Ibsen's side note is a remarkably astute and honest appraisal of the realities of patriarchy. The statement was certainly true of Nora and her society. Even as she tries to negotiate some semblance of power in the domestic realm, the barriers to women achieving genuine political, financial and social equality are too entrenched in the society. The central theme of patriarchy is played out through the motif of the doll house itself, which is a metaphor for the domestication and subjugation of women. A woman is prevented from acting outside of her role in the domestic sphere. She cannot "be herself" in the way a man can, which is to say, permitted to pursue any level of education she pleases or acquire any type of professional credentials she would like. Women are beholden to men and become financially dependent on them, as they are lauchned into careers of domestic servitude. They are also kept like children, treated in patronizing manners as Torvald does to Nora. Torvald calls Nora a "child" throughout the play, and also calls her disparaging names like "featherbrain," (Act III). The grouping of "women and children" that perpetuates itself throughout Western society shows that in spite of great...
For example, Krogstad refers to "a woman's overstrained sense of generosity" and the inability of women to comprehend complex or analytical issues like finances. Women are systematically excluded from access to financial power, which is why Nora needs to take out the illicit loan. The fact that she succeeded in acquiring the money emasculates Torvald, which is why Nora cannot "be herself." Instead of thanking her for her sacrifice, Torvald shuns her. LIkewise, Ibsen also refers to is the inability of women to "be herself." This is more than just an allusion to the lack of power and authority the woman has in society. It relates to the identity of a woman being constrained by gender. The same can also be said for men, who are also damaged by the patriarchal social order in that it constrains individuality.
How -- she -- did -- change."(Glaspell) the second sense of the play's title becomes obvious: there is no place in the male world of overt action for women's fragility and sensibility, symbolized by the singing bird. The two wives intuitively understand that Mrs. Wright's husband could not understand or like "a thing that sang": "No, Wright wouldn't like the bird -- a thing that sang. She used to
Susan Glaspell,(Trifles). Please ensure original wor Formal Approach There is a great deal of irony found in Susan Glaspell's work of literature entitled "Trifles." Irony, of course, is when words are used the exact opposite of their literal meaning. The concept of situation irony also exists within literature, in which characters act the exact opposite of the way that a certain situation calls for. An examination of Glaspell's work indicates that
The words on the page are powerful as Williams uses symbolism to emphasize moods. Viewing the play with the plays of light and shadows would be a delight because we could see the characters moving in and out of darkness. August Wilson's play, Fences, is titled such because of the fences people tend to build between one another. This is demonstrated with Troy and Cory, who cannot agree upon much.
Wright as well as their own lives. Putting aside the fact that Toomer's Cane is a much different piece -- it is not a play and is much lengthier than Trifles -- the language, form and mood vary significantly. For example, "Fern," one of the stories in the Cane collection, first appears to be a portrait of an exquisite woman who nobody understands. However, the reader soon realizes that she
Holmes always solves the crime, and that fact is very satisfying to the reader. Similarly, the two women are inadvertently unearthing the clues to the murder alongside the searching investigators. Glaspell endears us to the two women through the use of personal experiences and memories. Through their similarities, the two women also endear the reader to Minnie Wright. This closeness in character makes it perfectly acceptable when the women
Susan Glaspell's Trifles The title of Susan Glaspell's drama Trifles indicates that it will deal with seemingly small matters: as Mrs. Hale says of the pivotal prop in the stage-play -- "Wouldn't they just laugh? Getting all stirred up over a little thing like a -- dead canary!" (Glaspell 27-8). Yet Mrs. Hale's sense that, if a male audience could see her dialogue with Mrs. Peters in Trifles by Susan Glaspell,
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