The Nature of Hedda Gabler - Research Paper Example

Hedda Gabler The term a protagonist in the simplest and most basic sense refers to a lead character or person in a story or works of literature. It also refers to the person whom the story, the plot or the sequence of events is centered around and focused on. It is important to note and stress the fact that some of the characters who are protagonists in literature do not articulate their issues or roles as accurately as one might expect to see or read. However, the irreducible minimum is that the lead characters or the protagonists are usually overtaken by the events of life surrounding them and find it difficult to accept the realities of their lives as they unfold and happen. For the purpose of this essay, exposition and discussion, this paper will focus on the story hedda gabler. In retrospect, I will approach the main character and protagonist who has struggled and had difficulty to accept the realities of life as they happen. I will focus on Hedda Gabler Tesman whose life changed drastically following the death of her father. As a literal critical tinker and aspiring critique, it is a matter of great interest to me to analyze and understand the things which motivated Hedda Tesman to get married to an academic bore and assume a life status which was obviously lower than what she was used to. In brief, it would interest a literary observer and commentator to gauge and follow the events of life after the life of luxury in the home of General Gabler-the father (Hand, 69). Accordingly, this paper will pursue an exploratory approach in trying to analyze the character of the protagonist in totality, which is to mention character analysis during the time of luxury and during her marriage life. In terms of the general structure that this paper will use, it would be a systematic analysis. This is the approach and perspective where this paper will discuss the chronological progression of the events that happened to the life of the protagonist Hedda Gabler Tesman. To begin with, the story outlines introductorily that Hedda Tesman was socially repressed and sexually in gratified. Comparatively, at the beginning, the story mentions that she was the daughter of the then deceased General Gabler where she must have enjoyed a socially thriving life and livelihood. The army general must have had one of the most luxurious lives and homesteads. However, when he dies, the daughter fails to recognize that the comforts and the type of life that she was accustomed and used to is no longer tenable. This is the reason as to why she becomes socially repressive and sad at her life because she did not factor in her reality. In her life and mind, she thinks that she is still living the luxurious life where her father provided everything to her. Secondly, the husband George Tesman tries his best to please the wife Hedda Tesman by even buying her a house. The husband George Tesman even went beyond his financial capabilities and means so as to cover the comforts of the wife. The wife, Hedda Tesman ought to have realized and seen how the husband struggled to go the extra mile so as to get them a new house. In principle, the protagonist Hedda Tesman is in no place to appreciate the reality of her life at that particular place in time. As much as the husband, George Tesman who was an academic bore was not financially well off as the father General Gabler, he struggled to get that house to impress the wife. Another instance shows Hedda as a master of manipulation and she manipulates Mrs Elvsted to concur and confirm something that he did not want to. It is a conventional knowledge and wisdom that if a person is not comfortable with herself or himself, that person is supposed to be given free space and personal space (Tangeman 39). However, the protagonist Hedda Tesman defies the comfort and personal space of Mrs Elvsted to tell and coerce her to admit something she did not want. In practice, it shows the protagonist manipulating her to confirm and admit that she had a relationship and interest in the academic alcoholic Eilert. Tentatively, it is important to note and mention that main character does not recognize that Mrs Elvsted was not interested in sharing such information. It is against the conventional interest and wisdom of a person to coerce and force a person to share or say something that he did not want to share. Seemingly important and critical in this respect and sense is that she fails to notice that Judge Brack was flirting and interested in her. At the face value, the catch or the flirt was seemingly the most important person or catch in town at that point in time. She was seemingly more famous and loved more that all the others. Intuitively, the protagonist fails to realize that Judge Brack was flirting and interested in her. In the rhetoric sense and implication, she was asked why she was married to a broke academic bore despite the fact that a more charming and more interesting person was interested in her. In this instance and situation, the character and main protagonist fails to recognize the charm of subtle and interesting husband George Tesman. Instead she says that she had to marry someone-which is a weak statement which does not appreciate the worth and value of the husband. In this instance and situation, it shows and exhibits that the main character did not realize the value of her husband and instead she casually mentions that she had to marry someone regardless of the value or worth of the husband. Tied to the above point, she fails to recognize her husband’s value, position and reality at the immediate point in time. On the contrary, she opts to recognize and appreciate the status and situation of the husband at that point in time. Instead, the protagonist Hedda Tesman says that she thought and felt that husband would be a famous person in future. In the natural sense and perspective, there is no human being in the world who is able to predict accurately the outcome and process of the future. In reality, there is no guarantee that the husband would be a more famous scholar in his future. On the other hand she was supposed to appreciate the position and academic excellence of the husband at that point in time. Intuitively, the nature and character of Hedda Tesman bespeaks of trouble and she fails to realize the fact that people around her wish for peace and tranquility. It does not occur to her that all the people in her life wish to have peace and have good relations with her. It is in her part and character to initiate trouble and in most cases and instances, it is her at the center of troubles and difficulties. A practical case and instance is the situation where she threatened to shoot Eilert who was her budding friend. It does not suffice or warrant any reason for a person to threaten or try to shoot another person (Sweet and Blythe 78). It becomes even more difficult and stressful for a person to attempt or try to shoot another person especially if the person was considered to be friends or buddies with another person. It is thus safe to mention and assert the fact that the protagonist does not realize or appreciate the fact that Eilert was her buddy and friend sometimes back. Therefore, Hedda Tesman failed to accept the realities of lie when she attempted or tried to shoot Eilert, her long time buddy and friend. In another situation and instance, she convinces and gives a gun to Eilert to shoot himself so as to give the manuscript and the poem a good end or a “poetic” ending. She even convinces Eilert to go and kill himself in a temple. In all aspects and senses, it becomes sad and irreparable for Hedda Tesman to disregard the value of life especially if it was the life of her friend and buddy (Unwin 6). Naturally, she ought to have realized that Eilert was struggling with alcoholism and any attempt to safeguard his life should have been embraced and supported by Hedda Tesman. It goes as a shock to note that she even encouraged him to kill himself despite the fact that he was struggling with his life. In practice, the character and protagonist fails to appreciate the value and attempts that the friend Eilert was making in beating the alcohol addiction. Tentatively, it was expected that people were supposed to show care, support and understanding to her friend. It becomes a failure on her part to realize the efforts and attempts that Eilert was making to avoid addiction and obviously lead a long life. It is a juxtaposition on the part of the protagonist to offer a pistol to offer harm to her friend especially by realizing that he was overcoming and struggling with addiction which would shorten his life. Work cited Hand, Nigel. "Hedda Gabler, psychoanalysis and the space of (the) play." Free Associations 8.1 (2000): 64-99. Sweet, Charlie, and Hal Blythe. "Ibsens Hedda Gabler." The Explicator 60.1 (2000): 78-79. Tangeman, Jeffrey Paul. "Hedda Gabler Through the Eyes of Kierkegaard." Unwin, Stephen. A Guide to the Plays of Bertolt Brecht. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015. Read More