FORUM POST: Hedda Gabler
Post your response to one (1) of the two questions below. Your post should be substantial and analytic, clearly stating a position with supporting evidence. Initial Post DUE: Friday, 3/21@6PM.
Respond critically to two (2) classmates' posts. Be sure to acknowledge your classmates' responses (three levels of threaded discussion). Responses DUE: Sunday, 3/23@8PM.
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Questions:
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1) What insight can be gained from examining Hedda's relationship with another character in the play? Think of significance beyond character and plot; what insight does this give us, as readers, and as thinkers (i.e., cosmology, sociology, psychology)?
2) How should Hedda, ultimately, be evaluated: heroic? Sympathetic? Pathetic? Contemptable? Why?
2) How should Hedda, ultimately, be evaluated: Heroic? Sympathetic? Pathetic? Contemptible? Why?
ReplyDeleteI believe Hedda should be evaluated as pathetic. Since the start of the play, we see Hedda as a woman who is bitter towards life and is constantly torn between her desire for a prosperous free life and maintaining her social status. She continuously manipulates the people around her and tries to be the dominant one in her relationship/friendship with others. The reason why I believe she should be evaluated as pathetic because she never seems to grasp the importance of life. It seems to her that the only way she will live a happy life is if and only if she is wealthy and is able to hold power over people. As we have mentioned in class, the pistols can symbolize different meanings, but because it is a gun, it represents masculinity which might also represent how Hedda breaks away from the normal feminist thinking at that time period. Overall, I believe the reason why Hedda is considered pathetic is because when she finally commits suicide, it represents her escape in the world she lives in. This is because when the judge tells her that she will be involved with the scandal, she realizes no matter how rich or powerful she is, it will in the end, crash down on her and make her life miserable. Ultimately, once she realizes she is incapable of having the ideal life she strives for, she decides to end her life. I personally believe she could've changed her perspective and how she looked at the world because it would've given her the chance to find meaning in life.
It is interesting that you decided Hedda's suicide meant that she was escaping the world. I think that she committed suicide because her manipulation over Lovborg had failed, and she did not want to return to the life she had "boring" herself with Tesman and the life that surrounds them. Do you think if Lovborg had committed suicide the way she meant for him to, that she would have still committed suicide?
DeleteAt first, I also thought that she was pathetic because I would never escape my problems but face them head front. Then, I reconsidered it and felt that she was more sympathetic because she ultimately committed suicide because she had a weak mental state of who she really was or what she could do which I see in many cases in our generation of young adults. All of us had a state of having a weak mental state where we doubted ourselves and does that make us pathetic as well? I always crave the burn of getting back up and facing problems head front but also am guilty of a weak mental state prior to the attitude of grit. In Hedda's case, she experienced the same thing but was not able to adapt.
DeleteI also think that Hedda committed suicide in a way to "escape" her life. She seemed to give up in the end on being able to find any meaning or purpose in what she already has. Also, her choosing to die could also be her way of avoiding the issue of Lovborg and the pistol, and trouble with the police/law. Do you think Hedda succeeded in anything before her death? She spends so much time trying to manipulate and toy with the three men in her life (Tesman, Brack, and Lovborg) -- do you think Hedda meant that as her goal in the first place, so that she could feel in control?
DeleteAt first I believed Hedda's relationships were driven by her desire to control other people's fate. Since she grew up a high class environment she was always conforming to the ideals set for people in her place. She was forced to have an external locus of control. Due to this she wanted the power to remove other peoples internal locus of control. This led me to conclude that she was almost evil, as she got pleasure from the manipulation of other people's fate. However after our class discussion on wednesday, I had a different opinion about her relationship with the 3 men in the story. I think that Tesman, Brack, and Lovborg represent internal desires that she finds expressed in each of the men. Tesman represents her need for social stability and to be seen as a socially 'normal' wife with a normal marriage. Because Tesman only provides this aspect for her, she goes to Brack for her next need. This would be gossip and socialization. She almost always goes to him for news about others find out about other people's lives. Lovborg is there for Hedda's darker and more intimate desires. Intimate does not really represent sexual in this case, rather an exploration for the unknown and intriguing. When Hedda is with Lovborg she can be free and openly discuss her desires, good or bad.
ReplyDeleteThis post was an eye opener because I didn't notice as well that the three men represented internal desires. Now that I look back, it's disturbing and eye opening to see how Tesman represented her desire for the norm, Brack for her social needs, and Lovborg for intimacy. This idea of subtle adultery within marriage is emphasized heavily. Do you think that Hedda wanted all three men to control her because she could not control herself? Is that why she committed suicide because all three men were not able to control her?
DeleteYour perspective has really made me re-evaluate Heddas relationship dynamics with the 3 men in the play. I really like how you interpreted Tessman as her need for social stability and Lovborg as her need for intimate desires, and Brack as her need for gossip and attention. But saying so, do you think that the pistol played a huge role between her relationship dynamics between these men? Since throughout the play she had encountered all three men with the pistol, and all responded to it differently. Tesman was afraid when the pistol was brought up, Brack was fearless when she shot it at him, and Lovborg was weak and ended up getting shot. Do you think there is a metaphor between the symbol of the pistol and what each men represents?
DeleteMark- I don't really think she wanted them to control her, rather she wanted easy access to each man to satisfy what they provided for her (socially, emotionally). I think she committed suicide because she no longer had the control over them she desired.
DeleteIrene- I like this insight, now that I think about it I would say the pistol could kind of represent the negative part of each of the relationship's she had with these men. How they reacted to the pistol was what would turn Hedda off from that relationship and perhaps 'move' to the next. For example, Tesman responded with fear, which would feel Hedda needing company of someone who was risky and fearless.
DeleteAt first I felt that Hedda was pathetic. I felt that she escaped her problems by committing suicide which I completely disrespect because even though I fall hard, I love and crave the burn of getting back up and making everyone reconsider the doubts they had about you. Though after reconsidering Hedda and reconsidering my own thoughts, I came to view Hedda as sympathetic. Honestly, I feel that I see my weaknesses as Hedda's as well. Aside from the suicide, I understand what it felt for Hedda to be so constrained and so unsatisfied because no one could satiate her desire to be who she really was. Before, as a kid, I was also doubted about my abilities and what I could do all the way up to 9th grade. Teachers and peers wrote me off until 9th grade when someone told me that I could do it and that ultimately I had to find something in myself to make things happen. I got back on track without anything in my tank and found breath that I didn't have. Hedda in her case did not break out of the weakness of her mind that she created herself but rather succumbed to her mental weakness which is why I find her sympathetic because she also had a mental weakness of who she really was and what she could achieve.
ReplyDeleteI like how you compared yourself to Hedda to be unsatisfied because no one could identify her true desire towards identity. I agree with your statement that Hedda did not break out of the weakness of her mind and instead got eaten up by her own mental weaknesses. Instead of trying to seek for her true self and understanding the meaning of life, she placed herself as "victim" and was never really able to appreciate life to its fullest potential. When you mentioned that you love the burn of getting back up because you can prove to others that you are good enough, do you think that Hedda was foolish in a way where she wasn't strong enough to get back up and prove everyone wrong?
DeleteI really like how you use your personal experience as a connection of sympathy to Hedda. For me, I would be able to sympathize with her in that I have my setbacks as well but I was able to get back up, unlike Hedda. Which is why I turned away from the sympathetic view towards her, rather, I saw that she is pathetic. So in my response I would agree with you that she is pathetic in that she looked to escape her burdens and failures by suicide. But not all suicides are pathetic, it is arguable that suicides can be heroic as well. However, like you said in your response, Hedda's suicide is purely to avoid the problems and defied her strong character. But as a strong character as she is, she had weaknesses like you said. Do you think her suicide could be her expression of strength out of her weak state?
DeleteMy initial reaction and interpretation of Hedda's character was that she is quite contemptible and annoying . Just purely from the judgment of her interactions with other characters, which is cunningly manipulative, I wasn't very fond of her character at all. She complains about Tesman, even though she is of higher social status, and doesn't appreciate or respect him for the fact that her cherishes her. It's as if Tesman to Hedda was just a piece to her social needs in order to fit into the social norms of a marriage. Also her odd, clandestine interactions with Lovborg portray just another façade of her multi-faced character to the reader. Lastly, her manipulation and superficial demeanor towards Elvsted just proves another layer of a cunning character Hedda is. If she genuinely likened Elvsted she wouldn't have the intention to hurt her, but she did so by taking away two of the most important things to Elvsted. In short, her relationship with each individual in the play has a specific intention or need she aimed to benefit form. As contemptible she is all throughout the play, in the end I felt a bit of pity for her. I felt that she was pathetic because she, although showed great wittiness in manipulation of others, failed to control certain outcomes and her own life. I felt that she failed to benefit from anyone and in the end her only way out was suicide. It is arguable that suicide is heroic because strength could be derived from the act of suicide. However, Hedda's suicide was really for her own sake, to alleviate her burdens and failures through death and that too me, is quite pathetic of such a powerful female character.
ReplyDeletePenny,
DeleteI really agree with you how Hedda’s death was for her own benefit to lessen her burdens and failures. Hedda has always seemed to me as a character who manipulates and uses people around her to get what she wants. But do you think Hedda manipulated those around her because is she from a higher class than all of them or because she was just seeking for some satisfaction and excitement in her life? I also thought that her way of solving her problems was just a quick and easy way to escape from her dissatisfaction. Yes, suicide can be a heroic act, because you need the strength, but it definitely is not the case for Hedda. Hedda did have the strength to commit suicide, but she was not heroic in terms of facing her problems and failures. I think it is really unreasonable for her to end her just because she did not get what she expected.
I completely agree with you regarding Hedda is pathetic. It is very clear that each relationship she has with those around her is used to get her ahead in some sort of way, or make her feel better about herself. In this way it becomes easy for us to pity here because she is a essentially a flawed human being with no substantial relationships. I question here how you connect this sort of pity we have for Hedda with the same pathetic nature of Hedda's suicide. Hedda still did benefit from her relationships, but was there a certain aspect she was looking for behind the material/obvious beneficial things that she was getting from them (for ex. tesman was a husband, and he did "give" her that)
DeleteIt's interesting, because I had the same initial thoughts on Hedda. She didn't value what she possessed, and, even worse, she tried to gain more by manipulating those around her. In each relationship, Hedda aims to gain a personal benefit and when she doesn't, she simply points her gun at the other. I see how Hedda is pathetic, however, do you think it is possible for Hedda to be heroic in that she defied the limits of her gender by manipulating the male characters? Maybe, it is courage that drives her to commit suicide, because it is a way for her to to leave Tesman to be with another man.
DeleteBerry,
DeleteTo answer your question about whether or not Hedda is heroic, I would argue that yes, at some point she was heroic in her own way. Perhaps it is not evident to everyone or the audiences because of the context and perspective we use when we look at Hedda. I did mention that the act of suicide in some cases can be heroic. I think Hedda triumphed heroism through her locus of control of herself, her thoughts, and other people. The locus of control is what gives her power which I thought is quite a heroic trait for a woman to have.
Trini,
DeleteTo answer your question, I believe it is possible that her manipulative behavior stemmed from her background as a higher class citizen. Being in the higher class, she must have experienced all sorts of luxuries and seen the power in her family's hands. This would shape and influence her way of thinking as a person and thus she became manipulative because she's used to it, she's comfortable being the one in control. But on the other hand, she didn't need to be in the higher class to yearn for affection and attention in life. It is a basic need for human beings, according to Maslow, to desire security, affection, and self. Hedda uses her manipulative powers to attain security (from Tesman), affection (Lovborg), and self (ultimately everything she did). So in a sense there is a connection to her social status as to why she is manipulative but it is also an inherent human trait to desire for such things.
At first glance, Hedda is pathetic, because she manipulates other and is ultimately too cowardly to face the truth. Looking back, however, Hedda began to appear more sympathetic than anything else. Once I stepped into her shoes, I slowly began to understand Hedda’s decisions and feel really sad for her. Although she agreed to marry Tesman, she came from a wealthy and aristocratic family, which meant she could have married almost anyone. Hedda expected herself to be living a life of privilege, but before she realized, she had married a somewhat boring man from a lower class. I also sympathize with Hedda because she is trapped in her marriage and perhaps is a little bit broken. At one point the Judge even tries to make a move on her and she has to point the gun at him to make him stop. Hedda can be admired for her adamant fight for her independence. Even though she manipulates and tricks others in order to get her way, by doing so, she slowly killed herself. To a certain extent, she is a victim of forces beyond her control.
ReplyDeleteI understand your train of thought in order to sympathize with Hedda, but if Hedda really expected herself to live a life of privilege, then she wouldn't have gotten herself into her marriage with Tesman. She knew of the consequences that would come if she married Tesman. Also, I agree that Hedda is broken inside, which is why she results to manipulative behavior in order to get her way. She must be feeling insecure in order to bring herself to such extreme measures. There is definitely a psychological aspect to Hedda's neurotic and impulsive behavior. Do you think Hedda was like this to start with or did her increasing unhappiness of her marriage cause her to act out like this?
DeleteI can see your reasons as to why you sympathized with her. But would you think that she got into a marriage with Tesman just so she can have a little more power in her hands? Since Hedda is used to having power in her family, wouldn't you say she enjoyed the amount of power she has for herself with Tesman and that it is a valuable sacrifice to get into such marriage? I don't sympathize with her as much because I feel like although she may feel confined at times, she still has a lot more than other women in the society and also, we have to remember that Tesman married up and not Hedda. But to some agree I can see why we can also sympathize with her, her actions and behaviors suggests that there may be something she's concealing or avoiding. What do you think might have caused her psychological choices in such behaviors? What might she be concealing or avoiding, if anything?
DeleteIt's true that Hedda had the free will to make her own decisions, hence she isn't innocent in the whole situation. However, we never truly know why Hedda married Tesman, which leaves space for speculation. Responding to Grace, I think that Hedda wasn't like this at the start, but her increasing disappointment with life caused her to grow more manipulative. In response to Penny, I agree that Hedda probably married Tesman because she thought she would have more power and didn't realize the cost of her decision. I can't say that it was a valuable sacrifice, since she might have been able to achieve all that she wanted out of another marriage, though it is unlikely. What is she avoiding? I think she is avoiding letting anyone know her true feelings, because it will give someone else the ability to manipulate her, and she is not going to risk losing any power.
DeleteI do not find myself being able to really sympathize with Hedda. Although I do see her desire for control stemming from her insecurities, I cannot find myself forgiving her for her seeming lack of regard for others. One such instance is when Hedda taunts Lovborg into drinking again. Hedda doesn’t have much to gain from this other than being able to exercise her power over other people. She very explicitly discloses to Elvsted afterwards that she merely wants to be able to “mould a human destiny”. I see that Hedda is deeply unsatisfied with her life but it does not excuse the way treats other people. When Hedda ends up in a position where she is under control (by Brack), she knows how horrible it feels to be manipulated and chooses to kill herself. However, her final words at Brack right before shooting herself (“don’t you flatter yourself… now that you are one cock in the basket”) suggests that she did so to spite the judge as well. I find Hedda as being ultimately destructive and it is for this reason, it is very difficult for me to sympathize with her.
ReplyDeleteI see where you are coming from and agree that her own dissatisfaction doesn't give her the right to manipulate of others, but I don't think it is completely her fault that she is this way. Although she voluntarily marries Tesman for whatever reason, Hedda did have a lot of suitors and probably felt trapped in her marriage. She expected her life to be more exciting, and her disappointment seemed to drive her to do such terrible things. I don't sympathize with her every move, but I do feel that she has the right to be frustrated, because she had expected so much more from life.
DeleteBerry,
DeleteWhile I wouldn't say that Hedda was completely at fault, I feel like she doesn't express her frustrations in an appropriate way. Her dissatisfaction with her current situation is a result of the decisions that she has made and I don't think that she is really willing to face that reality. Instead of communicating her inner feelings (to the people that matter), she takes out her frustrations on others, leading to their demise. I don't think it's really fair for the people around her to be in danger simply because Hedda is unhappy with her life.
Hedda is a contemptable character because all of her actions have a negative or beneficial to self purpose behind them. Her manipulative nature contributes to her stealthy actions. Because she finds pleasure in having things go her own way, she goes out of her way to make ensure her own good fortune. I think her manipulative nature isn’t just a personality trait, but a trait that evolved due to the background she had when growing up. Because she came from a background in which she was granted everything she wished for, as she grew up, she continued to believe she would be granted everything. Therefore, the jealousy she felt after seeing Elvsted and Lovborg together caused her to take extreme actions in order to get what she wanted. Also, I think Hedda is a coward in some ways because she doesn’t own up to problems but rather escapes from them or is despicable and manages to turn things around for herself. Ultimately, I think her final action of committing suicide shouldn’t be considered an act of bravery in which she gives up her life, but more of an act of cowardice because she is escaping her problems by leaving the world. An act of bravery would be to continue living and enduring the negatives, which is what the other character did, in contrast to Hedda’s behavior.
ReplyDeleteI also had this completely negative view of Hedda the first time I read the story. I could not find any reason that would show her as having some good in her. However, I cant believe Ibson would write a story about simply a manipulative housewife. I believe there is some underlying trauma to Hedda that has caused her to feel like she must control everyone's fate. Do you think Hedda is internally suffering, or is she just innately manipulative?
DeleteAdrian - I think that Hedda is internally suffering from her disappointment with her marriage with Tesman. I don't believe anyone is just born manipulative, so there must have been some sort of trauma causing this behavior. Because she came from a wealthy background, I don't think it is her past, but the present doing this damage. Her expectations for her marriage with Tesman may have been higher than what he could provide, resulting in a manipulative behavior to get what she wants.
Delete2) How should Hedda, ultimately, be evaluated: heroic? Sympathetic? Pathetic? Contemptible? Why?
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the play, I was interested in knowing Hedda’s motives for treating other people around her rudely and without much consideration for their feelings. Seeing how the play started with Aunt Julia and Berta fretting over pleasing Hedda, I had the impression that Hedda was a character to be feared, or frequently had people trying to make her comfortable and happy. This would imply that Hedda is antagonistic, yet I wasn’t ready to accept this perception of her. Later on through her first conversation with Judge Brack, it seemed obvious that she was dissatisfied with her life at the Tesman household. At this point, I believed Hedda to be quite blunt with her emotions and ideas, but only to a certain extent and to certain people. In interacting with George, she gives the false persona of care and love for him; to me that is Hedda’s way of putting up defenses for herself because she is not allowing others to see her true self. She also controls what she is like in front of Brack and Lovborg to be slightly more playful and witty, hinting at the idea that she is bored with her role as an upper-middle class wife. Overall, I would depict Hedda to be a carefully complex character because she pays so much attention to how others perceive her, as well as controlling her own actions and words with other people. She feels the need to hide her unadulterated thoughts and desires. For this reason, I think Hedda is more sympathetic then pathetic or contemptible, because her motivations to act the way she does –complicated and with multiple layers—comes from her inner desire to maintain an almost mysterious character, so that people cannot pick at her truest self and thus weaken her emotionally and mentally.
1) What insight can be gained from examining Hedda's relationship with another character in the play? Think of significance beyond character and plot; what insight does this give us, as readers, and as thinkers (i.e., cosmology, sociology, psychology)?
ReplyDeleteI think Hedda’s particular relationship with Judge Brack offers us a lot of insight into ourselves beyond the play. At the time, Hedda would have been considered of higher class due to her means and money. In our time, however, I think it’s much easier for us to see them on much more equal terms because of the focus we now put on professional success when evaluating someone. The sociological difference of our times is highlighted by our examinations of Hedda’s relationship when we tend to see the two on quite equal in times which this wouldn’t have been as true in such a class conscious society. And for this reason I personally found their constant power dynamic struggle to be a little harder to understand. It seemed as if one of the two was always trying to get the best of the other in a much more predatory rather than mutualistic relationship. I saw the two as very similar characters, both being quite clever, insightful, and modern for their times. For this reason, I thought it was interesting how they were always struggling to dominate each other. And despite, or perhaps because, of this, Brack is one of the few people Hedda ever confides in.
I find it a bit interesting that, as you mentioned, Brack is the only character that is somewhat comparable to Hedda in terms of power. Brack is the only person that ever gets somewhat of an edge over Hedda, whereas the thought of doing so doesn't even cross the other characters' minds. I think that Hedda is also more cautious around Brack as a result of being aware of this.
DeleteI agree with and understand what you mean by saying you found Brack and Hedda's relationship a little harder to understand/get to the basis of, especially if compared to Hedda's relationships with the other characters. In the last act, with the dialogue between Brack and Hedda, I personally felt that Brack at certain points had the upper hand in the conversation, and as if he knew he could control what would happen to Hedda (and the finding of the pistol). Yet, when Hedda showed weakness and expressed distress over the situation, Brack seemed to soften his tone slightly and promised to not put Hedda in any danger. In this way, I find that Brack cares for her as a good friend, which is an interesting relationship dynamic to see since the other two men only expressed their romantic interests for Hedda.
Delete1) Hedda's relationships
ReplyDeleteThrough Hedda's relationships and interactions with those whom are closest to her you can gain insight into what Hedda/ how Hedda thinks and feels about herself. I think it is very interesting that Hedda barely interacts with the women in the play in such a hostile manner. This is because Hedda already feels as if she is higher than them in society and therefore can be rude to them. By being rude to women Hedda is able to exert control over them and gain more confidence in herself. As soon as something goes wrong with this relationship (such as when Mrs.Elvsted starts working with Tesman) Hedda doesn't really know how to act, because now Mrs. Elvsted has an upper hand. The anger Hedda has in response to Mrs.Elvsted shows that relationships also effect her psychologically. She fears no longer being in the "high position" in regards to those around her.
Victoria,
DeleteI thought it was really interesting how you mentioned that Hedda gains more confidence in herself by being rude to the other women in the play. However, I did not think that she really gained any confidence that way, but instead she gained confidence by the initial reactions she got from the men that she manipulated. In the play, Hedda really does not put much attention on the other women, but her attention was all on the men. What do you think was her reason for putting all her attention on the men? Could you also clarify what you meant by "She fears no longer being in the "high position" in regards to those around her”? I thought Hedda was never afraid of being in a higher position, because she was topped over those around her and had control of them.
I remember this point being brought up in class and it's rather interesting how Hedda doesn't try to appeal to much to the other women as much because she already feels "above" them in some way. It is almost as if people such as Berta and Julia are too low for her to even pretend to show some respect to. However I would think that this is more of a matter of social status rather than sex as Hedda does pay attention to Elvsted and tries to toy with her as well. I would say that Berta and Julia of are little importance to Hedda simply because they are the ones that serve/take care of Tessman, whom she already has little to no real respect towards.
Delete1) What insight can be gained from examining Hedda's relationship with another character in the play? Think of significance beyond character and plot; what insight does this give us, as readers, and as thinkers (i.e., cosmology, sociology, psychology)?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Hedda Gabler and looking at Hedda’s interaction with different people in her life, I think it gives the readers great opportunities to look at the psychological aspect of Hedda. Hedda was presented to us as a high social class woman who married a lower class man. She did not love Tesman as a wife should to her husband. All she wanted was to have someone adore her and treat her with all the love and care that he can provide. Being married to a lower class man, Hedda thought she could get all the attention she wants and manipulate all the people around her. She also needed to maintain his father’s reputation. Thus, this is where her desire to control other people comes from. One other reason that she did not marry someone from the same social class was that she would lose the opportunity to control someone. The readers can see her interactions with Tesman, Judge Brack and Mr. Lovborg with her mostly being the dominating one. All the men loved Hedda in some way, because Hedda lured them in, but Hedda herself did not have true feelings for them. One can see the pleasures that Hedda wants by how she interacts and manipulates with those around her. I felt that Hedda used the three men, as toys, but later on they became broken toys that do not respond to the way Hedda wanted them to. Thus, she needed to use the pistol as a toy to bring excitements to her life, since none of the men really lived up to her standards. Hedda really proved herself to be someone desperate for control. But when she does not get what she wants, she chooses the easiest way out. Killing herself just shows her defeat and how she could not manipulate those around her even though she is from a higher class.
Before I read this, I thought Hedda's manipulative behavior came from the unhappiness of her marriage. However, after reading your insight as to her behavior, I agree with what you said about having a natural need to be in control. It's interesting how you mentioned Hedda married Tesman in order to still be in control. I've only thought of it as Hedda is unfortunate and doesn't appreciate her position in the marriage. Maybe this provides an opportunity to investigate what Hedda wanted out of this marriage. Was it out of pure love, a need to manipulate, or some other unknown influence? Also, I feel like your explanation of the men as toys was very accurate because Hedda uses the men to her own advantage but eventually "matures" and outgrows them. I also feel like each man in her life is a new toy at a different stage of her womanhood. As she gets bored of one toy, she moves on to the next until she can't have anymore, which results in her death.
DeleteGrace,
DeleteI don’t think Hedda wanted pure love out of her marriage with Tesman, because if she wanted pure love she could have married someone she truly loved, instead a man whom she had no feelings for. I thought she just wanted to satisfaction of being able to manipulate other people. Since Tesman has a lower social status than Hedda, Hedda is able to control him the way she wants. If she married someone with the same social status, she might not have the same power in their husband and wife relationship.
2) I believe Hedda is quite contemptible because looked down upon other people with usually adding on a condescending tone. From the very beginning of the play, Hedda came into the scene complaining about the windows being open as well as bothered by the subtle detail of Aunt Julle’s ugly hat. According to Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink, one could conclude a stranger’s personality and traits just by watching him/her for no more than ten seconds. As Gladwell concluded, we as the reader can see Hedda’s attitude remained the same throughout the play. In Ejlert’s suicide, Hedda felt disgusted that the gun had misfired and shot Ejlert’s stomach. With his suicide, one could argue Hedda killed herself in order to show what a ‘beautiful death’ is. However, Hedda also showed signs of disgust when Tesman expressed delight as Hedda told him she had burned the transcript for him. In this case, Hedda did not believe the relationship between them was working that smoothly and looked at him with disgust. For me, Hedda should have shown some dignity to the things around her. Her insult to Aunt Julle was quite unnecessary, but Hedda’s personality inevitably led to her usual condescending tone.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that Hedda's own personality ultimately is what led to her downfall? Also do you think that there was ever any some "truth" to Hedda's relationship with Lovborg? I really like how in this comment your brought in your own interpretation of the play and not just the novel. By saying Hedda "showed disgust" this means that you had to have been paying close attention and think about the choices Hedda would've been making as an actress. I agree that Hedda does feel disgusted with most things in her life. Could Hedda have also killed herself because of disgust with those around her?
Delete