Just because a novel is considered a classic
doesn¹t mean the messages it conveys to its readers are correct. Even though both The Awakening by Kate Chopin
and A Doll¹s House by Henrik Ibsen are great literary works, some of the ideas
embodied in them aren¹t appropriate.
Both works suggest that it is common for husbands to be condescending to
their wives; that if a person has enough money, they can have someone else
raise their children for them; and that if a marriage gets hard, the couple
should just give up on each other.
Taking the stories for their literary qualities
alone, they are both quite good. Both
novels are very well written. Chopin and
Ibsen developed their characters well, used excellent imagery, and told
interesting stories. Both shared their
strong convictions even though they knew their ideas weren¹t popular. The strong beliefs that are shared in these
stories are part of what makes them classics.
However, some of the ideas that are portrayed
in these works aren¹t ideas readers should assume to be true or good. The first of these is the theory that
husbands will most likely treat their wives as inferiors after they are
married. In A Doll¹s House, Torvald is
blatantly condescending to Nora. He
calls her his ³little squirrel² or ³little skylark² and requires her to ³do
tricks² to please him. In addition, he
treats her like a child, a ³feather head² who can¹t understand anything
important. In The Awakening, Leonce is
more subtle in his mistreatment of his wife.
He tries to control Edna by pushing his point until she does what he
wants. He also tries to make her feel
bad about herself. For example, he tells
her she isn¹t a good mother to their sons.
Although this type of behavior is condemned in both of these stories,
just characterizing this behavior as normal sends a bad message. If young men are repeatedly told that this is
how adult males act, they will inevitably feel that they should act this way
when they are married.
The second bad idea conveyed by these stories
is that if a person can afford to, they should have someone else raise their
children for them. In A Doll¹s House,
Nora and Torvald have a nanny who takes care of their children for them. This is the same nanny who Nora¹s parents had
paid to raise her. Also, in The
Awakening, Leonce and Edna not only have a person who takes care of their
children for them; but, when Edna moves to the Pigioen-House, they send the
children away to live with their grandparents.
This attitude has become very prevalent in our society.
People think it is acceptable to send their children to a daycare center
instead of raising them themselves.
The third misconception in these works is that
people should give up on their marriages if they start having troubles with
their spouses. In A Doll¹s House, Nora
and Torvald definitely have their problems.
Torvald isn¹t a good husband.
Nora, however never confronts him about it or tells him how she
feels. Instead, she lets her feelings
build up until she can¹t take it anymore.
Then, she leaves her husband and gives up on their marriage and
family. In The Awakening, Edna starts to
feel fed up with her marriage too.
Again, though, she doesn¹t sit down and discuss it with Leonce. Instead she not only leaves her husband and
children, but sets an even worse example by committing suicide. This attitude is another that has become
accepted today. Marriage no longer has
the meaning it used to. People today
think that they should get divorced the first time they have marital problems.
Finally, although both of these stories are
well written classics with some good morals and ideas in them, not all of the
ideas in them are positive or correct.
Some of the ideas, such as husbands being condescending to their wives,
having other people raise your children, and giving up on your problems, should
not be accepted. It is our job as
readers to separate these bad ideas from the good ones and use the good ones in
our lives.
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