A Doll's House and The Awakening

             "A Doll's House" by Henrick Ibsen and "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin are both prime examples of literary works well ahead of their time. Each work depicts the rigid social standards placed on women and how they negatively affected the women. They also show how the women were able to triumph over these social standards and reach towards a life of greater fulfillment. Ibsen and Chopin appear to consciously present their main characters in this way and use their talents for writing to predict a change in society that needs to and will eventually occur.
             "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen investigates the tensions of family life. Written during the Victorian era, the controversial play featuring a female protagonist seeking individuality stirred up a fair amount of controversy. "A Doll's House" introduced a woman as having her own purpose and goals. The heroine of the play Nora Helmer, progresses during the course of the play eventually to realize that she must discontinue the role of a doll and seek out her individuality. Ibsen appears to have intended to present a new way to look of the role of women in society. It seems that he has consciously done this for the depiction of Nora is such that it could not have been created without effort and thought. Ibsen was indeed ahead of his time and perhaps writing a play of this sentiment towards women was a ploy to gain attention or possibly was his way to share his views of women with the cultured public.
             Definite characteristics of the women's subordinate role in a relationship are emphasized through Nora's contradicting actions. Her infatuation with luxuries such as expensive Christmas gifts contradicts her resourcefulness in scrounging and buying cheap
             clothing; Nora's defiance of Torvald by eating the forbidden macaroons contradicts the submission of her opinions; including the decision of which costume to...

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A Doll's House and The Awakening. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 15:18, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/96460.html