Ibsen Solzhenitsyn Doll
World Literature English
Texts Read: A Doll's House - Henrik Ibsen
One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Discuss how Ibsen and Solzhenitsyn portray their protagonists and how this contributes to the development and appreciation of the plays, A Doll's House and One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich as a whole?
The works on which I will be building my essay on are: A Doll's House and One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich. A Doll's House is written by Henrik Ibsen; Ibsen was born in 1828 in Norway. He was well-known for having started the modernist movement, that is, the change from traditional to modern literature. Solzhenitsyn's, One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich, novel written by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn, describes one day in the life of a prisoner living in Soviet labour camps under Stalin's reign. The story occurs in Siberia where some people; not really justified criminals; are sent into Siberian camps if suspected of betrayal or disloyalty by Stalin. The prisoner is represented by Ivan Denisovich also known as Shukhov in the novel. Solzhenitsyn, who had experienced imprisonment in these camps from 1945 to 1953, wrote this novel after having been released from exile. Through this novel, he depicts the experiences of this dehumanizing life he had undergone as a prisoner living in those camps. Throughout my essay I plan to analyze the different literary techniques, that is, symbolism, use of narrative techniques, structure and language used by the writers to present their protagonists. Therefore, I will constantly refer to Nora and Shukhov in my study.
The character os Nora is portrayed through what she says, what she does and the symbols related to her character. In A Doll's House, Nora is seen as an ignorant wife who is governed by her husband, Helmer. Helmer considers Nora to be a property of his by controlling her thoughts and in keeping awareness of her physical movements. Ibsen also shows how Helmer abuses of Nora by comparing her to a squirrel, Is that my little squirrel rustling? The use of this animal imagery shows how Helmer treats Nora as his plaything and how he dehumanizes his wife. As a reader we feel pity for her and we can only sympathise to her ill-treatment. However, this comparison might be seen as a sign of affection between husband and wife. On the other hand, Shukhov in One Day... is not compared to any animal but his life itself is often associated to a dog's life, since he's tempted to lick out leftovers due to lack of food. Through this Solzhenitsyn uses food, that is, bread as a symbolic reference to physical and spiritual survival in the novel. Thus readers re-discover this dehumanization which the protagonists suffer from as a result of being controlled by rules and regulations and living life under someone else's ism.
In both works the themes of oppression are associated to the protagonists. Subsequently, this helps readers to understand and sympathize with the protagonists thus contributing to the appreciation and udnerstanding of the works. In A Doll's House, Helmer is seen as an oppressive character since everything is being emphasized on him. Helmer's way of addressing Nora shows a sense of oppression and according to Ibsen, this fact encourages women to be dependant and constantly suppressed by men. This can be seen with Nora who is naïve and has an irresponsible and immature personality due to her husband. This pressure also influences her aim in life which is to make everything the way Helmer likes it. In One Day... Shukhov's life and that of the other prisoners are of no concern to the officers. The officers are regarded as the oppressive characters since they portray Stalin's character by adhering to his dehumanizing policies. Shukhov as a prisoner in the Siberian camps lives by the Law of the Jungle, where he has learnt and accepted this as his fate. He along with the other prisoners was assignment manual and dignity-hindrant or dignity-destroying tasks. Shukhov's only salvation was to work in order to survive and not suffer from the cold. Therefore, we can see how both Nora and Shukhov live under an oppressive regime; however, Nora has the possibility to escape from this regime whereas Shukhov has no option and is deemed to live under this control. Hence, as a reader we get attached to Nora's character and we wait impatiently for Nora's rebellion and heroism. In contrast, we have compassion for Shukhov since nothing can be done to save him from this regime but as readers we hope that soothing periods happen for him. Both Nora and Shukhov can be compared as slaves since they lose all desire to talk, scared of being punished.
The use of symbols is another technique applied by writers to delineate characters and convey the writer's intention. In both works we come across the symbolic significance of the setting, that is, the entrapment and confinement of the protagonists, which are held prisoners of their own self. In One Day... Solzhenitsyn says wire them in so that they wouldn't run away; this is a symbol of confinement. Similarly in A Dolls' House, Helmer repetitively asks Nora where she has been, this shows the control of her physical movements. As a result of this confinement, petty objects have great significance in portraying the protagonist's personalities. In One Day... Shukhov's spoon which is hidden in his boot represents his uniqueness and individuality, since other prisoners don't possess a spoon. This spoon becomes a symbol of how prisoners have their own tricks to survive and succeed with this rigour of life; it also helps them protect their identity amongst all prisoners. Bread is worshipped in the camps, it is a symbol of life, and hiding bread like Shukhov does means having hope for the next day. Bread signifies life above all. This philosophy of relying on oneself is known as Existentialism which was vital in the 1930's. Regarding, A Doll's House the Christmas tree which is a decorative object, symbolizes Nora's role in her household, that is, the charm she adds to her home. Hence, Ibsen creates a parallel between both. Nora tells her maid that until the tree is decorated the children are not allowed to see it and at the same time she prevents Helmer from seeing her dress and says it won't be revealed until the evening of the dance. The psychological downfall of Nora also accompanies the neglect of the Christmas tree. As readers we discover the importance of petty things in someone's life.
The language and register used also contribute to the appreciation and understanding of the protagonists and the work as a whole. It also helps in the portrayal of characters which facilitates reading for the readers. In One Day... the language is descriptive, with usual spaces and sentence signifying emptiness and the mutism of prisoners. The language is also very vulgar and often referred as a dignity destroying language, for example, Didn't you ever watch your woman scrubbing the floor, PIG? The diction used by Solzhenitsyn in One day... help us sympathise with the prisoners and we understand what they are going through and how it is for them to survive. Conversely, in A Doll's House the language is simple and it passes on messages about society, human rights, life and moral values, I don't think so, now. Not any more. I think that first I'm a human being, the same as you. But I've had enough of what most people say, what they write in books. I must think things out for myself, I must decide.
We may infer that, Shukhov's personality is much humane as he is the only character who has thoughts in the story and he gives importance to his work as it brings him satisfaction and helps him protect his identity whereas Nora lacks individuality which leads to the loss of her identity and failure of development as a person. However, at the end of the play she realizes that she should put an end to this suffocating life and that she should start by exploring and creating a world for herself.
Throughout, this essay I have analysed the life, symbolic aspects and the language used by the writers to portray the protagonists. I should say that the literary techniques used were appropriate for both works and they helped a lot in holding my attention to the stories. As a reader, I appreciated both works and was attached to the protagonists, feeling compassion for what they were enduring. The rebellion of Nora and Shukhov's optimistic way of living showed how hope and will can help people succeed in difficult circumstances.
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