Sample Response:  How is “home” depicted in the two of the works you have studied and what is its significance?

Ghosts is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen in 1881. It is a social commentary that criticizes the towns in Norway for the traditional ideas upheld that often lead to terrible consequences. Using the Alvings as an example, Ibsen tells the story of one woman – Helena Alving – and describes the series of events that take place as a consequence of following ideas set forth by society. Mrs. Alving’s only hope was to save her son Osvald and she does everything to protect him and ultimately fails due to what happens because of her lack of strength in standing up to old traditions – namely ghosts. Ibsen creates a story that outlines the tragedy that occurs when people do not let go of ghosts. Similarly, The Bluest Eye is a novel written in 1970 by Toni Morrison, set in Lorain, Ohio, that casts criticism on society. Also a social commentary, it raises questions in readers in order to make them see the effects of racism and how they lead to segregation and, worse, internal racism within the black community itself. Morrison uses the story of Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl who dreams of having blue eyes as she views her dark skin and eyes as the reason behind the hate she receives. Told through multiple narratives, Morrison depicts the extreme consequence of racism while criticizing society for falling into the trap of the ‘master narrative’, a term coined by Morrison herself to describe the way a white man is able to control others. While both texts are social commentaries, depictions of homes in both are used to further their purpose as social commentaries through the way homes are seen as settings for intolerable acts; though the way the illustrations of home contrast connotations of the word; and lastly through the way the actions in the home do not fit the idealized setting in which they take place.

Both Ghosts and The Bluest Eye use mentions of intolerable acts such as Captain Alving’s infidelity and Pecola’s rape to display how societal norms and cultures can lead to a fracturing of home. In Ghosts, the home is the setting for Captain Alving’s adultery and as such becomes the setting in which Helena Alving hears and experience ‘Ghosts’. Ibsen places the setting of the infidelity at home to show how the home – an intimate place – becomes sullied. Mrs. Alving is then forced to live within her house confined to it because societal expectations do not allow her to leave. As the woman’s primary role is to take charge of the house and be mother, she must stay and does as much due to her obligation to her “duty”. Ibsen uses specific choice in diction in order to highlight the way Helena Alving is confined much like a prison to her house. She is the tragic hero in the story where she has one major flaw – her acceptance of her role – and ultimately it leads to her downfall. By placing the act of infidelity inside the home, Ibsen illustrates for readers and viewers of the play that there is a stark difference between reality and what was presumed to be reality. In the 19th century, traditional Norwegian families would see the mother as the matriarch of the family and her responsibility was to be a mother and to have no “right to happiness” as Ibsen suggests.

This lack of happiness is also seen in Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye which describes the abuse and rape to Pecola. In the 1930’s, black families would often be evicted out of their homes forcibly or voluntarily in order to move or find a new place to stay. As such this meant that a lot of families would sometimes be without a true home and would be simply on the move, never settling and making a home. Morrison depicts this in The Bluest Eye where the Breedloves are put “outdoors” as to be put “outdoors” was to leave your family without a place to stay. This then adds to the rape and shatters the illusion of a home as Pecola is violated in her own home due to Cholly’s hatred of himself because of the master narrative. As said, when he “fucks her tenderly” we as readers are able to see the oxymoronic juxtaposition between the harshness of the “fuck” and “tenderly”. By creating a scene in which a father abuses his little girl we see the detrimental effect racism has on people as Cholly’s hate for himself manifests as something horrible and leaves Pecola ruined and broken. The intolerable acts add to the depictions of home and more appropriately to what they come to symbolize in the story.

Connotations of the word ‘home’ are usually positive and lead to feelings of happiness, but in both texts something different is happening. Henrik Ibsen creates a setting that exposes all the intimate secrets the family would hold close but also uses the reality of the situation in the home to convey the effect of the values upheld as correct by society. In the play, Ibsen presents the idea of a ghost as an ideal or way of living, a value that is archaic. It is not from its time but rather something that lingers and festers. Ghosts can also be seen in society in the way people write and think and act or as actions from the past that come back to haunt. In this way, Ibsen has Mrs. Alving see ghosts in her own house as past actions come back due to ideals still in place. Her uttered cry of “Ghosts!” as she hears Regina and Osvald in the kitchen sets the tone as solemn and serious and this matched by the weather as Ibsen employs pathetic fallacy to create a dreary and gloomy weather to reflect the feelings of Mrs. Alving. This use of imagery also creates a darker mood and Mrs. Alving’s request for “the lamp” shows the literal and metaphorical darkness that shrouds the house as it is filled with lies and deceit. Ibsen was criticized heavily by critics that were appalled at his use of the home as a setting as it held up a mirror to society and it was uncommon to talk of things such as what he mentioned in the play. There was a class separation between public and private lives which Ibsen broke down in order to convey the importance of his critique of life.

Morrison uses hardly any mention of outside forces in her novel, but during the time the book was set, black people and their families were targeted and lynched due to their race. This led to fracturing of not only black and white societies, but fracturing between black communities themselves. This was the effect of institutionalized racism as black people hated and segregated other black people because that is what was taught. Dick and Jane primers which were used for teaching English spoke only about perfect families with parents that laughed and loved. Such was not the case in Pecola’s house and more than once Morrison makes Pecola wish she had “pretty blue eyes”. The blue eyes were seen as a solution to fit in and seen as the ideal that was meant to be achieved. This is what causes the breaking of marriage between Pauline and Cholly as Pauline watches movies that only use white leading ladies as the standard to meet. All these instances add to the antagonism between the family and repeated mentions of how Pecola likes to “visit” others also emphasizes the point that the homes are distant representations or connotations of homes as they throw into sharp relief the effect of the master narrative and institutionalized racism on a family and further the novel’s purpose as a focal commentary meant to cast criticism.

Lastly, the descriptions of homes as ideal homes that should make for a happy family allows readers to see how great the effect of the consequences are. In Ghosts, Ibsen depicts home as a direct minor image to the house of a higher class individual in society. He does this in order to create a stronger message that will be at greater depth to readers. Viewers of the play would then be able to see and more importantly relate to the situations on stage as Ibsen broke many conventions such as sophisticated language and the setting in order to deliver the message better. The Alvings home is grand with a garden and many books and large windows. Describing the appearance and position of many windows in the house has a sort of fishbowl effect to it where the characters are confined within but can see outside. Captain Alving was an honored man but at home was lazy and owed most of his fortune to Mrs. Alving. Ibsen presents the setting as an ideal home with ideal characters in order to emphasize the un-ideal situation. The transparent glass is ironic as though the glass is clear, there is hardly any truth in the house as Osvald shows this when he cries out for “the sun” as a final leap for the truth. It is only once the truth comes out that the house lets light through and is also illuminated by natural rather than artificial.

Morrison employs the same idea when she presents Geraldine’s house as perfect with the “fence” and Morrison also points out that Pecola likes the “pretty house” with its “green” color. The significance of the “green” color allows for color imagery to heighten the description of the house. While outwardly it is a beautiful house, Geraldine holds the ugliness inside. Morrison describes the way Geraldine makes sure her son’s face – Junior – does not turn “ashy” in order to display a good, pretty house cannot hide the internal racism as she suggests the importance of having colored skin over black. She also has the description of sex inside the house for Geraldine as one she has “to suffer through” in order to highlight and show how important it was for her to remain clean because dirty meant black and that was not good. The use of difference in houses and their depictions is then seen again when Morrison presents Pauline’s behavior in her own house and Pauline’s behavior in the white family’s house. The white family’s house is prettier, with a “fence” and a pretty green garden in the “good neighborhood”. Morrison’s descriptions of the house reiterates the difference between black and white and also shows how internalized racism plays out when Pauline treats her daughter worse than a stranger’s daughter for whom she works.

In conclusion, depictions of homes in both texts are significant because of how they add to the overall message of the play and novel by being the setting for abuse and infidelity or by shattering preconceived notions of what houses are supposed to be. The main purpose of a social commentary is to criticize and both authors criticize homes in order to show consequences of certain ways of thinking in their most intimate ways as well as their most extreme. It is important and curious to note that both texts were condemned and celebrated due to the themes and scenes they presented which are scenes and themes still relevant in contemporary setting as they criticize values and issues that are still as prevalent now as they were then.

1899 words.