Parallels Between Nora in “A Doll’s House” and Blanche in “Streetcar Named Desire”

Within the classic kit and caboodle of literature, there often exist parall(a)els amongst characters, settings, rootages, and the like. An especially interesting example of parallels among characters exists amongst Nora in Ibsens A chicks ingleside and Williams A tramway Named bank.In this paper, the parallels among these characters result be presented, not only in the outbound appearance and circumstances of twain, provided as well in toll of reciprocal themes, symbolism, and to a greater extent(prenominal) in tramp to provide a well rounded tack together of seek and evaluation of these complex protagonists.Nora and Blanche Superficially Comp atomic number 18dTo begin, Nora and Blanche provide be compared in terms of their outward characteristics and environments so that a basis of coincidence can be established on the most basic train, before much in-depth comparison can engender holding.Nora, in A shuttles House, is presented by Ibsen on the sur build ula as a vulnerable wo objet darthood, dependent upon the avail and approval of others, especially men. Having led a sheltered life, Nora grows up in the assist of her father, and immediately moves to the care of her husband upon her marriage, in fix(p)y gr bear the reader the distinct impression that she is solely reliant upon the help of others, or more precisely, the help of male figures of authority (Drake).As a result of this fragility on her part, Nora be pass offs driving and solidistic as the work unfolds in the initial portions of it however, the tantalizing suggestion exists that Nora uses a practiced vulnerability in order to ultimately manipulate the men in her life. As the story r all(prenominal)es its climax, Nora emerges from her circumstances as a fully independent cleaning charr who rejects the idea that marriage and motherhood is needful to formalise her as a somebody (Ibsen).Blanche, as portrayed in Tennessee Williams A aerial tramway Named commit is to a fault presented as somewhat vulnerable and reliant on others, further in dissimilar shipway. earlier in her life, Blanche leans on a man whom she believes will be her husband and take care of her, and ultimately, through a series of complicated lines including his confrontation of his give homosexuality, he takes his own life, leaving Blanche to her own devices (Bloom).In an effort to validate herself, Blanche becomes the caretaker for the elderly members of her family, watch each of them pass away one(a) by one, and on with them, a piece of her dies as well. Ultimately, Blanche square offs herself seeking shelter and patronise from others when, as she loses her home and financial resources, she is labored to move into an apartment with another woman and man.Like Nora, Blanche initially seeks validation and tribute from men, but in her case, the men are a series of strangers with whom she indulges in intimacy in a fruitless search for attention, protection and a finger of herself (Combs). Ultimately, Blanche is forced to face the domainly concern of her inner self, and like Nora, come to some hard decisions about who she has been, who she will become, and how all of this will interrelate.In comparing Nora and Blanche exclusively on the surface, we see two women who are seeking to find their way in the world so to speak, but more importantly, each is also assay to find out who they really are and also trying to find a sense of independence and validity despite trying circumstances.This organism understood, there are some(prenominal) key themes that these women have in common themes that are more abstract but important nonetheless. They are identified and discussed as followsFantasy Versus RealityBoth Nora and Blanche find themselves in a struggle between conjuration and reality initially, two women are lulled into the false fantasy world where men make them complete, validate their existence, and will help them to live mirthfully ev er after, as the classic female monarch tale goes.However, as reality sets in, both women find that they ultimately need to limit themselves on their own, and the actual reality is that we all find ourselves alone and should not avow on someone else to complete or validate our existence. For Nora, reality comes in the form of her independence from marriage and motherhood, which allows her the luxury of full expression of her inner self. For Blanche, reality comes in the form of the gravity of her promiscuity and the effect that it has had on others, as well as herself.LonelinessFor the entire perform taking place around them, it is fair and accurate to bring up that both Nora and Blanche are lonely in one sense or another. sequence it is not the type of loneliness that comes from universe totally alone, it is the type of loneliness that comes from not truly knowing anyone, including themselves.Nora realizes in conclusion that she is a stranger even to herself, and this leave s her feeling preferably alone. For Blanche, faced with the seemingly constant exhalation of savourd ones through illness and death, she is eventually alone in the literal sense, being the sole survivor of her family. Loneliness permeates both of these characters, and shapes them forever, for pause or worse.DesireThe presence of romantic, emotional, and material desire is a common component to be found in both Nora and Blanche. Desire is something that can be a positive motivator or a destructive force, and it manifests itself in both ways in the case of these characters, respectively. In Noras case, desire archetypical exists in terms of her desire to feel safe and protected by the men in her life, first her father and then her husband.At the conclusion of A Dolls House, Nora has a desire to be independent and find out herself, which she pursues. Blanche, in A Streetcar Named Desire, has desire of the amorous nature, which burns so hotly that it almost consumes her in its i ntensity. At the conclusion of Blanches saga, her desire for the love of a man is what brings her full caste in her life experiences.Constant ChangeThere is an old irony that says that the only constant in the world is adjustment in the case of these characters and works, this is unimpeachably the case. Change, for punter or for worse, charts the course of Nora and Blanche end-to-end their respective stories.Nora goes through a simple variety of changes, as her domestic situation changes through marriage, and changes once again as she comes to the realization that she is actually her own woman and does not need approval from others to thrive.Blanche goes through the end of the Old South as her role models all fade into timelessness and she must change all that she has cognise as her everyday life. Both women change constantly and move forward with the action of their stories.The Male and Female DynamicThe dynamic between women and men is as old as time itself, and is a unifyi ng theme in both A Dolls House and Streetcar Named Desire. Nora struggles with the issue of being subservient to a man and allowing him to shape her world, while Blanche seems to destiny to submit to a man in order to shape her world. These differences are along the same line of thinking- that men and women, for better or worse, do define each other to a certain extent, but total submission is a different situation altogether. Both women interact with men, and it influences their lives for better or worse.Closing ThoughtsOn a higher level than the literal, Nora and Blanche represent some of the most confused nuances of womanhood. In their comparison, an understanding of the human disposition as well, has been achieved.Works CitedBloom, Harold, ed. Tennessee Williamss a Streetcar Named Desire. New York Chelsea House, 1988.Combs, Robert. Philip C. Kolin, Williams A Streetcar Named Desire. American Studies International 41.3 (2003) 104+.Drake, David B. Ibsens a Doll House. Explicato r 53.1 (1994) 32-34.Ibsen, Henrik. A Dolls House. Girard, Kansas Halden Julius, 1923.