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THE VULNERABILITY OF WOMEN.
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Discusses the theme in three works of literature.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Discusses the theme in three works of literature. Women's secondary status in society and marriage. Their lack of power. Henrik Ibsen's play "Hedda Gabler," Anton Chekov's story "The Lady With the Dog," Rabindranath Tagore's story "Punishment." Different ways in which each female protagonist copes with her marital situation. How each woman affirms her own value and autonomy.
Paper Introduction:
The Vulnerability of Women
In Hedda Gabler, “The Lady with the Dog,” and “Punishment,” the vulnerability of women within male-dominated societies occupies a central portion of each story. Women’s secondary status in society and within marriage and their lack of power or control over their own destinies is emphasized by, respectively, Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekov, and Rabindranath Tagore. Though these women’s stories are set in radically different cultures and social systems, each of the female protagonists shares the recognition of their vulnerability though they cope with this issue in substantially different ways.
In Ibsen’s (p. 1467) Hedda Gabler, Hedda is described as a beautiful woman “always so surrounded by admirers” who “has to do things in style.” Married to Tesman, Hedda is an exceptional woman with a great d
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For Hedda, the encounter with Brack makes it clear that if shecontinues to live she will do so as a submissive woman. New York: W.W. Hedda's choice in the face of her powerlessness is "tohave the courage and the will to rise from the feast of life" (Ibsen, p.1513). My final ties in this life willbe with them" (Tagore, p. In each instance, an author has created a female character whose poweris ultimately limited and whose position in society is very much that of asubmissive individual who is more acted upon than acting. Gurov, in contrast, is an older, married man for whom extramaritalaffairs are commonplace. Norton & Co., pp. Though assured that herhusband will save her from the gallows, Chandara knows that "I shall givemy youth to the gallows instead of to you. Works CitedChekov, Anton. Chandara is sacrificed because of her husband'sdesire to save his wife, but ultimately (like Hedda), gains control overher fate by electing to submit to death. She encouragesLoevborg, a man with whom she is involved, to take his own life andultimately kills herself rather than submit to Brack. However, she is a woman whosepropensity for intrigue leads her to act in a way that renders hervulnerable to the blackmail of Brack, a man who comes to gain a great dealof control over Hedda because of her financial foibles, her involvementwith another man, and her role in that man's suicide. "The Lady with the Dog." In The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 1697). In Tagore's "Punishment," a beautiful and independent young wifenamed Chandara becomes the victim of her husband and his brother and issentenced to death for a crime she did not commit. 1465-1522.Tagore, Rabindranath. When Chidam's brother kills his ownwife, the brothers decide that Chandara will be identified as the murderer. Alone and bored in Yalta, Anna entersinto a sexual affair and accepts the fact that she has become "a wicked,fallen woman" who has deceived both her husband and herself (Chekov, p.1527). Anna's vulnerability to her own need for love andromance (and perhaps even suffering) leads her to behave in a way that sheknows to be wrong. She givesin to love in the full knowledge that she will suffer greatly for heractions. 1694), a woman's short life isultimately ended because her husband "forgot that a lie can be even moreterrible" than the truth. 1525-1535.Ibsen, Henrik. Only by radicaldecisions such as those undertaken by Hedda and Chandara are women able toregain control of their destinies and exercise a degree of power over themen who have placed them in a difficult position. Each of the women ismarried and despite their marriage, seeks some means of affirming their ownvalue and autonomy. Though these women's stories are set in radically differentcultures and social systems, each of the female protagonists shares therecognition of their vulnerability though they cope with this issue insubstantially different ways. When Hedda learns that Loevborg did not shoot himself, but wasinstead killed by another woman, she elects to take her own life. 1696). New York: W.W. Anna's own responseis positive and though she continues to believe that her involvement withGurov is wrong, she cannot help remaining his mistress. In The Norton Anthology of World Literature. She considers herself to have been snared by the Devil and thoughshe recognizes that her marriage is an empty shell, she also feels that herattraction to Gurov is so powerful that it cannot be resisted. now filled his whole life" (Chekov, p. ForGurov, a lengthy affair with Anna becomes a necessity. Hedda's love for herhusband, Tesman, is a powerful source of her motivation and of her refusalto submit to Brack. 1697). The stories suggest thatthe power of married women is inherently limited and that regardless ofsociety or culture, the options available to women are few. Women's secondary status in society and withinmarriage and their lack of power or control over their own destinies isemphasized by, respectively, Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekov, and RabindranathTagore. Having married a man she regardsas little more than a flunky, she has agreed to be the mistress of a manwhose life is lived in secret and whose fidelity to any woman has neverbeen of long duration. 1332). Norton & Co., pp. In essence, Chandara, though loving her husband greatly, accepts deathat a young age because she has come to the realization that her husbandconsiders her less valuable than his brother and is willing to place herlife in jeopardy in order to save her husband's brother. Like Hedda, Chandara elects to takecontrol of her own destiny and to accept a fate she does not deservebecause of the treatment she has received from the men who matter in herlife. Chekov's central female character, Anna Sergeyevna, is seen in "TheLady with the Dog" as a sensitive married woman who is all too easily ledinto an affair with Dmitri Gurov. In loving Gurov and agreeing to be his mistress, Anna simplyexchanges one set of fetters for another. 1467) Hedda Gabler, Hedda is described as a beautifulwoman "always so surrounded by admirers" who "has to do things in style."Married to Tesman, Hedda is an exceptional woman with a great deal ofsexual appeal and intellectual superiority. Ultimately, hecomes to believe that "this little woman, lost in the provincial crowd inno way remarkable... Her vulnerabilityis extreme as was Hedda Gabler's. 1493) becomes themechanism that allows an unscrupulous man (Judge Brack) to blackmail her.In the case of Chandara (Tagore, p. The Vulnerability of Women In Hedda Gabler, "The Lady with the Dog," and "Punishment," thevulnerability of women within male-dominated societies occupies a centralportion of each story. At least initially, he regards Anna as littlemore than a diversion enjoyed during a brief vacation. When Chandara was asked to admit to the murder she did not commit,she "shrank back, as if to escape his devilish clutches. Rather than achieving freedom in her affair, she simplyadds to the ties and fetters that limit her life and her options. "Punishment." In The Norton Anthology of World Literature. She turned herheart and soul away from him" (Tagore, p. Hedda Gabler. Norton & Co., pp. Chekov's Anna, on the other hand, does not take control of her lifeand allows herself to become the mistress of an unreliable man. Ratherthan be in the power of Brack and "dependent on your will and your demands"(Ibsen, p. 1693-1699. New York: W.W. For Hedda, a relationship with a man other than her husband and apropensity toward intrigue places her in a position of extreme difficulty.Her "secret friendship no one else knew about" (Ibsen, p. In these three women - Hedda, Chandara, and Anna - three verydifferent writers have all described aspects of the vulnerability of womenin widely disparate cultures and social situations. In Ibsen's (p. 1514), Hedda takes her own life in order to remain free. Although Chidam loveshis wife, he "felt that a wife as nimble and sharp as Chandara could not bewholly trusted" (Tagore, p.
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