The drama analysed is Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”. Nora’s identity is shown through the language and the way Torvald talks to her. He calls her pet names such as “my sweet little skylark” (A Doll’s House, p.7). This shows Nora as a weak and submissive person. The imagery of the Christmas tree “stripped of its ornaments and with burnt-down candle-ends” (A Doll’s House, p.29) in the beginning of the act two shows Nora’s psychological state. Bad news from Krogstad made her mind just as dishevelled as the tree. During the Tarantella dance Nora is full of excitement and nervous energy, so she dances wildly “the performance was a trifle too realistic” (A Doll’s House, p. 52). The symbol of the dance can be seen as Nora’s inner struggle. It shows Nora as constrained on the outside which is opposite on the inside.
The prose text analysed is George Eliot “Silas Marner”. Silas identity is showed through comparison with the natural world. As he sits alone weaving in the start of the novel, Silas is likened to a spider, solitary and ominous. After he is robbed, Silas is compared to an ant that finds its path blocked - an image of limitation, but also of searching for solution. Later, when he raises Eppie, Silas is described as unfolding, imagery of the blooming of the flower. This comparison to the nature shows him as a kind man. The setting of “Silas Marner” impacts main character’s identity as well. Lantern Yard is the place where Silas was raised in a tight and religious community. This makes Silas a simple, trusting and hardworking man with love of God. After the arrival of young Eppie, Silas adopts her. This symbolises that Silas is a kind person willing to take care of others, even if he is not very wealthy.
The poetry text analysed is William Shakespeare “Sonnet 130”. The speaker uses simile “eyes are nothing like the sun” (Sonnet130, l. 1) that presents his lover as not very attractive. Personification “black wires grow on her head” shows a strong character as a woman’s hair is compared to the wires. The overall atmosphere of the sonnet identifies character as a passionate because speaker talks about love and his lover’s beauty with false comparison to different things.
In each literature text, like prose, drama and poetry, identity of the character can be illustrated with many different key elements. This essay evaluated the ways of how different genres present ideas of identity.
Bibliography
Eliot, G. (n.d.). Silas Marner.
Ibsen, H. (n.d.). A Doll 's House.
Shakespeare, W. (n.d.). Sonnet 130.
Bibliography: Eliot, G. (n.d.). Silas Marner. Ibsen, H. (n.d.). A Doll 's House. Shakespeare, W. (n.d.). Sonnet 130.
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