Symbols, Symbolism and Feminism in Ibsens Hedda Gabler Essay example -

Symbolism and Feminism in Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House varicolored the picture of a strong and independent woman standing up to an oppressive and dominating society the lead character, Nora, abandons not wholly her husband, scarce her entire family, in an effort to discover herself and become a change state woman. The play is known for its universal appeal, and the strong blow it dealt to a male-dominated society, by showing not only that a woman could break bare from the restraints which society placed upon her, but that men were actually quite low-powered in the face of a strong woman Noras husband, Torvald, is left flagging as she leaves him at the close of the play.The strong feminist themes which were the defining elements of A Dolls House are equally evident in the play Hedda Gabler, though the latter seems to be lacking the directness, clarity, and strength of the former, in regards to its feminist ideals. Hedda and Thea, the devil female leads, posses wi thin them both admirable and detestable female traits, and only in combination with each other can the characters reveal the veritable feminist message of the play. In order to assist the reader in understanding these concepts, and to illustrate the distinct differences between the two characters, Ibsen uses symbolism. The symbolic personality of hair, Lovborgs manuscript, and General Gablers pistols, often seem to strip Hedda of her feminine characteristics, and emphasize the muliebrity of Thea.During the time in which this play was written, and as is very true in modern times, a mark of feminine beauty was long, abundant, flowing hair. nonetheless today, short hair is often considered to be a mark of a more liberated female, and it has been used to charact... ...ety. Thesis. Brigham Young U, 1990. Dyhouse, Carol. Mothers and Daughters in the Middle-Class position c. 1870-1914. Labor and Love Womens Experience of Home and Family 1850-1940. Ed. Jane Lewis. tender York Blackw ell, 1986. 27-45. Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the bean The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. New Haven Yale UP, 1979. Ibsen, Henrik. Hedda Gabler. New York Dover, 1990. Lewis, Jane. foundation Reconstructing Womens Experience of Home and Family. Labor and Love Womens Experience of Home and Family 1850-1940. Ed. Jane Lewis. New York Blackwell, 1986. 1-26. Lyons, Charles R. Hedda Gabler, Role and World. 1990. Twaynes Masterwork Studies 62. Boston Twayne, 1991. Salom, Lou. Ibsens Heroines. Ed. and trans. Siegfried Mandel. Redding Ridge Black Swan, 1985.