. She develops an unhealthy attachment to Robert due to Mr. Pontellier
Ibsen was merciless in his quest to uncover negative sides of society: hypocrisy, manipulative behavior and use of public opinion to suppress individuals. The play is not only a picture of an innocent nineteenth century woman struggling to achieve self-definition but also a devastating portrayal of a marriage between two people who lack awareness of themselves and who have differing views of right and wrong. Torvald unquestioningly accepts society’s dicta of the husband as a jobholder and moral authority, but Nora’s attempt to conform as the submissive wife forces her into lies and deception. Both care about what people think and neither consciously considers opposing society’s morals. Consequently, the play may be considered an attack upon traditional family values which changed the way the western world viewed
In a world where the "new" outweighs the “old,” the well being of the majority tends to come before the well being of the individual. In The Shining Houses, a short story written by Alice Munro, The “new” neighbours develop this theme, throughout the story, as they conjure up a scheme to eliminate Ms. Fullerton—the “old” neighbour—from their neighbourhood. First of all, the new neighbours introduced the theme in a smooth fashion as they started complaining about Mrs. Fullerton’s and her home. They explained to one another it was an eyesore, and that it smelled quite unpleasant. The general disdain for Mrs. Fullerton’s property was emphasized as Steve, Edith’s husband, stated that “if [he] was next door to [Mrs. Fullerton’s house], [he] would send [his] kids