A Doll s House And The Awakening - 1413 Words

Since it’s earliest days, feminism has had many misconceptions about it. These include feminists wanting female superiority over men, the idea that feminists hate marriage, men, motherhood, etc. In both A Doll’s House by Fredrik Ibsen and The Awakening by Kate Chopin these stereotypes are reinforced to the reader. Both A Doll’s House and The Awakening represent poor examples of feminism because the main characters rely on men for validation and also search for superiority over equality with the men in their lives. When we first meet Nora in A Doll’s House, she is a perfect wife, mother, and representation of a 19th century woman. She even seems to enjoy her role as a homemaker as shown when she says, regarding the children, â€Å"I will take†¦show more content†¦Nora is characterized throughout the book, and specifically in this scene, to only think of herself. Hence, Nora becomes an unlikable character. Using a character who doesn’t care for people outside of herself as a feminist figure reinforces feminist stereotypes and reflects negatively upon the movement. Edna from The Awakening is an anomaly from the beginning of the text. The text very clearly tells us this when it says, â€Å"In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman.† (p 19). Edna is characterized very early in the book, as can be seen here, as a woman who gets no validation from being a homemaker. However, this is not the fault of her husband. While he may patronize to her and be controlling at times, he overall isn’t a bad person as can be seen by his kindness to her while he is away. Edna doesn’t care about this. When her husband writes to her while he’s on a business trip, Chopin writes, â€Å"She answered her husband with friendly evasiveness,—not with any fixed design to mislead him, only because all sense of reality had gone out of her life; she had abandoned herself to Fate, and awaited the consequences with indifference.† (Chopin, 318) This line shows us that Edna has serious mental health issues outside of her marital stru ggles. She feels no sense ofShow MoreRelatedThe Awakening And A Doll s House973 Words   |  4 PagesThe Awakening and A Doll’s House both share similarities and differences. They were both written, at the time, toward different audiences. The Awakening was written in 1899, in English, and A Doll’s House was written in 1879, In Norwegian. Yet, despite these differences these works both find ways to explicate the same themes and ideas of feminism, and the concept of self-individuality. The culture, at the time, did not promote the self-individuality of women. The books’ main ideas, therefore challengesRead MoreThe Awakening And Henrik Ibsen s A Doll s House1288 Words   |  6 Pagesnovella The Awakening and Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play A Doll’s House both follow strong female protagonists who deal with abusive relationships, difficult situations, and self-realization. A main theme seen in both works is that of self-awareness and the journey to find one’s self while they deal with conflicting relationships between themselves and other characters. Although Robert M. Adams’ identification of personality clashes is evident in both works, his interpretation of A Doll’s House and beliefRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening And Henrik Ibsen s A Doll s House1571 Words   |  7 Pagesdominated world, which took females to serve as inspirations rather than creators. In Kate Chopin s, The Awakening and Henrik Ibsen s, A Doll House, the authors use their main characters to show the occurring changes of females in a male dominated society. Edna Pontellier and Nora Helmer explore their desires to find independence and live fully within themselves. The two housewives experience their awakenings similarly through their repressive husbands, their lack of motherliness, and their ultimate decisionRead MoreCompare And Contrast A Doll House And The Poisonwood Bible1604 Words   |  7 PagesA Doll House by Henrik Ibsen depict s a young wife, Nora, as she struggles to deal with the repercussions of illegally borrowing money to help save, her husband, Torvald’s life. The play ends after her activity has been brought to the light and Torvald’s true nature of selfishness is revealed. Nora leaves him, recognizing their marriage as unequal. Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible is set thousands of miles away in the Congo compared to the northern European setting of A Doll House, whereRead MoreAnalysis Of Nora Helmer s A Doll s House 841 Words   |  4 PagesBrennan1 John.Brennan Lisa Wall English Composition II 29 March 2015 Knowing about Nora Helmer From the beginning of A Doll’s House play, Nora Helmer appears to a obedient wife. She doesn t seem to mind when her husband, Torvald, calls her his little squirrel, his little lark, and a featherhead, (1.5-1.16).And more than that, she seems to enjoy and even play into it. She shows also a generous behavior, by giving a good tip to the porter and buying a lot of Christmas presents. TheRead MoreTheatrical Realism : Realism And Realism1228 Words   |  5 PagesDOLL’S HOUSE Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), a norwegian writer, is considered to be the father of modern realistic drama His plays attacked society’s values and dealt with unconventional subjects within the form of the well-made play (causally related) Ibsen’s letters reveal that much of what is contained in his realist dramas is based on events from his own life. A Doll’s House was the second in a series of realist plays by Ibsen after The Pillars of Society (1877) In the play, A Doll s House, the titleRead MoreHow Writers Represents Relationships Between Characters1019 Words   |  5 Pagesmoney that he saved for a long time, he discovered what real happiness and love is after he becomes a Eppies` father. A Doll s House is a naturalist play in prose by Henrik Ibsen. Similar to George Eliot he uses the plot and language to pass a message of values and morals to the audience. The structures of the work are the three separate acts. Through them, the author shows how Nora`s and Torvald relationship changes. In the beginning they seem to be happy. As the play progresses, its easy to see thatRead MoreA Doll s House By Henrik Ibsen1037 Words   |  5 PagesHenrik Ibsen s A Doll s House is a work of literature genius. This three-act play involves many literary technics that are undermined by the average reader such as the fact that the plot shows the main characters Torvald and his wife Nora live the perfect life. An ironic paradox based around the fact that Nora and Torvald’s relationship is the complete opposite of perfect. Also, bringing upon a conflict as well, appearance versus reality. These little hidden meanings within stories are what areRead MoreCritical Attitude Toward Marr iage and Duty in the Play, A Dolls House by Henrick Ibsen985 Words   |  4 PagesIn the play â€Å"A Dolls House† by Henrik Ibsen, the controversy within the Helmer family conveys a critical attitude toward marriage and duty. The drama traces the awakening, self-realization and transformation of the main character, Nora Helmer. Having borrowed money from the character Krogstad by falsifying her father’s signature, Nora was able to afford a trip to the south for the sake of saving her sick husband, Torvald Helmer’s life. Since then, Nora has been secretly working in order to pay offRead MoreA Doll s House By Henrik Ibsen1421 Words   |  6 PagesIn A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen examines conventional roles of men and women in the nineteenth century. In the play, Nora exemplifies the conventional feminine standard during that period. She seems to be powerless and confines herself through high standard expectations, demonstrating what the role of a women wo uld be as a wife and mother. The protagonist of A Doll’s House is a woman named Nora Helmer. Ibsen shows how Nora’s design of perfect life gradually transforms when her secret unravels. In