Summer of the Seventeenth Doll
Through the development of characterisation, Lawler’s text acts as a mirror for an emerging society. Whilst the play encompasses many significant themes relevant to an Australian 1950’s society, the disillusionment of growing old is a concept which is addressed through characters Roo and Olive, who evidently find their discoveries both confronting and provocative. Lawler demonstrates reluctance to grow old through Roo, Olive’s love interest who has been consistently travelling to Melbourne for the lay-off season every 5 months with his friend, Barney. Roo a dominant, masculine cane cutter who after seventeen years is reluctant to address that he has aged significantly, is adamant to believe that he still possesses the same strength and endurance that he once did. It appears that he is blinded by the excitement of the lay-off season to accept that seventeen years later, he is not the same person that he once was. Roo’s disillusion is notable in Act 3 Scene 1 when he demonstrates a defensive tone when responding “Nobody tells me I’m old. I’m as good as a man now than I ever was”, when confronted by Emma. Through Roo’s distinctive voice, Roo’s reluctance to accept that he has aged is significant in understanding Roo’s response to his unwanted discovery.
Similarly, Lawler’s character Olive mirrors an identical disillusion to her lover. As Olive is evident in her distaste towards marriage and her determination to maintain the lay-off, her
Not only does this say a lot about Olive’s immature nature, but sells herself as blinded by her own desires to cover-up her romantic dream while rejecting the expectations that society places upon women being housewives in marriage. During the 1950’s, materialism, consumerism and other economic affairs, were all part of a pivotal era for Australia. The pre-WWII and Great Depression era saw through the freedom of women entering the labor workforce in the absence of men, but at the start of the 1950’s, women were pushed to return to their domestic role as housewives. Lawler conveys through the character of Olive that women in that era wanted more freedom, they wanted to be liberated from the roles that came with a lifelong commitment in marriage as well as the pressure of living up to society’s
A writer like Henrik Ibsen tended to stir up controversy on social issues such as marriage to demonstrate the real life experiences for two people to stay truly in love. In “A Doll’s Hose,” Ibsen creates an illusion of the definition of a true marriage through the eyes of Nora and Torvald Helmer, Kristine Linde and Nils Krogstad. Ultimately, the fate of these characters personalities will unveil the true definition of a real marriage through Nora’s forgery.
William Carlos Williams was from Rutherford, New Jersey, born in 1883. By trade, he was both a doctor and writer. Williams published poetry, novels, and essays in small magazines. Williams started as an imagist movement poet, “which emphasized simplicity, clarity of expression, and precision through the use of exacting visual images” (poets.org). He later began to write more about the life of everyday people. His poem, “The Widow’s Lament in Springtime” follows this writing style.
The heroine, Mrs. P, has some carries some characteristics parallel to Louise Mallard in “Hour.” The women of her time are limited by cultural convention. Yet, Mrs. P, (like Louise) begins to experience a new freedom of imagination, a zest for life , in the immediate absence of her husband. She realizes, through interior monologues, that she has been held back, that her station in life cannot and will not afford her the kind of freedom to explore freely and openly the emotions that are as much a part of her as they are not a part of Leonce. Here is a primary irony.
The protagonist fears, she may be forced to socialise with the inmates ‘smelling of pee’. Additionally expressing her feelings and obsession concerning hygiene. Unearthing Doris‘s neglected period of life, the saddest era of her being. In which recollections of Doris’s past history are triggered by present day objects such as; the wedding photograph of Doris and Wilfred represented to be a strong symbol, of the implication, in which Doris’s endless campaign against dust, has cause the glass to crack. Representing the destructive nature of Doris’s cleaning mania, and the separation of herself and Wilfred. Doris initial reminisces of the past, begin with thoughts like many of the elderly, of the golden days through coloured spectacles, in which the protagonist ruefully looks back upon the era where ‘people were clean and the streets were clean and it was all clean.’ The present for Doris lacks what she values and sees as important, and does not at all appreciate what the present has to offer – that is, a home- help; Zulema, and the prospect of care in an old people’s home. Doris perceives these interferences within her strictly controlled life as an adversary to challenge – if possible – demolish the remaining control the protagonist withholds within her life.
The characters in these three literary text, The Getting of Wisdom, Coonardoo and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, all demonstrate the traditions of gender roles in the early twentieth century. The first text by Henry Richardson, The Getting of Wisdom in 1910, a Bildungsroman story of a protagonist, Laura, as she develops to gain wisdom through her boarding school life. Richardson’s work undercovers what it is to be a “proper” woman in the early twentieth century through Laura. The traditions of women sexualities in the early 1900s were set quite strictly as genders were set to play a certain role in order to become a ‘fully-grown’ adult. The Getting of Wisdom describes the progression or the failure of Laura to become a “proper” woman throughout the narrative. The next literary text, Coonardoo, is a literary novel written by Katharine Susannah Prichard in the 1920s about the romantic life between an Aboriginal woman and a white man. Although her work struck many issues about interracial relationships as Corbould mentioned that Coonardoo uses ‘bold and unconventional elements’ in the narrative, (415) it reveals many sexual identity of the Aboriginals and the Australian whites, through the narrative voice of a minority. Summer of the Seventeenth Doll by Ray Lawler is an Australian play and was originally set in the mid twentieth century. This last literary text uses its characters to demonstrate their struggle with their identity and Olive’s failure to conform to the
Obedience and authority are seen as a priority in the plays” Antigone, A Doll’s House, and Trifles”. In the three plays women disobey men authority following their beliefs. In each play men enforce their authority over women; women are treated as if they were less than men. Antigone a woman with strong beliefs and morals revels against her uncle Creon. In A Doll’s House Nora was treated as pet by her husband Helmer until she opens her eyes. He always refers to her with nicknames as “little sky-lark, little squirrel, little singing bird, little sweet tooth” (148-149). He compares Nora with defenseless animals and tiny things. In
Our society’s gender roles are constantly evolving and changing, all in the name of “progressive thinking”, though not all for the good. With a new “social norm” appearing every few years or so, it comes as a surprise that it
Young but driven, Olive becomes open to reality that their is so much more for her to see and be apart outside of her guarded father’s embrace, this comes to light when she falls in love with a man of different views than her father. Olive’s relationship with Father grew to a different level when Mother died. Olive “used to be very proud of being the lady of the house” (Rich 201) playing the role as mother of the house. Being the oldest of the sister 's it was Olive’s role to step up. Father would look at Olive across the table and say “every day you remind me more of your mother” (Rich 201). Olive has never had trouble making friends. Olive is more social, especially with men. When summer came “Olive began walking out with young men” (Rich 202). Olive allowed other men into her life, though she knew after awhile that they were all “silly and shallow” (Rich 202) after she brought them home to meet Father.
In his play, A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen depicts a female protagonist, Nora Helmer, who dares to defy her husband and forsake her "duty" as a wife and mother to seek out her individuality. A Doll's House challenges the patriarchal view held by most people at the time that a woman's place was in the home. Many women could relate to Nora's situation. Like Nora, they felt trapped by their husbands and their fathers; however, they believed that the rules of society prevented them from stepping out of the shadows of men. Through this play, Ibsen stresses the importance of women's individuality. A Doll's House combines realistic characters, fascinating imagery, explicit stage directions, and
In the play “A Doll’s House” Henrik Ibsen introduces us to Nora Helmer and shows us how spontanesly her design of the ideal life can change when a secret of her is revealed. Nora’s husbands promotion to Manager of the town Bank, leaves her convince she will be living a wonderful life; stress and worry free. However, Nora’s idea of a wonderful life is completely changed when her long-kept secret is revealed.
Women roles have drastically changed since the late 18th and early 19th century. During this time, women did not have the freedom to voice their opinions and be themselves. Today women don’t even have to worry about the rules and limitations like the women had to in this era. Edna in “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin and Nora in “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen were analogous protagonists. The trials they faced were also very similar. Edna and Nora were both faced with the fact that they face a repressive husband whom they both find and exit strategy for. For Nora this involved abandoning her family and running away, while Edna takes the option that Nora could not do-committing suicide. These distinct texts both show how women were forced to
Literature includes characters that share common ground but differ for specific reasons. Two characters that are comparable yet distinguished from one another are Madame Loisel and Della Young. These characters are illustrated along with their similar concerns and unique traits and values. Madame Loisel from “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant and Della from “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry are both emotional, however, their dispositions and values contrast.
In A Doll House, Ibsen presents us with Torvald and Nora Helmer, a husband and wife who have lived together for eight years and still don't know each other. This rift in their relationship, caused in part by Torvald's and Nora's societally-induced gender roles and also by the naivete of both parties to the fact that they don't truly love one another, expands to a chasm by the end of the play, ultimately causing Nora to leave Helmer. Throughout most of the play, Ibsen continually has his characters prepare for a masquerade ball that takes place at their friends' house.
Investigation of Power in Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ Nora Helmer is introduced in Act I as a character subjugated to the wills and desires of her husband; she is merely an object which Torvald, possesses. At the conclusion of Act III however, she has become sufficiently independent to arrive at her decision to leave the children, her husband and what life she had behind, as she slams the door on the family home. A significant transition of power has occurred and this is one of the major themes that Ibsen raises in his dramatic text ‘A Doll’s House.’ However, in examining the underlying issue of power presented by the text, one cannot simply look at the plight of Nora’s character, three major aspects of this theme need also to be