Essay on Theme of Self-discovery in The Awakening and A...

The Theme of Self-discovery in The Awakening and A Doll House In Chopins The Awakening and Ibsens A Doll House, the main characters each experience an awakening. Although they lead different lives, Nora Helmer and Edna Pontelliers respective awakenings are caused by similar factors. From the beginning, neither character fits the standard stereotype of women in the society in which they lived. Another factor that influences Nora and Ednas awakenings is their marital relationship. Neither Nora nor Edna are treated as an equal by their husband. When each woman realizes that she is unhappy, she understands that she must leave her position and role in life in order to fully find herself. Nora and Edna are not perfect†¦show more content†¦But it is not their mother who accompanies them on their outing, it is their nurse, Anne-Marie. The marriages of Edna and Nora are unhappy ones. Each of the husbands treats his wife as property, instead of as a person of equal merit. Leonce Pontellier, Ednas husband, is a very possessive man. His possessiveness is shown in the beginning of the novel when he looks at a sunburned Edna as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage (Chopin 2). Because he thinks of her as a piece of property, Leonce expects Edna to listen to his talk, to make love when he is aroused, to assist him socially, to supervise his servants and his children, and generally to function efficiently and quietly toward his well-being and satisfaction (Ewell 148). Noras husband, Torvald, also believes that Nora is his property. In the beginning of the play, Torvald makes the audience aware of this fact when he calls Nora his little lark who is twittering around (Ibsen 43). This makes Nora seem less of a person and more of a thing that is cute and pleasant to have around. Neither of the women is experiencing true love in their marriages. Edna has had a few crushes but has never totally fallen for someone until she meets Robert. Leonce and Ednas marriage was purely an accident (Chopin 23). He had fallen in love with Edna and tried to win her with an earnestness and an ardor which left nothing to beShow MoreRelated Noras Discovery of Self in Ibsens A Dolls House Essay1427 Words   |  6 PagesNoras Discovery of Self in Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House         Ã‚  Ibsens play, A Doll House, involves a woman who begins the play as a common housewife and through a series of joyous occurrences and catastrophes becomes a self-liberating woman.   Nora Helmer is transformed and decides to abandon her family and home in search of her true self.   She arrives at this point because of several factors.   Her refusal to submit to her husband and her self-realization is brought on by the way she hasRead MoreNora – a Classical Hero in Henrik Ibsens a Doll`S House2683 Words   |  11 PagesDoll`s House Nora Helmer makes the right decision to free herself from the social and traditional commitments and obligations and come and become an independent individual. Nora Helmer in Isbens A Dolls House lived in the world of predetermined social and societal constraints that made her deprived her of her freedom and happiness. The society in which she lived wanted people to live according to the rigidly set norms and standards of the society. Subjugation and oppression was the theme of thatRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 PagesDarkness The Sun Also Rises Invisible Man Their Eyes Were Watching God Joe Turner’s Come and Gone The Things They Carried King Lear The Turn of the Screw Major Barbara Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf 2004 (Form B): The most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which a death or deaths take place. Choose a novel or play and write a well-organized essay in which you show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the meaning of the work as whole. Avoid