Surname 1 Argumentative essay Name Professor Course Institution Date Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Glaspell’s Trifles The Fate of Women In the wake of the 19thcentury throughout the 20th century women have been exposed to misuse, faced devaluation and impoverishment under the shadow of their perceived to be superior fellow beings, the men. Women have been seen as homemakers characterizing them as passive mothers with the role of raising families. With increased enlightenment of women in the 20thcentury, these limitations taking the better part of women’s life have been questioned and playwrights have incessantly documented episodes and plays meant to criticize and counter these absurd perceptions. Marriage in the contemporary society forms the basis of a pivotal platform where these ills and vices of women submission are discussed. Men are tyrannical with their actions meant to subdue the women showing them no regard while belittling and criticizing them. The debut of drama has unfolded these ills as depicted in Susan Glaspell’s trifles and Henrik Ibsen’s Doll’s House. These two dramas satirize the place of women as championed by men. Upon emancipation the women in both plays Nora and Minnie seek freedom from their enslavers-john and Torvald-and that is one the reasons these two dramas are comparable. The two feminine characters from the two dramas are a representation of women who want to seek
Surname 2 independence, job freedom and free action devoid of men’s consultation or guidance. Contrary to the earlier notion of men being trapped in marriage in earlier centuries feminist writers brought to the limelight women’s neglected trapping in marriage under the domination of authoritative men. It is absolutely worth noting that the makeshift prisons made to restrict and restrain the women in both Glaspell’s and Ibsen’s plays are fundamental in pinpointing the commonality of the two dramas as they unfold. Nora’s husband Torvald belittles her by making her a plaything while keeping her below him as seen in keeping the keys to the mail box and thus making her access them not(Ibsen, 997-999 ). Similarly, in Minnie’s society a woman is an object deemed to be kept under the custody of the father or the husband and this tells how the society perceived women as entities that were to seek by all means men’s protection and this was a point that rebellion as carried out by the female characters was aimed to demystify. As is elucidated in the dramas both characters are summed to be willing victims of their befallen fate. Additionally, the similarity of Nora being referred by Torvalds as a lark and Minnie being equated to a bird by Mrs. Hale is enough proof of women’s equivalence to birds that can be caged and freedom curtailed (Glaspell, 987). Women’s equivalence to birds point a fact that they too can be trapped to serve the interest of their masters the husbands and deny them the
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