Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler is a play written by Henrik Ibsen, during the literary era realism, that challenges society's morals from the use of a women to control the environment she is in. The literary era, realism focuses on the dark side of human nature and the truths which lie in between those natures. Higher classes, men, and women still have a separate role in their society in order to structure the realms in that period of time. In Hedda Gabler, Hedda gets away from her natural environment and then becomes part of a new social status and environment. She takes in all awareness to social means and turns to manipulation, control for power, and ambition to center herself right in the middle of all the action. From the jump Hedda takes control of the situation during conversation with Lovborg and Mrs. Elvsted, when Hedda says, "No, you don't, little Thea, not there. Come right over here next to me. I want to be in the middle between you" (Ibsen 813).  During the realism era women were struggling for power and a voice in society. As life got more complex then the more society became of order and power over that matter and energy as it became a patriarchy. Ibsen introduces realism in theater which gives a visual insight with the emotions, moral questioning, and truth behind people's condition. Hedda has a vision to better her life with beauty, ideas, and fulfillment to herself but through out the story she is still tied down to her status in life. Even though she has most of the control around her; it isn't until towards the second half of the play that the higher status judge character takes more control. Brack states, as he goes back and forth with Hedda, What if life suddenly should offer you some purpose or other, something to live for" (Ibsen 805)?

Game Over

The Hedda Gabler play took a slightly different turn than what I was expecting. Although I had guessed that there would be some kind of tragic ending, I actually thought things would end up working out entirely in Hedda's favor. Before reading Act Four, it was looking like Hedda would be the death of Testman, because he seemed to be very gullible throughout the play. Being gullible seems to be a weakness that usually ends up harming a character in the long run. Suprisingly, Testman lives and crazy Hedda ends up killing herself. Sooo not expecting that.
Their were two events in the story that caused Hedda to lose her power. The first let down for her occurs when she discovers that Eilert's wound was in a different place than she had expected. "That too! Oh absurdity! It hangs like a curse over everything I so much as touch (Ibsen 835)." The deal is sealed for her when Judge Brack reveals that he knows about the pistol and that him keeping quiet will be her only chance. "So I'm in your power now, Judge. You have a hold over me from now on (Ibsen 837)." This is really the last straw for her because until now she has had some kind of power over all of the other characters. Once she loses her control, the jig is up for Hedda!

This is a story written in an era, when Europe and Norway were like the opposite of each other.
"Ibsen showed Europe that the theater could be more than just spectacle, that it could be an art for addressing the most serious moral and social questions of the time" (Ibsen 778). Ibsen was born and raised in the rural part of Norway. He was not raised in the fine cities of Europe. Hedda Gabler was one of his most prestiges plays that he wrote. "Hedda Gabler is a play about the daughter of a general who marries Tesman, an aspiring scholar waiting for his university post" (Ibsen 780). As this play evolves at the very begining, one can tell that they both or opposite of each other. Tesman is what you would call as a square, slang for a dummy. He doesn't seem to realize that he's being taken for a ride, slang being used. They both came from two different back  grounds. Hedda is a cunning coniving ruthless woman, who will stop at nothing to get her way. Regardless to who ever she hurts along the way. This play shows how some people will do any thing for money, power and the ability to control others.Hedda is a con woman on the lose devouring every one that she comes in contact with. A con person is a manipulator that justifies their action on their needs. Therefore what ever they sense they need its fair game to them. Hedda is a born manipulator with inherit born skills. She uses them through out this entire play.

Be careful what you ask for.....

Throughout the literature we have read this semester, there seems to be a quest for change. Something sparks an interest in a character and, in most cases, the character can not go on without it.

 Just as in today's society, out characters became unhappy with there current situations and wanted to try something different. In the Fredrick Douglas narrative, Douglas seemed to be content with his life as it stood until he gained a glimpse of education. from that moment on he was set on becoming educated. Like many of the other characters, young Douglas had to be creative in his techniques to gain knowledge. This was mainly because traditional methods of learning were not available to slaves. He give examples of how he would challenge other boys in the city, "I would then make the letters ... and ask him to beat that"(Douglas 255). In his quest for knowledge, Fredrick was unaware of the consequences that awaited him. He didn't realize that the knowledge he obtained would expose the unjustness of society. 

In the wake of Obama's win, my mind goes to women's rights. Ol' Mitt, I feel, was ham-stringed by controversy surrounding women's right to an abortion and contraception in the weeks and months leading up to the election. Would he have won with the female vote? Definitely the popular vote. I think this shows an obvious disconnect with the voter base in the Republican party. How interesting that our readings would be over this very topic the week before the election. While we have made great strides to enact measures of equality in our society, we must not forget that this issue is still prevalent today. I wonder what the authors of Declaration of Sentiments would think of the issues important to us. Would they be proud that women finally have a voice or disappointed that they are still so underrepresented in business and government? I know that progress, particularly progress as it relates to human paradigm, is slow to change. I, for one, am proud to be living in a time when I can sit across from a strong independent woman and hear her speak her mind without fear of reprisal. To think that less than a hundred years ago Ms. Baldwin could not have been our professor gives me hope for the future. I hope all of you participated in the Democratic process because without it I fear we would not have had to consider what women think yesterday.

It's shocking looking at the expectations of standards set for women in the 19th Century. As a woman in 2012, reading about the role of women in the 1800's it's almost unbelievable how powerless women were in the 1800's. Expected to be submissive and dependant, most women of this time were seen and not heard. Stripped of their rights, according ot the Decleration of Sediments, Women's confidence in their own power was destroyed, her self respect ws lesened, and she was made to live a dependant and abject life (Sediments 52). The submissiveness of the woman back in the 18th Century and now are considerably different. Women were expected to stay at home and men were bread winners as displayed in the story "Punishment" when Dukhriam was angry about not being able to come home to a hot meal made by his wife because his wife had no means of fixing it and brought it to his attention that it was his not bringing bread home that caused him to be in the predicament (Tagore 894). Womens place in the 18th Century was in the kitchen and bedroom. Though it has undoubtedly changed, there are remnants of these traditional ways lingering today. Women are working now, but cooking and cleaning are still looked at as women jobs. Men are still looked at as the provider and bread winners, and women look for these qualities in a man. No matter how far we've come as women, a little 18th century will show up as we continue to meet the needs of our mate.

Doormats...NO MORE!

In the 19th century, women didn't have many rights...if any at all. It seems they were viewed in society more as a slave than an equal to man.  Men seemed to be afraid to give women a voice so they did the only thing they could do...keep them quiet:  "He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice" (Stanton 51).  During this time period women did what men told them to do and didn't think any different:  ...having in object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her" (Stanton 51).  Today as a married woman, we seemed to be viewed more as an equal...men and women complement each other with their strengths and weaknesses.  A married woman in the 19th century didn't have the option to even show her strengths:  "He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead....He has taken from her all right in property...He has made her, morally, an irresponsible being..." (Stanton 51).  Talk about getting knocked down and staying down...a female doormat for the man.  I appreciate the people in history who fought for what they believed in:  Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton,  Lucretia Mott, and many others who changed the course of history for the better.  With so many different quotes to pull from "Declaration of Sentiments", it's hard to just use a couple...so I will add one more:  "He has created a false public sentiment, by giving to the world a different code of morals for man and woman, by which moral delinquencies which exclude women from society, are not only tolerated but deemed of little account when committed by man"  (Stanton 52).  That honestly made me laugh out loud.  To think that women had totally different rules from a man...and even if a man did something immoral it didn't matter.  These days there are still a few old school thoughts about women, however, I do feel that women have certainly made a place in the world.