Essay on A Dolls House A Raisin in the Sun - 3059 Words

A Doll House, by Henrik Ibsen, and A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, both have central themes of search of self-identity within a social system. This is demonstrated by women characters from both plays breaking away from the social standards of their times and acting on their own terms. In most situations women are to be less dominant than men in society. These two plays are surprisingly different from the views of women in society and of the times and settings that they take place in.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, which was written during the Victorian era, introduced a woman as having her own purposes and goals, making the play unique and contemporary. Nora, the main character, is first depicted as†¦show more content†¦No debts! Never borrow! Something of freedom’s lost-andnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; something of beauty too-from a home that’s founded on borrowing debt. We’venbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; made a brave stand up to now, the two of us; and we’ll go right on like that thenbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; little we have to (Ibsen, 660). Nora thought she did the right thing by borrowing money when Helmer was sick and not telling him. She knows that it was illegal to forge her father’s signature but feels that this crime should not apply to her because she had the good intention of helping her husband get well. This can be seen as an example of the subordinate position of women in society. Nora was thinking of the well being of her husband, while not thinking about the rules of the business world which is where men had all of the power at the time and even today. This is evident when Krogstad, the man she borrowed money from, comes to meet with Nora with the forged loan to discuss what she has done. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Krogstad: Laws don’t inquire motives. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Nora: Then they must be very poor laws. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Krogstad: Poor or not-if I introduce this paper in court, you’ll be judgednbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Show MoreRelatedLove and Marriage Illustrated in Raisin in the Sun, A Dolls House and Is Love an Art960 Words   |  4 Pageshaving the wedded bliss marriage proclaims today. Take a look at Ruth and Walter in â€Å"Raisin of the Sun.† Ruth is portrayed as a quiet, thoughtful woman, who would do everything and anything for her family. Ruth was even thinking about having an abortion to make her husband happy. Walter was a man with a dream. Walter always had his eyes set on the prize and would do anything to get it. In the play â€Å"Raisin in the Sun†, Ruth, Walter and the family lived during hard times when money was not so easy toRead MoreWhat Makes a Hero1664 Words   |  7 Pagesheroic act but her illogical and emotionally-powered attempts make her less of a hero and more of a hysterical woman in need of a proper period of mourning. Another female character with hysterical tendencies is that of Nora from Henrik Isben’s A Doll’s House. This woman, imprisoned in her own home by her overbearing and old-fashioned husband, leaves him and her children high and dry in an attempt to find herself. Leaving her children behind so that she can walk the path of self-discovery is selfish