Moral and Social Consciousness

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer introduces, discusses and analyzes the works "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Specifically, the paper discusses moral and social consciousness in service to others in the two stories. The writer notes that both of these stories raise issues of moral and social consciousness, and make the reader more aware of how society viewed and treated women during the Victorian Age. The writer points out that the characters in both stories must conquer obstacles and fight for what they believe is right, even if it goes against the culture and belief systems of the time. In conclusion, these two stories indicate how important moral and social consciousness is in our society, and how it can be a great service to others in trouble or in need.

From the Paper:

"Nora may never return to the family, and she will face many obstacles attempting to make a living on her own at a time when few middle- or upper-class women worked outside the home."
"Both women fought for what they knew was right at a time when women were literally kept behind closed doors for most of the time. Both women could see the wrongs and injustices in society, and both knew there had to be more for them somewhere else. The narrator pays the highest cost because she gives up her sanity and her family, and she faces the greatest obstacles to a normal life. It is interesting that the male author (Ibsen) creates a character that seems irrational in her decision to leave, while the female author creates a character that is quite sympathetic even as madness creeps up on her. This indicates just how different male and female views were at the time. Both women fought and spoke out about wrongs, but they were viewed differently even by their own authors."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Delashmit, Margaret, and Charles Long. "Gilman's the Yellow Wallpaper." Explicator 50.1 (1991): 32-33.
• Downs, Brian W. A Study of Six Plays by Ibsen. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1950.
• Egan, Michael. Henrik Ibsen: The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge, 1997.
• Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." College of Staten Island: City University of New York. 2006. 17 Jan. 2007.<http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/wallpaper.html>
• Herndl, Diane Price. Invalid Women: Figuring Feminine Illness in American Fiction and Culture, 1840-1940. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1993.

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