Preview

Comparison of the Characters in "A Doll's House" and "The Stranger"

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1677 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Comparison of the Characters in "A Doll's House" and "The Stranger"
Comparison of the Characters in "A Doll's House" and "The Stranger"

In the real world there exist many different people, of different races and ages, each one unique. Some live secluded lives with few friends and others live very rich and complex lives surrounded by friends and acquaintances. No matter what type of life is led it is human nature to adjust one's external personality to suit the specific situation, much like putting on and removing different masks. People tend to be polite and respectful to others in public even though they may not know the person well or not care for them, yet behind closed doors that mask may disappear and their true feelings may come to the surface. People may adjust their external behaviour and attitudes when around others because they may not like their true selves and either want to change themselves or just merely fit in with society and be liked by others. Another mask that is often worn is the powerful and superior one and so to feel superior when among others pushes them around and becomes a bully. This same person could be gentle, nice and kind when around family but may feel the need to appear superior around other people. This form of adjusting one's personality or mask to suit a situation in life, is also common among characters in novels, dramas, and other forms of literature. In certain characters it is evident in the novel The Stranger and the play A Doll's House . In some instances it is quite easy to notice but other times it may be difficult to identify the changes in character's masks as the changes slowly develop throughout the plot.

A form of mask wearing was found at the beginning of the novel The
Stranger, where Meursault goes to the beach to go swimming and meets Marie
Cardona. She was lying on a float when Meursault was swimming towards it. "She turned toward [him]. Her hair was in her eyes and she was laughing."(20) Later on when both Meursault and Marie go swimming together "She

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    is clear and understandable that other individuals will have the identical perception. In cases like this,…

    • 1396 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Have you ever felt uncomfortable in a gathering that caused you to agree or disagree with your belief because of the mask you wear? Masks are a manner of expression that hides one's true character or feelings; a pretense. In John Irving book, A Prayer for Owen Meany, he uses Owen's life to demonstrate the idea that masks shield beliefs.…

    • 60 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Out of the four characters listed in this film, the one character that does not exhibit pretense is Billy. We first see Billy as a nervous, shy young boy with a speech impediment. Billy has weird relationships with women; he likes women and enjoys the company of them but is fearful of the women that are most close to him. Billy’s mother and especially Nurse Ratched are the women he is most afraid of. Nurse Ratched has a personal relationship with Billy’ mother, she has a special motherly power that she only has on Billy and not the other patients in the hospital. She can control him into doing stuff he doesn’t want to do because, Billy is afraid that Nurse Ratched will tell his mother about his wrong doings and mistakes at the time in the mental institution. Throughout the film, I saw Billy as the same character.…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    person that values the qualities in other people more than approval from her father. Without the…

    • 1465 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The mask is a form of deception or illusion. Sometimes, it can be worn as both. It hides the true emotions of slaves, keeping the slave master from knowing what is going on in their minds. The mask also allows the slave to have an identity without the master's detection. The mask gives the illusion that the slave is exactly how the masters believe, ignorant, incapable of true emotion, and unable to think for themselves.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    TYPE: (EG. MISERLY, HUMORLESS, HOT-TEMPERED, LAZY, COY, ETC.): Hot-tempered when she has to be, but also very conscious. She does not want to hurt anyone’s feelings because she knows how that feels coming from the way the rest of her family treats her.…

    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The environment around you can cause you to think differently about yourself, your family, and maybe even your lifestyle.…

    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Doll’s House consists of two examples of foiling. One being Nora Helmer to Christine Linde. At the start of the novel it seems that Nora has it all, a loving and wealthy husband, a few children, and she doesn’t have to work. All she has is some debt that she pays off with her allowance. Unlike Nora, Christine has had a life of hardship. She works for a living and has no family because she is alone. By the end of the novel, it seems as if the two have switched places. Nora has become alone and deserts her family. While Christine has discovered her love with Krogstad, and hopes for a happy family. But in what ways do Nora and Christine differ? They differ simply because they’re opposites of eachother. Ways Nora and Christine differ are Christine has to grind her life out and Nora lives simply, Nora is wealthy and Christine lives on low-income; lastly Christine is content…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    noticeable at first but as the story progresses, the impairments are easier to find. Many characters in the…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    President John F. Kennedy once said that, “conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” This concept has been seen through centuries of civil rights movements and literature by renowned authors such as Franz Kafka and Henrik Ibsen. Franz Kafka’s short story, “The Metamorphosis,” illustrates the life of traveling salesman Gregor Samsa, the breadwinner of his family who seems to face a transformation that affects his role in his house and society. This change into an unknown insect, both physical and mental, ultimately leads to his loss of humanistic characteristics and eventually death. In Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, a young woman named Nora surpasses the bounds of a housewife when attempting to save her husband’s life.…

    • 2454 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “In Defense of Masks”, by Kenneth Gergen regards that it is not possible for humans to adequately find a coherent self identity without an aftermath. Gergen states, “to the extent that they do, they many experience severe emotional distress” when trying to do so (172). He refers to Erik Erickson, a psychologist who speaks about how self-alienation can result due to the pressures of society to individuals with various masks of identity.…

    • 1551 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lion King the Musical

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Masks are considered "functional works of art" and play a social purpose in Africa. They are used in storytelling and ceremonies and are made to be worn over the head rather than cover the face. This technique is also used in The Lion King so that the human facial expression is not lost and to support the beadwork, corsets and armor used to show the human qualities of a lion. The costumes on the other hand are made of silk cloth to hide the human form, break the shoulder line and to enhance the powerful joints and thighs. The masks are made in such a way that the actor can control the facial expression of the mask through cables attached to their sleeves. Costumes and masks are also used to show the development of the character as they progress through out the story. Young Simba's costume is not as intricate as Scar's to show that, Scar has an underlying plan whereas Simba is innocent.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Family expectations are prevalent in certain cultures and have the capacity to make one feel…

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    one must interact with society in order to have a meaning in life. As for…

    • 2139 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Several years ago, men had little respect for women because of their gender. Females were not given the rights they deserve. They were controlled by their fathers, then handed straight over to their husbands. Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion have occurrences that show similarities between the two female protagonists, Nora Helmer and Eliza Doolittle. Nora and Eliza are comparable in several different ways because both go through experiences with powerful outcomes ultimately transforming their lives throughout the play. From the start both women are young and naïve. Torvald and Mr. Higgins completely controlled and take over both women’s lives by disrespecting them. By the end Nora and Eliza gain courage to stand up for themselves, leave their men and become confident, independent women.…

    • 1771 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics