Srindberg Gender Roles

Scandinavian Literature Final Paper
12/8/13
August Johan Strindberg is a quintessential author of the Modern Breakthrough movement due to his controversial ideas of society and naturalistic style of writing. Strindberg’s eccentric perspective on the world stems from his troubling childhood and mental instability. His ideas illustrate the core ideal of the Modern Breakthrough, that of the opposition to Romantic ideals. During the Modern Breakthrough, the importance of marriage, the role of women in society, sexual morality, and atheism were all questioned. Strindberg’s provocative ideas about women, sex, and religion, which defined this turn-of-the-century era, are expressed openly in his poems, novels, and plays. His one-act allegorical
This change opened the door to a further discussion of gender roles. In the latter half of the century, the new ideas in society created the New Woman: the “self-supporting middle-class woman” (Sjögren). This New Woman figure led to a conflict of the definitions of femininity and sexuality. The lines of masculinity versus femininity were sometimes blurred as females were now performing male jobs and were no longer tied down to a family. As women became more prevalent in society, femininity began to be seen as a danger to masculinity. Women began writing more publicly, further infiltrating the public sphere. As this was uncharacteristically feminine, Strindberg claimed all women writers were “whores: (women) who have lost the characteristics of their sex” (Strindberg, Strindberg 's Letters 311). He opened up the criteria for being a “whore” and further claimed all “emancipated women are the spitting images of whores” (Strindberg, Strindberg 's Letters 311). Sexuality also came into question and the concept of pre-marital sex for women was debated. The “so-called chastity debate” became an important part of the “woman question” and it was questioned why men were allowed to have premarital sexual relations while it was forbidden for women (Sjögren). This
This destructive woman was familiar to his own world. The women in his life, including his multiple wives, often unintentionally emotionally scarred him. Strindberg claimed “all evil of the greatest evil I have seen is of the female sex” (Johannesson). He accused them of being “tribade” or lesbian because they acted upon the Modern Breakthrough ideas and tried to stand on their own feet (Swope) Strindberg’s fear of these newly independent women is reflected in “The Stronger.” Mrs. X represents his wife, Siri von Essen, while Miss Y represents her friend, Marie David. Strindberg worries the New Woman, Marie David, will challenge and potentially replace masculinity. By doing so, Strindberg fears he and all men will eventually become “superfluous” (Swope). This fear became increasingly common during the Modern Breakthrough as feminism began to thrive and the New Woman began to