Many believe that if a character makes it through a challenging situation, they become stronger because of it. However, this cannot stand true in all cases; Dishonesties, deception, and cover-ups sometimes allow that individual to make it through that difficult scenario. In these cases society must not accept that the person has become stronger, but has in fact been made weaker. The individual is weak because they did not hold true to good character and honest living. To hold true to such is the more difficult route, but in-turn adds to a person, making them stronger. People are often faced with testing circumstances and sadly it is often society that places pressure on people to choose the easy way out. Whether or not an individual yields
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Themes of society versus individual can be seen in plays such as William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet or adaptations of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, but this theme is most beautifully displayed by multiple characters in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Krogstad, a scandalized bank worker, is the earliest example of man adhering to society’s pressure in A Doll’s House. The play is quick to share the weakness of Krogstad when he chose the easy route and forged a signature on a document, “I dare say you know, like everybody else, that once, many years ago, I was guilty of an indiscretion” (Ibsen, 21). Torvald succumbs to society’s pressure to keep up appearances and asks Nora to lie. After Nora’s secret is made known to Torvald, he does not choose honesty but instead asks Nora to pretend all is fine, “From now on, forget happiness. Now it’s just about saving the remains, the wreckage, the appearance” (Ibsen, 63). The only character to stay true to personal morals and not succumb to society’s pressure is Nora. Although it is revealed that Nora had once allowed society to pressure her, at the end of the play Nora does not succumb to society’s pressure to keep up appearance and does exactly what she believes to be right by leaving Torvald. Characters in dramas and stage productions face challenging scenarios which force these characters to choose easy or difficult routes, however these characters only suffer in fictional worlds while many individuals throughout history have had to face society in real
Themes of society versus individual can be seen in plays such as William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet or adaptations of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, but this theme is most beautifully displayed by multiple characters in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Krogstad, a scandalized bank worker, is the earliest example of man adhering to society’s pressure in A Doll’s House. The play is quick to share the weakness of Krogstad when he chose the easy route and forged a signature on a document, “I dare say you know, like everybody else, that once, many years ago, I was guilty of an indiscretion” (Ibsen, 21). Torvald succumbs to society’s pressure to keep up appearances and asks Nora to lie. After Nora’s secret is made known to Torvald, he does not choose honesty but instead asks Nora to pretend all is fine, “From now on, forget happiness. Now it’s just about saving the remains, the wreckage, the appearance” (Ibsen, 63). The only character to stay true to personal morals and not succumb to society’s pressure is Nora. Although it is revealed that Nora had once allowed society to pressure her, at the end of the play Nora does not succumb to society’s pressure to keep up appearance and does exactly what she believes to be right by leaving Torvald. Characters in dramas and stage productions face challenging scenarios which force these characters to choose easy or difficult routes, however these characters only suffer in fictional worlds while many individuals throughout history have had to face society in real