Comparative essay analysis
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Comparative essay analysis
Beauty by Jane Martin
In the play Beauty, by Jane Martin, society’s perception of life’s desires concerning beauty and intelligence is depicted through Bethany and Carla’s two characters. These two are female characters who are employed as the key characters in this play. They both possess different traits of which neither is contented in. For Bethany, she is a smart lady, academically, hence is earning handsomely from her job. Besides, she is a great writer who has already published several short stories. Despite her intelligence and well-paying job, she is not fully contented in life. She doubts her looks and wishes she would be as beautiful as her friend Carla. Conversely, Carla is a dull lady but very beautiful. She is very attractive and gets on frequent dates with men. However, she is not intelligent enough; it is hard for her to recall the last dude he met on a previous date. She, too, wishes that she was smart and intelligent like her friend, Bethany. Many people encourage the concept of values to be considered as a central factor in different theories (Martin, Lembo, 52-98). This illustrates our different perceptions of life, depending on what we have and what we do not have. We are all created differently, but this feels like a weakness to many; whereby people possessing a certain envy others with a different characteristic, but it is nature thus inevitable.
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There is a central conflict in the play Beauty, by Martin, which is represented by Bethany and Carla’s wishes. Although Bethany finally engages her friend when planning to wish on the magic genie, she found on her vacation, and both are struggling with their differences. Each wants to be like the other in terms of natural privileges. Bethany wants to be as beautiful as Carla, while Carla, on the other hand, wishes to be as intelligent as Bethany.
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Women are depicted as envious and discontented people in their own possessive qualities in the play Beauty, by Martin. Everyone has a special quality that differs from the qualities found in other persons. However, our wishes differ from what we hold, either physically or intellectually. In the play, Bethany lacks a physical quality, highly valued by women in real life. Therefore, she finds Carla privileged than herself and remains adamant about making a wish that she become beautiful even after being told some challenges that Carla experiences due to her beautiful nature. On the other hand, Carla is feeling discontented because she is not much intelligent and cannot even keep a good memory of her previous dates. This shows how women fail to appreciate their qualities and start wishing to be like others they think have perfect qualities than what they have themselves. Yet, even their desired women feel discontented and imperfect.
- A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
Ibsen critiques gender to accommodate men as the controllers of things at home. Nora is described as a loving and well-organized woman. Her living room is well furnished, and she has brought several other packages probably to add to the decorations and preparations of Christmas. However, Torvalds, who is in his study when Nora arrives, welcomes his wife warmly but scolds her for spending too much money on Christmas gifts. Besides, Torvalds utters sensitive words to his wife when he discovers that she has been lying to him about borrowing money from her father, yet she had been rendered by Dr. Rank. He hurts her feelings by telling her that she will not raise their children anymore and fails to cheer her up with his mood change on realizing that Krogstad has returned Nora’s contract, which has a forged signature. Nora concludes that he has been using her like a “doll” to be played with and admired. She leaves the room and slams the door behind her.
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Torvald is a husband to Nora. He is an industrious man, which is exemplified by the statement that he has obtained a new position at the bank where he works. As we maneuver through the play, he is depicted as a family master who does not entertain overspending or rather misuse of money. However, we get to learn about his previous ailment that resulted in a big secret between him and his wife, who borrowed money to attend to him when he was sick. She kept the secret by planting a lie that her father offered the money. Torvald lives in this darkness all along until later, when he gets to learn of the forged signature of the father and reacts by insulting his wife. Dr. Linde plays an essential role in enhancing the conflict between the main characters, Nora and Torvald. He works at the same bank with Torvald, Nora’s husband. When Torvald got ill, he rendered Nora money to attend to her husband’s medical care. This later results in a conflict between her and Torvald because she used a forged signature of her father to keep it secret. On the other hand, Mrs. Linde is vital in the play because she facilitates the revelation of Nora’s secret to the audience. She is an old friend to Nora, who finds her worth telling the secret about her illegal borrowing of money used in her husband’s trip to Italy.
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At the end of the play, Nora leaves the house and slams the door. This happens after Torvald scolds her for lying to him about the source of the money she spent on his trip to Italy for treatment. Norway was a patriarchal society that prohibited women from possessing various attributes that are still considered an abomination in society today (Hashim). Women were supposed to be submissive and absolutely respectful to their male counterparts. Consequently, Nora’s action could have called for much attention if it were in the 1800s. She could have been greatly warned against her act. However, the reaction to the play’s ending in the 19th century could have been different in Norway. Norwegians could have supported Nora’s reaction against her husband’s rebuke. Women have formed movements aiming to benefit by giving them a strong and encompassing argument for mobilization (Sumer, Sevil, Eslen-Ziya, 23-38). As a result, it is likely because of the ongoing feminism in Norway since 1840 where movements have been formed to fight for the rights of women in the country.
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In consideration to Nora’s range of actions in a Doll’s House, she has gone through a series of transformation. From the time she borrowed money to cater for her husband’s trip to Italy for treatment till when the husband realizes exactly what went on, Nora has had a rough life. She has been making sacrifices to pay her debt partially and is almost through paying. She has all along learnt her purpose and worked hard for it. However, her husband is not understanding enough to realize her struggles.
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Nora makes a rush decision when her husband admonishes her. She does not take time to cool first but rushes off and slums the door. This reveals her hot temperedness resentment.
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The title, A Doll’s House is significant because it reflects the main theme of the play. It depicts the society’s nature where women are viewed worthless despite their great assistance even to the opposite gender. The title is expounded throughout the play whereby Torvald is ungrateful to his wife’s efforts. He is also distrustful and fails to feel her struggles.
Works cited
Hashim, Hidaya Ibrahim. Female characters as parameters of social Reform in Ibsen’s Works. Diss. Sudan University of Science and Technology, 2019.
Martin, John Levi, and Alessandra Lembo. “On the other side of values.” American Journal of Sociology 126.1 (2020): 52-98.
Sümer, Sevil, and Hande Eslen-Ziya. “New waves for old rights? Women’s mobilization and bodily rights in Turkey and Norway.” European journal of women’s studies 24.1 (2017): 23-38.