The Theme of Non-Conformity and Defiance in Antigone A Doll's House and The Glass Menagerie
More often, in the depiction of real life situations and events inliterature, conflict happens in cases where the protagonist acts or behavesthat defies the norms dictated and followed by the society. Non-conformityand defiance to social norms is a theme that has been discussed andanalyzed in numerous works of literature. However, defiance and non-conformity in these cases result to resolutions that restore one again thestatus quo in the society. What if literary works uses this theme withoutreturning things back to the proper order of things, or restoration of the These questions on social conflict between the society and individualare discussed in the literary works of Sophocles, Henrik Ibsen, andTennessee Williams. These renowned playwrights utilize the theme ofdefiance and non-conformity of its protagonists in their plays, with atwist: instead of putting the situation in its proper, 'normal' order aswhat the society expects them to be, these playwrights opted to defy thenorm of 'normalcy' in their plays. Instead, Sophocles, Ibsen, and Williamsended their plays justifying their protagonists' actions and resolution at
" The play focuses on the character of Noraas wife who constantly seeks approval and satisfaction in order to be likedby people, especially her husband, whom she always wanted to please. However, Tom achieves freedom from bondage in owing the responsibility ofsupporting his family before the story ends, similar to Nora'stransformation as a renewed individual at the end of the play. Indeed, this analysis is evident in Nora'sparting words with her husband when she decided to leave him: "I believethat I am first and foremost a human being, like you -- or anyway, that Imust try to become one. Her fear for her husband's reaction upon acknowledgment of thesecret loan she had made created instability in their marriage. Antigone's story has parallelisms with herfather's plight: the tragic end of Antigone and her lover, Haemon and thecurse put on Creon are similar events in "Oedipus" that reflects once morethe power that Fate holds over humans. words, understood as deeds, are chiasmically related to the vernacular ofsovereign power, speaking in and against it. the folly that is mine alone, to sufferthis dread thing; for I shall not suffer aught so dreadful as an ignobledeath. The following texts discuss thefollowing important points mentioned with support material/passages fromthe texts of each author's plays. " Antigone's refusal to follow Creon stems from her need to be heard bythe public, as posited by Judith Butler (2000), who characterizesAntigone's defiant manner and speech in the play show "[h]er language.
Common topics in this essay:
Nora's Husband,
Tom Wingfield,
Judith Butler,
,
Polyneices Creon's,
Doll's House,
Oedipus Antigone's,
Laura Tom's,
Ibsen Williams,
Amanda Debusscher's,
supporting family,
life tom,
creon's rule,
'secret' loan nora,
'secret' loan,
loan nora,
non-conformity defiance,
decided leave,
sister laura,
decision leave,
son family,
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