Ibsen and his discontents - Essay Example

Insert Theodore Dalrymple’s Ibsen and His Discontents is a critique of some of the teachings of Ibsen in his literary works such as A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler and Ghosts. There are a lot of controversial views that are evident/ recurrent in Ibsen’s works, especially concerning marriage, youth, freedom, and the society, that Theodore seeks to weigh in on. He introduces his endeavors by analyzing both Ibsen’s and Dr. Johnson’s works, thus observing that while both writers would admit that marriage is riddled with ubiquitous problems, Johnson, unlike Ibsen, would yet appreciate that marriage, with all its flaws, is still better than its alternative (celibacy) and that human existence (more so in the confines of marriage) can never be perfect.

Ibsen, on the other hand, simply asserts that marriage is the root cause of all evil and sadness in the world (Dalrymple, 2005). A gifted yet controversial writer, many people (mostly women) regard Ibsen as the writer who was not afraid to write about the ‘facts’ that others feared to write about. Ibsen looks at marriage and proposes new ways of approaching it that, according to him, will liberate mankind from the relentless strife and turmoil present in marriages. Ibsen first reckons that most people marry for money and that there is no true love in marriages hence.

He says that women go for the security and pride in marrying rich made men while men opt for women who are cheap to manage financially. Secondly, Ibsen underlines that societal pressures put a lot of pressure, and thus melancholy, in couples who have to put up appearances in the public which are contrary to their genuine feelings and selves. He adds that notions of respectability and the fear of shame (such as of a struggling/ broken marriage) enslaves married couples and renders their lives meaningless, miserable, degraded and violent (Dalrymple, 2005).

Ibsen also insinuates that marriages pair people who would not choose each other if circumstances of life had been better/ different. In the wake of these marital and life ‘issues,’ Ibsen offers a solution - philosophical autonomy (Dalrymple, 2005). This is basically the call for each person to live according to their own standards/ principles, put self first (ahead of the partner and children) and pursue their own desires. Theodore disagrees with this remedy and records that he has seen countless such minded parents who abandon their children and so subject them to lives of despair, damage, disease, moral degradation and death.

According to Theodore, this purported solution only fans universal egotism and feminism. While Ibsen blames mankind’s dissatisfactions on the conventional society, Theodore disagrees and says that this ‘freedom’ would lead to a disregard of instituted barriers that regulate behavior, consequently causing mayhem, chaos and disorder. Ibsen also considers the youth wiser than the elderly; a claim Theodore scoffs at. Theodore observes still, that while Ibsen preached a life of self promotion and freedom of choice, he himself led a conventional lifestyle, more so in his relations with his wife and his handling of money.

He was additionally a faithful man, self controlled, regulated, and who conducted himself with dignity, yet in his writings he preaches carelessness/ ‘freedom’. Ibsen’s writings are thus not genuinely from his heart, as he led a completely different lifestyle. His attack on the conventional church is also perhaps a result of the interactions he had with the Theology school that refused his son admittance, thus the urge to execute vengeance/ ridicule. In the end, his works were not thought through in the sense that he paid no caution to the effects his insulations would have in the modern world.

Theodore cites that many people in the past have lost lives from disregard to moral boundaries, and I agree that indeed this ‘freedom’ can portend more devastation that there already is. In as much as conventional marriage has its shortcomings, the alternative free will in marriage and in life can yield graver consequences such as incest, murder, divorce, and so on (Myers, 78). Laws and norms help ensure a safe society, and I the case of marriages and relationships, walking out or divorce must not always be the first impulse/ course of action, especially where children are involved.

Lastly, as one ages, they become wiser. The young are thus not wiser than the elderly. In sports, for example, the more effort one puts in consistent practice and the more experience they accrue, the better athlete they become. Life too, is like sport. Old age is associated with more experiences in life and so more wisdom (Myers, 234).Works CitedDalrymple, Theodore. Ibsen and His Discontents. City Journal, 2005. Print.Myers, David G. Psychology. 7th ed. New York: Worth, 2004. Print.