A Streetcar Named Desire And A Doll's House Essay

In what ways is the reader challenged or alienated by the ideas in the works studied? Refer to the two literary works you have studied.

Literary works have often come under criticism from audiences and critics alike as they often challenge commonly held societal beliefs that support the perception of how a ‘proper’ society should function. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen in 1879 and A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams in 1947 are two examples of two such literary works written by playwrights which successfully challenged and alienated the audience by revealing our facades, societal roles and preconceptions which stifle self actualization within society, in much the same way, they depict the female protagonist struggling under the male antagonist’s dominance and control within their own society. Bjorn Hemmer noted that "The norms, the conventions and the traditions which in essence belong to the past but which continue into the present and there thwart individual liberty in a variety of …show more content…
The reader is first introduced to the protagonist on her arrival in New Orleans ‘Her appearance is incongruous with this setting. She is daintily dressed in a white suit…with necklace and earrings of pearl’. Her attire immediately sets her apart as a member of the aristocrat or the marxist version, the bourgeoisie. Marx states in his writing that regardless of the position we hold in society, no one can escape the clutches of exploitation. In other words, regardless of economic structure or historical time period, exploitation of the less powerful by those in power has and always will be the norm within society. This permeates through both texts and challenges the reader to make him aware that he or she is a victim of the powerful social effects stated in both plays that attempts to manipulate