Comparative

Comparative Study:Relationships and Power
How Many Miles to Babyon and A Doll's House

The theme/issue that I have chosen is relationships and power. This theme is clearly portrayed and developed in my chosen texts. The texts I have chosen are How Many Miles to Babylon by Jennifer Johnston (HMMB) and A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen (ADH).
The theme/issue of relationships and power is clearly evoked in the relationshios between Alicia and Alec in HMMB and Nora and Helmer in ADH. Both texts and relationships show the use and abuse of power.

In the opening scene of HMMB, we get our first glimpse at the relationship shared between Alec and Alicia. Alec writes that he loves ‘no living person’. He will not write to his parents to inform them of the situation: ‘Time enough for others to do that when it is all over.’ He feels sympathy for how his father will react to the knowlege but he says that his ‘heart doesn’t bleed for her’. We see Alec is angry and frustrated with his mother. This gives us a hint as to who has the power in this relationship. Alec is frustrated by the control and power Alicia has over him. We get a feeling that Alec is more of a commodity to Alicia than a son. Similarly, in ADH, Torvald sees and uses Nora as a commodity almost like a toy. In the opening seen, Torvald speaks to his wife in a rather demeaning way, but she doesn't really seem to mind. Nora acts in a child-like way, it seems this is what Torvald expects of her. Torvald has clear power in this relationship, he has complete control over the money and Nora has to beg and play with Helmer in order to get some.Torvald clearly enjoys the idea that Nora needs his guidance, and he interacts with her as a father would. He abuses his power by treating Nora like a child, calling her pet names such as 'my skylark' and 'little squirrel', whenever he refers to Nora it always involves her being called little showing that Torvald is bigger with more power in the relationship. However, unlike Alec and Alicia in HMMB, Nora and Torvald both seem very happy together and although there may be some falseness there is love to be seen between the married couple.

In HMMB, Alicia frowns on Alec’s relationship with Jerry. She does not approve because Jerry is from a lower class standing, referring to him as ‘that boy’. While this relationship clearly makes Alec happy Alicia will not have it as it may reduce her social standing within her society to have her family mixing with the lower classes.Alicia makes numerous attempts to stop Alec from seeing Jerry. She forbids him from spending time with Jerry, takes him to Europe to put distance between them and tries to sully Jerry’s character by calling him a criminal after the horse racing. All of this is because she does not want Alec to become his own person with his own opinions and the confidence to share them.Alicia tries her best to keep complete control over Alec by destroying any other relationship he shares with people including Fredrick, Alec's father. The use and abuse of Alicia's power over Alec effects him in many ways, because he never really experienced the world or had any friends his own age, he is unnable to communicate properly with people and also doesn't understand a lot of things in the world as a child he almost fully dependant on what Alicia has told him. Likewise, in ADH, Torvald completely dissaproves of Nora speaking to Krogstad. We see Nora is limited by her society and that men have power over women. Torvald gets so frustrated that Nora would try influence him, he reiterates his power by sending Krogstads dismissal straight away. “If the rumour got about that the new vice-president had allowed his wife to persuade him to change his mind-”, Torvald fears being seen as less of a man if his wife has some power or influence on his decision-making. Similarly in both texts, Alec and Nora try to discuss and come to a settlement with Alicia and Torvald but both fail misrebly and remain under control.
In HMMB, before Alicia sends Alec off to war she reveals a shock revealtion that Fredrick might not be Alec's father. In this scene, we really see Alec lose all hope in himself, the only thing he loved in his life was his house and the estate, he is now informed that it is not rightfully his.He is perturbed:'Dispossessed in a sentence'. Alicia continues being cold and heartless towards Alec. She leaves him struggling.Alec is defenceless, he is under complete control of Alicia. Everytime Alec tries to disobey her she knocks him back with hurtful statements. Alicia doesn't care that the only feeling Alec has towards her is hatred as long as she has power and can use him for her own selfish wants. Alec always fails in becoming even equal to Alica in this relationship and can't escape the cold-hearted control of his mother. In contrast with Nora's revelation in ADH, we see a complete twist in power. Torvald is furious with Nora, he disowns Nora completely. This causes Nora's change in perspective. She sees how false their marraige has been and her dissappointment changes her views. She now realises she was never happy, she was just pretending, 'You don' understand me. And I've never undertood you-until this evening'. Instead of shouting and abusing Torvald, she stays calm and collected. Nora grows and gains equal power with Torvald. They have their first ever serious conversation and this time Nora has the power and Torvald is the one acting helpless. The reader sees the triumph Nora has over Torvald after her revelation , whereas, in HMMB we see Alec's tale of doom.

In HMMB, Alec’s actions at the end of the text in some part seem to be for his mother as well as himself and Jerry. Alec will be killed by firing squad for his actions and this will mean that his time within the army will go on record as dishonourable rather than honourable.This is his final insult to his mother. Also, when he is writing to his mother his just describes the table showing no concern for his mother at all. Alec shows his bitter hatred to his mother and does things that will annoy but never actually gains power. He does defy his mother and stays friends with Jerry and ends up dying for Jerry but these actions don't justify him in anyway. He is dying someone who never got to live their own life only the life that was forced upon him. He is numb and feels no one will ever understand him. “They will never understand. So I say nothing. The guns throb constantly and louder up the line. The building trembles. Because I am an officer and a gentleman they have not taken away my bootlaces or my pen, so I sit and wait and write.” This is completely different to ADH, Nora takes charge of her own destiny, she announces she is leaving. Nora is revolutionary for the time she is living in she shows great power and strength challenging society and religion. She is no longer going to conform to society. Helmer is shocked by this new Nora, she explains how she expected Torvald to sacrafice himself for her. Torvald continues to dismiss Nora as he does earlier in ther play only now Nora is stronger and Torvald exertion of power has little or no effect on her. The exchange rings and now there is nothing stopping either of them from doing what they want they are on equal grounds. Nora has transformed into an independant woman, something she always had in her but only now gained the power to become one. In ADH, for Nora's final farewell, she is going out beginning her life and going to find herself. She has gained power and is no longer under the control of Torvald. On the contrary to HMMB, Alec's life is coming to an end and he is still struggling to express his feelings to anyone and is still struggling under the power of Alicia.
To conclude, the theme/issue I chose was relationships and power. In my chosen texts, How Many Miles to Babylon by Jennifer Johnston and A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, I looked at how the theme/issue developing in both texts. Both texts show similarities and differences in the use and abuse of power in relationships.