May 2018 Paper 2 Examination

Question 1: In what ways do at least two of the works you have studied (in form and/or content) question or subvert norms, conventions or traditions?

           Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen and The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca are two fascinating examples of great works of literature that question societal norms. The two playwrights expose the suffering of individuals, especially women, in male-dominated society to criticize patriarchy.  Hedda Gabler, written in 1890, portrays the Victorian social codes that oppressed women in Norway. The House of Bernarda Alba, on the other hand, was written in 1936 and vividly shows the life of women who suffer from oppressive societal norms in Spain. Due to the nature of these texts that directly challenge what was deemed to be appropriate in respective societies, both plays received harsh criticism initially. However, the cunning use of setting, characterization, and symbols, which is evident in the two texts, helped achieve the playwrights’ aim of questioning conventions, helped achieve the playwrights’ aim of questioning conventions, and helped label the text as praiseworthy works of literature in our contemporary society.

            The playwrights make an effective use of setting to emphasize the sense of confinement the characters face, to question for whom the restrictive societal conventions are kept. Ibsen sets his play in autumn, a melancholy season with falling leaves and dark colours, to establish a somber mood. Beyond this temporal setting, he also makes use of stage props – a dark porcelain stove, and a dark room. The dark colours that dominate the stage immediately establishes a depressing atmosphere, which Hedda is unable to escape: She is the only character who never sets foot out of the stage, the Tesman household. Thus, the house itself symbolizes marital confinement Hedda faces, as she is expected to stay at home and care for Tesman, as his wife. This restraint in her physical mobility, representing the lack of her freedom, is enhanced by another stage prop – “the glass window.”  Whenever, Hedda is reminded of her obligations as a woman in Victorian era, she heads to the window, and looks out to long for her freedom. When Tesman and Aunt Julle speaks of Hedda’s pregnancy, “Oh, look how plump you’ve grown!” Hedda walks away from the two and heads to the glass window, and is evasive. Hedda perceives pregnancy as a permanent confinement to the house, and her new social class the she struggles to adapt to – the bourgeois. She refers to love as “how people sweeten obligation,” as marriage enforces tasks to Hedda, which she doesn’t want to fulfill’ she is expected to reproduce and nurture a child, while caring for Tesman. As Hedda cannot imagine confining her individuality to reproductive female body, she seeks to get rid of such thought by looking out the window, dreaming of freedom that will never be granted to her. As the audiences clearly see how Hedda is stuck in the Tesman household with the glass window as her only freedom, they too experience the oppression Hedda feels, in a stifling atmosphere.

            Similarly, Lorca locks his characters in the house of Bernarda Alba to establish a suffocating atmosphere, representing the product of strict social traditions. The five daughters are unable to escape the house due to the eight years mourning set by their mother, Bernarda. The house is isolated from the outside world with its “thick walls”, which enhance the sense of a stifling atmosphere. Moreover, the play is set in “brooding hot summer,” which enables the audiences to think of characters locked up in the house, full of heat. This temporal setting, therefore, aids in claustrophobic atmosphere, in which the audiences pity the daughters for, due to Bernard, a tyrant who embodies the values of patriarchal society, her daughters are kept in this suffocating setting for 8 years. Hence, Lorca thoughtfully sets his play to expose the oppression characters face due to social conventions of patriarchal society, in order to criticize them.

            Moreover, characterization is a crucial instrument both playwrights utilize in their works to question the norms of society. As Ibsen was widely known as the father of realism, he was criticized for creating Hedda, who critics referred to as a monstrous character who no parallel can be found in real life. As women in Victorian era were expected to be docile, characterization of Hedda directly challenged this gender role. Hedda is nothing like what women were expected to be like in the late 19^th century. Her manipulative nature and lust for power was, therefore, seen as obscure and “monstrous.”  Despite her social status, as Tesman’s wife, she goes by Hedda Gabler, instead of Hedda Tesman. This shows Hedda’s desire in relating herself to her father, General Gabler, than Jorgen Tesman, a bourgeois. Hedda desires masculinity and disdains herself from femininity by playing with her Dad’s pistols. Traditionally, pistols symbolize war and power, hence relating to masculinity. Therefore, for a woman to put her hands on such objects and further play with them – as Hedda does – is seen as an outrageous action by the audience. Moreover, for Hedda to kill herself with a pistol was an act that was unseen and unheard of in Victorian era. Though the suicide attempt rate among women were three times higher than that of men, the success rate was three times higher among men in the 19^th century. This was because women used less effective and less violent method such as drowning or poisoning, while men used guns. Therefore, this contextual information shows how outrageous it was for audiences to see Hedda using pistols to commit suicide. Such an act directly challenges the societal norm, which even dictated how to end one’s life, and how it differs for women and men.

            Lorca also utilizes characterization to reveal futility of artificial guidelines to life set by the Spanish society. Bernarda is a matriarch, who fully embodies the patriarchal traditions. She emphasizes purity and enforces it on her daughters, at the cost of sexually depriving them. She orders the walls of the house to be fully painted in white, a colour that represents purity.  The play thus begins in a house with “very white walls” and “four white walls slightly washed in blue.”  Such description relates to Adela’s loss of virginity, yet the purity of the other daughters keep the walls relatively white. Though all five daughters are sexually frustrated and long for marriage, Bernarda only grants it to Augustias, the older daughter.  While Bernarda sees marriage as a tool to keep the family reputation and honour, her daughters see it as the only way to escape their household, escape from the tight grip of Bernarda. When the other daughters envy Augustias for cherishing that wish – marriage, Augustias herself isn’t happy because of her loveless marriage. This reaction of Augustias shows the futility of societal values – though marriage is seen as a medium to escape an oppressive household, it simply adds restriction to Augustia’s life. Married women were expected to blindly obey their husbands.  When Augustias questions why she isn’t happy with Bernarda, she simply replies “It’s always like that. Within two years of marriage, men would leave the bed for table, then table for harem. A woman who isn’t happy about it can rot and cry in the corner.” She further adds “speak if he speaks, look at him when he looks at you.”  These advices imply that women were expected to endure whatever burden and neglect they face from the husbands. Lorca therefore criticizes societal norms of marrying for the family honor by exposing the undesirable outcome of loveless marriage.

            Furthermore, Lora denounces Spanish society, wherein gossip matters more than truth. This societal value is evidently shown through characterization of Bernarda, who is constantly worried about what her neighbors would think, rather than worry about the well being of her daughters. When Matirio desires Enrique Humanas as her “bean,” Bernarda prohibits their relationship simply due to his class. “I would do it a thousand times and even not in my lifetime will my blood mingle with the Humanas: His father was a shepherd.” His social class, much below that of Bernarda and her daughters, was the sole reason for Bernarda neglecting Matirio’s emotions and happiness. Because she was preoccupied with preserving her class, as it was an element highly regarded in Spanish society, she drives Matirio to be “love sick.”  The same standard applies to her other daughters who are forced to stay pure and hide their sexual desires. As Bernarda insists there is no on suitable for her daughters, she ignores their sexual needs, which leads to conflict between her daughters – they all desire Pepe el Romano. Her daughters remark, “I am never going to get married. I would rather carry sacks to the mill than to sit in this dark room forever.” This shows how the oppression they face on a daily basis lead them to prefer lowering their class and performing hard labour to staying at home, following Bernarda’s rules – the patriarchal values. Hence, it highlights how class and reputation are futile when it comes to one’s happiness and well being. Moreover, when Adela kills herself, this futility of artificial values is highlighted. The restriction suffocates Adela, and led her to choose death as her only escape. Instead of acknowledging this shortcoming of her restrictions which led to the death of her youngest daughter, Bernarda is solely concerned of what her neighbours would think. She commands the servants to “take her into another room and dress her as if she were a virgin. Nobody should speak of this. My daughter died a virgin.” This cold reaction of Bernarda shows how embedded the patriarchal values were in the society.  Bernarda shows no hint of remorse but only concern of the neighbours finding out. Hence, Lorca criticizes society: wherein what was perceived by the society mattered more than the truth.

            Lastly, Ibsen criticizes aristocratic value, which was highly regarded in the Victorian era through his characters. Hedda, as an aristocrat, needs to fulfill her materialistic needs. She complains how “the piano doesn’t go well with the rest of the furniture” and asks for another one! She further demands Mrs. Falks’ house, claiming that she would “never care to live anywhere except Mrs. Falk’s.” Although Hedda desires the best house and furniture, she is unable to get them herself; she is dependent on Tesman, someone in the middle class. Ibsen depicts the middle class as a hard working and devoted class through Tesman and Aunt Julle. Tesman devotes all his time to academics, while Hedda, an aristocrat shows no interest in it. Moreover, Aunt Julle “gives a mortgage on the annuity” to support Tesman.  Ibsen praises such hardworking and devoted nature of the bourgeois while criticizing the rather greedy nature of aristocrats with insatiable needs. By doing so, Ibsen further challenges the Victorian society, and facilitates in the process of changing social structure – the rising of the middle class, the bourgeois, and the falling of aristocrats.

            To conclude, both Ibsen and Lorca thoughtfully craft their characters and utilizes symbol and setting to comment on the oppressive nature of their respective societies on individuals. Ibsen criticizes the importance of class and gender roles in Victorian society, while Lorca denounces the patriarchal values of Spanish society in 1930’s. Therefore, Hedda Gabbler and The House of Bernarda Alba are two great works of literature that question the norms that oppresses individuals.