Paper 2

Topic: (1) Discuss the way that writers have presented characters that feel alienated from
their society in the two works you have studied.

In the context of any society, there always people that are deemed outcasted and unable to
fit in, thus being alienated from their surroundings. The trends of alienation tend to very
depend on the overall phenomena of the ear and customs of each society around the world.
Societies that follow stricter values, such as religious societies, estrange any of their
members that do not conform to its rules while more liberal societies are usually more
inclusive. “A Doll’s House” is a three-act play written by the Norwegian author Hendrik Ibsen
in 1879. The main objective of the play is to criticize the inelasticity of the 19 th century
Norwegian society through the collapse of a middle-class marriage, which was a profound
topic at the time. Heavily discussed themes in the play include rigid gender roles and
obsession with appearances, which further contribute to the criticism of the unforgiving and
controlling nature of society. Furthermore, Ibsen is considered “the father of realism” thus
constructing and featuring realistic characters in the play with realistic flaws and behaviors.
“The Great Gatsby” is an American classic written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1924. The novel is
set primarily in New York during the roaring 20s, which was an era characterized by
prosperity and dissipation. Despite its unique topological and chronological combination,
which classify it as a topical novel, the author discusses universal and timeless issues such as
immorality and the wide divide between social classes. The novel is narrated through the
limited viewpoint of the retrospective narrator, Nick Carraway, which is detrimental to the
audience’s perception of the novel’s events. In both literary works, alienated characters are
used to illuminate central themes such as reputation, rigid gender roles, appearance against
reality and class distinctions. Characters including Krogstad and Torvald in “A Doll’s House”
and jay Gatsby and myrtle in “The Great Gatsby” respectively are presented to be alienated
alienated from their societies through symbolism, gradual revelation, and characterization.

In “A Doll’s House”, Krogstad is an antagonist that has been maltreated by society by being
branded with heavy social stigma for committing a minor offence. Krogstad is used by Ibsen
to illuminate the theme of reputation which aids in his overall criticism of the unforgiving
nature of the 19th century Norwegian society. Moreover, Ibsen as the father of realism opts
to constructing realistic character with realist behaviors and flaws. Thus, despite Krogstad
being an antagonist, he is not a villain and is presented to have sympathy towards Nora’s
situation and diverts her from committing suicide. Moreover, unlike Torvald, his motive for
gaining respect appear to be benefiting his children and not selfish. Overall, Krogstad is
presented to be marginalized by his society and driven by his personal interests, but not
without compassion and the main literary device used to portray him as such is direct
characterization. More specifically, Krogstad while blackmailing Nora also expresses
sympathy. “Even money-lenders, hacks, well, a man like me, can have a little of what you
call feeling, you know.”, provides an adequate example of such contributions to his
characterization by Ibsen.

Torvald, in “A Doll’s House”, also appears to be alienated from his environment but in a
different sense that Krogstad, since he appears to be ignorant of most of the central events
of the play due to his obsession with perfect appearances and is stuck in the stereotypical
role of the provider that does not suit him, thus he is used by Ibsen to illuminate the themes
of appearances against reality and rigid gender roles. Torvalds’s social isolation stems from
his own desire to conform to the social norms, thus in a sense representing the limitations
and unattainable standards of the 19th century’s Norwegian society. Ibsen presents Torvald
to achieve this wider criticism as sheltered and conscious of his perception through gradual
revelation, the motif of the letters and indirect characterization. The first angle of Torvalds’s
social isolation appears in the effort of the people around his to conceal events that are
considered “ugly” such as Dr. Rank’s illness, where he suggests “Torvald is so fastidious, he
cannot face up to anything ugly” which contributes to his presentation as obsessed with
appearances and sheltered. Additionally, Torvald is alienated from society since he is called
to acquire the traditional role of the man to protect, provide and have a strong reputation,
which he can not uphold as becomes apparent in the duration of the play. Initially, Torvald
claims he will protect Nora and believed he would sacrifice himself for her sake.
Additionally, he appears to have an undamaged reputation and wants to assume positions
of power both in his relationship with Nora and his workplace. Gradually through the play
this frontier starts to crumble because events occur where Torvald fails to rise to the
occasion and uphold his duty as a man. More specifically, this becomes apparent through
the gradual revelation of events facilitated by the motif of the letters. The first important
letter of the play is the one informing Torvald of his termination of employment, because of
the familiarity between them, which showcases the fragility of his confidence and highlights
his insecurities and obsessions with public appearance. the second letters, written by
Krogstad revealing Nora’s crime, presents, though Torvalds’s reaction, his inability to
acquire the role of the protectorate and his lack of a true moral compass, as claimed by him
earlier in the play.

Fitzgerald, in “The Great Gatsby” uses alienated characters to illuminate central themes of
his work as well, but the types and conditions leading to their alienation and devises use to
portray them drastically differes. The protagonist, Jay Gatsby, appeals to feel alienated, not
from society holistically, but from the society that he forces himself to belong in, thus
highlighting intra-class distinctions of his area. More specifically, throughout the novel,
Gatsby tries to fit in with the old money crowd in pursuit of status and Daisy but through the
technic of symbolism Fitzgerald shows that his aim is unattainable. Firstly, in the initial
description of west and east egg there is heavy connotative meaning through the symbolism
of colors, highlighting intra-class distinctions. Specifically, west egg is heavily associated with
white, a color that connotes elegance, authenticity, and pureness, in contrast to west egg
which is described with loaded diction such as “colossal” and “imitation” and is associated
with the color gold that combined portrays west egg an excess display of wealth. through
this contrasting description of the two geographical region the author communicates the
limited social mobility and the vast divide between the two, thus Gatsby’s effort for
upwards social mobility is unattainable due to his alienation from the old money crowd.
Similarly to Torvald in “A Doll’s House”, the alienated character is in social exile because of
their own desire to acquire a social role that does not suit them, but unlike “A Doll’s House”,
this is presented in the play through secondary elements associated with the characters and
not actions done by the characters themselves.
Furthermore, Myrtle in “The Great Gatsby” also appears to be alienated in comparison to
her surrounding and similarly to Gatsby, pursuits upwards social mobility. Her behavior
regarding her social class is used by Fitzgerald to illuminate the theme of inter-class
distinctions, through the reoccurring use of the technique of symbolism through colors.
More specifically, Myrtle belongs socially in the value of ashes a region described as the
dumbing ground that showcases the residue produced by the extravagant lifestyle of the
roaring 20s. In the description of the valley of ashes, it is described as an ash grey color, thus
presenting the area, and its citizens as lifeless, dull, and miserable. On the other hand,
myrtle first appears luscious dressed in bright and lively colors, which show her feeling of
not belonging and establish a sharp distinction between her and the society she belongs in.
The sharp contrast created between myrtle and her surroundings shows her obvious feeling
of not belonging highlights her unrest and desire for upwards social movement and
illuminates the differences between her livery as a person in contract to the inhabitants of
the valley of ashes.

In conclusion in both literary works the authors portray isolated characters in a way that
emphasizes the reason that lead to the social alienation, thus illuminating central themes.
Additionally, alienated characters appear to be unable to change their social status due to
the social composition of the times the play was written. But a main point of contrast
between the two works is that while Ibsen aims to criticize the strict norms of his time and
consequently inspire social change, Fitzgerald only presents the class distinctions that forbid
social mobility which is reflected by the fact that in “A Doll’s House” society is ultimately
placed at fault for the alienation of the characters while in “The Great Gatsby” the novel
presents the static class of the alienated characters to be an unavoidable turn of events.