The problem of husband and wife relations has always been the consideration of the whole society. The problem of marriage is the social, moreover, the condition in the society, the social processes which exist usually predetermine the position of man and woman in the marriage, their roles and the relations between them. The history knows the examples of matriarchy and patriarchy, when the domination in the family belonged to different genders. We are not going to dwell upon the modern position of wife and husband in the family, as it may take too much time. We are going to contrast and compare the two pieces of works which were created by different authors in different times, and identify how society and time, during which the works were written, influenced the writers’ opinions about the family relations.
The texts under consideration are “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen and “The Yellow Wall Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. These two pieces were written in different times, and the social opinion influenced the themes in the stories. Historical processes in XIX and XX century were different, and this difference may be seen in the relation description inside the family couples. Henrik Ibsen described the male dominance in the relations, while Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story presents the arousal of feminism movement in the society.
The play “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen arouses the problem of human rights, and in particular the notion of male domination under women, in time when women have no rights at all, no property, except the cloths and jewelry they wear. The play directly presents the role of woman and mother in the Victorian times, before women began their fight for some positions in economical, political or social spheres. This is the time when woman was a property of a man, what is perfectly shown on the family relations of Nora and Torvald.
Nora and Torvald is the couple in which relations wife had not any influence in the family. It may be even said that Nora belonged to her husband. To confirm the situation, a lot of examples from the play may be given. Nora did not have the key from the mailbox, what says that she was forbidden to look through the mail without her husband permission. All decisions were made by husband and she had nothing to do, but obey. It is obvious, that such situation could not last for ever, that the time had to come when Nora’s patience would finish. And the time came. Nora deceived his husband once and then lies continued to grow. She was afraid to confess about her action, as she took his money without permission. (Ibsen 2002) The notion of fear and influence may be seen in the example.
Nora. Sometimes one has a tiny little bit of influence. When anyone is in a subordinate position they should really be careful to avoid to avoid offending someone who–who–
Krogstad. Who has influence?
Nora. Exactly (Ibsen 2002-44).
The situation turns to which Nora feels companionship with Dr. Rank and understands that her feelings are reciprocal. Such outcome could be guessed beforehand. The husband’s treatment of his wife usually brings such consequences, but regarding to Nora she respects her husband and do not allow the situation come out of control. She is like a frightened cat, who is walking, the vision of freedom is created but at the same time the inside feeling of responsibility before the master is predominant, and the cat has nothing to do but suffer from its position, on the occasion when the situation appears not only in the single family, but the whole society adheres to that opinion. Helmer in reference to Nora says such words, “… calm yourself, my frightened little bird” (Ibsen 2002-138). Nora does not want to change something, she does not know how it is to be free and whether it is possible in general, so she does not beg for freedom.
A married couple in the “Yellow Wall Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman shows the other sort of relations inside the family. The story was written during the times when the feminism movement was at the very beginning of its appearance. The Play is focused on a woman of indeterminate age without a name who turns mad because of her husband’s care. The description comes from her name and the feelings appear that the dairy is read.
So, the social opinion about people’s stress is taken as the basis of the story. The protagonist appears in the situation, when she is not understood. The society was sure that to treat stress the person should be taken into closed room for some time. The husband, as the social representative, is a doctor, and he decides to treat his wife in the room with yellow wall papers, the color which had to calm down. John treats his wife as a child. When she tells him about her feelings, he just laughs and do not believe her, thinking only about her stress and that the closed room will help her (Gilman 2000).
Having appeared in the closed room with yellow wall paper, the woman is going to turn mad, she hates those yellow wall papers, but her husband does not listen to her, insisting just on his way of treatment by taking his wife to domestic incarceration. “Slight hysterical tendency” (Gilman 2000-3) is turned into depressive condition only due to bad way of treatment and paternalistic care which overwhelms and just slows down the recovery. The wife is screaming for freedom, she stifles from that room and wants to get out. She tears the wall papers off in fits and thinks that after doing it she will be free, at least her eyes will not catch that terrible color which made her mad (Gilman, 2000).
In comparison to Nora, the main character of Gilman’s story wants to get out, she knows what freedom is, her husband was a head of the family, but he never was the dominant, he had never limited her freedom before the depression, and even in this case he thought that he was saving her, but in reality he killed her emotionally and psychologically.
The madness of John’s wife limited her freedom. And the situation which appeared in the Nora’s life vice versa stimulated her for release from husband’s domination and to escape with Dr. Rank and for some moments it seems that she also wants to escape. The situation when Nora shows her silk stockings may appear to be rather primitive, but considering the fact that it was XIX century, her actions were very vulgar and revealing if were put on the social discussion.
Nora. Just look at those!
Rank. Silk stockings
Nora. Flesh-colored. Aren’t they lovely? It is so dark here now… (Ibsen 2002-83).
John’s wife is ill, she begs for help her but her husband seems not to hear her. Treating her like a child, he considers all her actions as the whims and does not react. Being a doctor he seems to be right and seeing that his wife does not recover, he does not want to stop his way of treating and to find the other one. This situation reminds Torvald, they both care about their image in the “men” world. Their wives feelings touch them less of all.
The common features in the family relations of these two couples are that the women are both dependent from their husbands, but the situation of these dependences are different. Nora did not know the other life but that. The social position was that women were dependant and Nora just followed that position. John’s wife knew the other life and she sought for freedom but she was forbidden to use it. She was jailed in the cell and could not find any way out of there. John’s wife and Nora were pressed by marriages, homes and children care and that press from their husbands’ sides pushed them for lies.
John’s wife was limited in freedom not by her will, she did not want to stay in that room but being ill she could not protest properly and her husband took the domination under her without agreement. Nora was jailed by herself. That was the norm in society that woman should be dependent from the man and Nora was brought up under that influence, under that social position and she did not understand the other life.
It is obvious, that these both dependences from husbands are out of modern understanding in the American world, but still the situations still appear in our country. We do not take into consideration the religion, we are talking about modern world where women became leveled with men. There are cases in modern life when we may see the both situations, which were described by the writers of XIX and XX centuries.
In conclusion, the situations in the named written works have both similarities and differences. The play by Ibsen and the story by Gilman both describe the relations between wife and husband. The similarity is that the both wives were dependant from their husbands, and that the husbands did not feel any guilt for their actions, for their dominance under the wives. That limitation of freedom is the main difference in the family relations of those couples. In “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen Nora was put in the dependence by the social thought and had no ways to avoid that dependence. In the situation with John’s wife in “The Yellow Wall Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman she was put into dependence by her husband without being asked. She did not have any choice, but she wanted to be free, she wanted to go out, but could not and had to suffer. The themes in the written works are similar, but the situations and the decisions, which are made, are different as they were written in different times and the society was absolutely different, and as it is known the society influences the world of art, and the literature is not an exception.
Works Cited
- Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wall-Paper and Other Writings. Modern Library, 2000
- Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Plain Label Books, 2002