The Female Characters

Paper Summary:

The paper portrays how Henrik Ibsen's character, Hedda Gabler, shares some similarities with the oppressed housewife, Stella Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' play, "A Streetcar Named Desire." The paper shows how in spite of the vast differences between the two plays, Stella in 1947 is no more evolved as an individual than Hedda in 1891 in terms of her autonomy, her honesty, or her ability to handle her own life. The paper demonstrates how both plays identify the inferior position held by women in society for hundreds of years.

From the Paper:

"Stella Kowalski has made a major concession in marrying Stanley Kowalski, a working-class, brutish sort who is far beneath the aristocratic social class of people with whom Stella was raised. Stanley has none of the manners, social skills or money that someone of Stella's station would customarily have married. However, from the beginning of the play, Stella seems to exhibit an underlying lack of confidence, and settling for her less-than-perfect marriage to Stanley is one more indicator of that. As the play progresses, we see that perhaps Stella has always felt inadequate as compared to her more glamorous sister, Blanche. Stella asks Blanche to try not to compare Stanley to men "that we went out with at home" (Sc. 1, pg. 17)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ibsen, Henrick, translated and edited by Alan S. Downer, Hedda Gabler Appleton-Century Crofts, Inc., New York: 1961.
• Williams, Tennessee, A Street Car Named Desire New Directions Publishing, New York: 1947.

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• Analytical Essay # 136373 : "Death, Female Characters and Edgar Allen Poe"

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