The Theme of Superiority Essay - 1472 Words

How do the authors, Strindberg and Ibsen, portray the theme of superiority in â€Å"Miss Julie† and â€Å"A Doll’s House†. In both â€Å"Miss Julie† and â€Å"A Doll’s House†, August Strindberg (1888), and Henrik Ibsen (1879) present the theme of superiority in various ways. Superiority can be seen from many sides, Social superiority, the superiority of men over women and at different points the superiority of women over men feature in both plays. At the time both plays were written, the naturalistic movement was taking place and one of the four principles suggested that â€Å"human beings have no free will, or very little of it, because hereditary and environment are so powerful in determining the course of human action†. This essay will look at the ways in†¦show more content†¦Jean also feels superior to Miss Julie in the sexual side. He is the aristocrat because of his masculine strength, more developed senses and the ability that he has to take the initiative. Natalie Angier wrote that: â€Å"Men cannot help themselves; they are always hungry for sex, bodies, nov elty, nobility and youth† . This quote represents Jean exactly the way he is. Miss Julie is a young and beautiful woman in her early twenties, she corresponds to the noble class and that demonstrates Jean’s interest in her for the sake that he has always dreamt in having his own hotel and the only way to achieve his dreams is through Miss Julie’s money. We can also see Jean ´s disrespectfulness towards Miss Julie with his constant comments on her â€Å"sick† behaviour. Strindberg by portraying Miss Julie as hysteric and constantly drawn to men defined her as ill because she refused to accept her sexual desires. The 19th Century Hysteria was considered to be exactly that; a woman who failed to accept her sexual desires. In â€Å"A Dolls House† the same ideas of men being superior to women are also present. In this case, the characters of Helmer and Nora. Nora is the stereotypical controlled wife and she illustrates this performance in exchange of Helmer ´s allowance. Although Nora realises this, she very much wants Helmer to sustain her. â€Å"I performed tricks for you, and you gave me food and drinks† . In this quotation Ibsen conveys how is it that now NoraShow MoreRelatedCanterbury Tales Character Analysis981 Words   |  4 PagesCanterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, the reoccurring theme of social status is not blatantly obvious. Upon further reading, however, it becomes apparent that it in fact plays large role in most of the aspects of the tales. In both the Wife of Bath’s Tale and the Nun’s Priest Tale, social status plays a role in the plot, characters, and themes in order to more effectively portray the messages Chaucer is trying to get across. The underlying theme addressing social status in The Wife of Bath’s TaleRead MoreTheme Of The Boy In The Striped Pajamas952 Words   |  4 Pagesinitially released on the 12th of September in 2008, directed by Mark Herman. The main idea of the film is the idea of friendship, and how ‘ignorance is bliss.’ Throughout the film, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, the themes of innocence and naivety are presented consistently, as well as the theme of race, (specifically relating to genocide) depicted through the Germans’ prejudice against the Jewish people. Set during WWII, the film follows the life of Bruno, an eight year old boy from Berlin, Germany, andRead MoreThe Nose By Nikolai Gogol959 Words   |  4 Pagesbecause it was so strange that I do not know how to wrap my mind around it. I did enjoy how whimsical and silly it was, though. I was not sure what to expect from this story, but it certainly was not what I experienced. I believe that a very prominent theme in this story is the struggles in society relating to classes. One of the things that Gogol most often points out is the dress and ranking of the characters in this story. For instance, the barber Ivan Yakovlevitch is described as a very dirty manRead MoreRacism And Discrimination On African Americans1210 Words   |  5 PagesBreedloves face are the results of an incident that occurred to Cholly Breedlove at a very young age. When Cholly was having his first sexual encounter with his girlfriend, a group of white policemen stumbled upon him. Out of their assumed racial superiority, the policemen tormented and humiliated Cholly, scarring him psychologically for the rest of his life. This act of racism towards Cholly causes him to direct his hatred of the policemen towards women and his own family. Because of this, his wifeRead MoreBy Definition, â€Å"Power† In This Context Refers â€Å"To The Capacity1376 Words   |  6 PagesBy definit ion, â€Å"power† in this context refers â€Å"to the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events.† (The Oxford English Dictionary.   11th ed. 2008. Print.) I will be investigating the theme of ‘power’ in the film ‘Cats Dogs’ (2001), specifically the scene where Mr Tinkles has a meeting with his employees. There are many factors which demonstrates the idea of power within the relationship the characters have including other features such as wealth,Read MoreFlannery O Connor s A Good Man1493 Words   |  6 Pagesin Savannah, Georgia, she utilized her familiarity with the region as a reference to implement a richly descriptive southern setting in her short stories. She was raised by devout Roman Catholics; her faith was deeply intertwined with the overall theme and character development in her writings. O’Connor portrays moments of grace for her main characters at a time of utter shock a nd devastation. In â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†, the grandmother is enlightened when a mass murderer’s gun is pointing atRead MoreHebrews And Its Impact On The World Essay1362 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay aims to answer the question, â€Å"What is the major theme of Hebrews and does it apply to the individual Christian today?† While looking keenly into the Book of Hebrews, this essay will highlight the major theme of the epistle, and bring into perspective the practicality of the Word of God in the life a Christian today. It will breakdown to detail who a modern-day Christian is, what his life principles are, and lastly, if the theme of Hebrews is applicable with his life today. The Book of HebrewsRead MoreGreat State Wheat Flakes Can’t Be Beat Essay925 Words   |  4 Pagesand well being trends, specifically the interest in eating good-for-you food as well as in physical fitness. The brand was to be pitched as an important part of an active, healthy lifestyle. Betty thought she had come up with the perfect theme line: Great States wheat flakes will give a great start to your active day, and she had developed what she believed were some clever scenarios for TV and print ads featuring the product being consumed after workouts in health clubs, followingRead MoreThe Longest Memory804 Words   |  4 PagesThe Longest Memory – Fred D’Aguiar The Longest Memory is a novel by Fred D’Aguiar, which has many different underlying themes and ideas communicated through it, but all relating back to two main themes of the book. These themes are Racial Superiority and the opposing ideas of Slavery and Christian Values. The date in which this novel is set (early eighteenth century) was a brutal and a seemingly amoral time. The white population at that time had deemed it just to enslave African peoples, whomRead MoreChangi Extended Response1016 Words   |  5 PagesAustralian prisoners of war. The series mainly focuses on six young Australian men giving an insight of each character’s deepest struggle within the camp. There are many themes evident within the episodes, Seeing is believing, Curley, Private Bill and Pacifying the angels. Some of which include power and atrocities of war. These themes are also apparent throughout Edward Zwick’s 2006 film ‘Blood Diamond’, which is about a country torn apa rt by the struggle of the government and rebel forces. According