The Theme of Emancipation in A Doll's House & Girl by Jamaica Kincaid - Essay Example

? Order 538869 Topic: The Theme of Emancipation in A Doll's House & “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid. It’s the unending story through the Ages; it’s abouthim and her! The word marriage has a beautiful meaning. It is supposed to be the happy state of togetherness. Married life is like the scale of justice. Both arms of the scale are equally important to strike the correct balance. Imbalance leads to many problems. Ibsen in “A Doll’s House” develops a powerful theme—that of emancipation of a woman. What can a doll do? It will be controlled by the string to which it is attached. It has no free movements of its own. That is the type of married life Nora and Torvald live. Nora’s submissiveness to him is seen in every aspect of her life; she is indeed the doll with human physical equipment (body) Forget the movements, even her thoughts are controlled by Torvald. A puppet has no existence of its own, and is totally dependent in its master as to what he will do with her. When Nora learns tarantella, the absolute controlling aspect becomes obvious. Out of sheer submission (and perhaps hidden fear in the mind) Nora pretends that she heeds him to relearn the dance and its each move. Torvald treats Nora like a sex object to be enjoyed at will. He takes her sexual submission for granted and as a matter of right for the husband. After he completes the session of teaching her tarantella dance, Torvald with the urge that reveals his craving for her body says, when she was gyrating, his blood was pounding and obviously he had strong urge for sex. He was constantly observing her physical assets and didn’t care much about her emotions. Nora was in no mood to respond and asked him to go away. Torvald reminded her that he was her husband. This adamancy on the part of Torvald indicates that as a husband he has the right to demand physical pleasure from his wife, at will! Torvald has poor opinion about Nora; he treats her like a child or a slave. She doesn’t have the freedom to spend the money which Torvald gives her on rare occasions. The following conversation reveals the essential gap in their mindset, when Torvald asks her whether she wants anything from him. Henrik Ibsen (2005, p.13) writes, “Nora :( speaking quickly) You might give me some money, Torvald. Only just as much as you can afford; and then one of these days, I will buy something with it. Torvald: But, Nora…. Nora: Oh, do! Dear Torvald; please do! Then I will wrap it up in beautiful gilt paper and hang it on the Christmas Tree. Won’t that be fun?”Torvald thinks that she would spend the money on children goods like candy and pastry. She has a fixed duty schedule of caring for the children, remain engaged in routine household work, and work on her needlepoint. She performs all her assigned duties, the main objective of which is to please Torvald. The issues raised in A Doll’s House by Ibsen, concern not a solitary case of Nora vs. Torvald, but the entire womenfolk of the Victorian Society. There were restrictions around women in every facet of their life. A Doll’s House is not the story of a House, but how the House assumes the form of the prison for the women. They have no freedom of free thinking and their mind is fettered. Nora was treated like a child by her father as well--that was the structure of the society as for the treatment for women! Her husband later dutifully took over the role of dominance. At every stage of life the growth of the women was curtailed. In many societies and in many households, the position of women, even today is comparable to the status of Nora. Even in some advanced countries, her position is equal as per the provisions of the Constitution only—the society still treats her as unequal with antiquated social views regarding women. It is a case of double fault. Women are inclined to use their feminine charm to secure what they want from men and remain satisfied at that level. This is the mindset that one sees in A Doll’s House. Men like Torvald are concerned about the controlling aspect and exercise authority of male superiority. Like a dutiful wife Nora pampers her husband and Torvald thinks that it as the reality and takes her disposition as a tribute to his personality and strength. He is unable to fathom the manipulative nature of Nora. Girl by Jamaica Kincaid “The poem “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is the lengthy and detailed advice from a mother to her daughter. It takes the form of a series of lessons; the point of the lessons, according to the mother, is to teach her daughter to behave and act properly.” It says explicitly—that the activities of women need to remain within the boundary of four walls of the house. This is not what the men folk think-- but the mother of this girl! She is worried about the current behavior of her daughter, and strongly believes that a woman’s reputation and respectability is mirrored in the quality of her life in the community. According to the mother, sexuality is a hidden treasure to be concealed and guarded. She takes her daughter to task for her walking style and the way she plays marbles. She wants her daughter to remain like a “domesticated animal,” and acquire thorough knowledge of household chores. She is the future head of her household and thus a productive member of the community. Her categorization of women is simple and straightforward--the respectable ones and the sluts. Keep the woman busy with expertise in household duties; besides adding to prestige, it will save from temptations. Such are the carefully cultivated traditional beliefs. Mother is never tired of giving her instructions related to cookery and domestic duties. She lectures her on the cooking method of pumpkin fritters, buy bread, wash clothes and sweep floor. Retaining and enhancing the sexual reputation within the community is the top priority issue for the mother, and she exerts a lot to bring up her daughter thus! Jamaica Kincaid writes how the mother relentlessly advises her daughter, “This is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard; this is how you smile to someone you don't like too much; this is how you smile at someone you don't like at all.” Domesticity is the first and final source of happiness, according to her mother. A mother will transmit the family recipes and culinary traditions down to her daughter for the benefit of the future generations. Dress code is another important issue according to the mother. The mother knows the daughter’s apparel reveals about her mindset. It indicates what is going on in her mind. It also highlights sexual respectability and nobility of character. Men won’t suspect them and the chances of illicit relationships are averted, with the aid of decent dress code. Conclusion The contents of The daughter in “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid explain another Nora in the making. Mother is preparing to hand over her to her future “Torvald,” where she will suffer the same torments as faced by Nora. The point of worry is that mostly the women are the cause of downfall of women, by advising their daughters to cling on to the same old traditions, where the status of the women turns subservient to men. Frustrated, the woman shuts the door on the face of her husband as it happens in the case of Torvald, and the family life stands ruined. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik; A Doll's House - Literary Touchstone Edition, Prestwick House, Inc. June 1, 2005. Kincaid, Jamaica; Girl - The Full Text posted on 27 May 2010... Retrieved on May 20, 2011 Read More