Mother Courage and her ChildrenA shows a society crumpling due to the affecting crisis between Catholics and Protestants, while A Doll ‘s HouseA is set in a society which displays the rules of a Victorian society in which tradition and stereotypes define gender functions to a disabling grade. These societies place unneeded force per unit area on all households, go forthing merely those who can bear to last. The force per unit area exerted by the restraints of Victorian society is excessively much for Nora to manage and she finally walks out on her household. On the other manus for Mother Courage to get the hang maternity every bit good as survival accomplishments during the Thirty Years War is about an impossible effort. Brecht smartly illustrates how the war moulds Courage into a deep unsympathetic character who by the terminal of the drama loses everything but learns nil.[ 1 ]
Mother Courage and her Children is set in the twelvemonth 1624, in the thick of a collapsed society. Mother Courage has three kids named EilifA Nojocki ( the boy of a nimble-fingered soldier ) , A Swiss Cheese ( a Swiss munitions engineer ‘s boy ) and Kattrin Haupt ( half-German ) . Courage lives off war by selling dead soldiers ‘ ownerships like boots, helmets, etc. Courage ‘s losingss being in the opening scene of the drama where a sergeant distracts Courage by higgling over a belt buckle while a recruiting officer leads Eilif off into the war Fieldss. The struggle between maternity and concern is instantly brought into focal point by the belt. For the first clip we can see her quandary between her involvements as a businesswoman and her involvements as a female parent.
After Eilif is succumbed to war, Swiss Cheese appears in the garb of a paymaster with a regimental money box. While Courage is off scene, Cheese is dragged off by a undercover agent. Later in the scene Courage bargains for Cheese ‘s life with vacillation of corrupting the soldiers and during this shilly-shallying Cheese is executed. Courage here fails to recognize that she will ne’er be able to salvage Cheese every bit good as maintain her cart. Here is an chance cost state of affairs and another measure towards her solitariness due to the fortunes of the war. Brecht tries to convey place the hollowness in Courage ‘s maternal accomplishments but he besides shows that the fortunes leave Courage without a penchant.[ 2 ]
As the drama approaches the flood tide and Courage has lost both her boies, we can detect that Courage ‘s loss of Kattrin besides comes without a pick. Kattrin despite being warned Begins to crush a membranophone on a provincial ‘s roof top to warn the townspeople about the soldier invasion. ( Scene 11, Page 106 ) 6. Kattrin is threatened by the provincial every bit good as the soldiers and is bit by bit changeable to decease but her forfeit saves the lives of several townspeople. Kattrin ‘s decease represents the emotional flood tide of the drama ; it is the decease of Courage ‘s concluding kid. Throughout the drama we notice that Courage lives off war but by the terminal of the drama she has to pay of the debts of the war with her ain blood.[ 3 ]Analyzing the loss of her kids it is apparent that Courage could non get the hang the art of maternity and she believed that money was the lone manner to raise her kids. She strived to accomplish this end which can be seen by her go oning her concern in the last scene even after losing all her kids. It is besides interesting to observe that her solitariness was due to the fortunes of the war which ever put her in an chance cost state of affairs which lead to the loss of her kids. Despite the fact that war expects forfeits, Courage does demo some portion of coldness on her portion as she refuses to give Kattrin a proper burial herself alternatively she says, “ I must acquire back into concern ” ( Scene 12, Page 111 ) 6. The loneliness of Courage is the consequence of the insatiate hungriness of the war go forthing Courage in state of affairss where the cost of endurance was the decease of her kids and a measure towards purdah.
If external fortunes deprive Mother Courage of her kids and leave her in heroic isolation, Nora of Doll ‘s House abandons her kids of her ain free will in her ain pursuit to battle the fortunes that confine her. A Doll ‘s House by Henrik Ibsen opens on a Christmas Eve and from the really first lines of the drama, we notice the position quo as stereotypically dictated by a Victorian Society between a hubby and a married woman – Torvald Helmer and Nora. Helmer is the typecast strong and dignified hubby while Nora is “ small Alauda arvensis twittering, ” ( line 148 ) 5 these pick of Helmer ‘s words depict how Helmer treated her like a kid. Helmer ‘s continual mention to Nora utilizing silly names for illustration “ small featherbrain ” ( line 83 ) 5, his “ squirrel sulking ” ( line 48 ) 5 and most significantly his “ song bird ” ( line 7 ) 5 portray the position disparity between work forces and adult females and demo that adult females are merely position symbols harmonizing to the Victorian society rules.[ 4 ]The first phase of Nora ‘s independency and solitariness Begins in the opening scene of the drama where Nora alternatively of sharing her love for the macaroons, fells it from Helmer ( line 13 ) 5 and in bend Helmer as a dominant hubby inquiries and suspects Nora ( lines 106-124 ) 5.
The 2nd measure towards independency is signified in opening conversation between Linde and Nora where Nora shows her strength in the mere fact that she had forged her male parent ‘s signature and saved her hubby ‘s life. Although this took topographic point before the drama started, in uncovering her secret to Mrs. Linde she attempts to derive independency but her attempts towards seeking independency are defeated by the rules of the Victorian society where it is below a adult male ‘s self-respect to seek assistance from his married woman. Nora instructs Mrs.Linde “ Sh! Torvald must ne’er hearaˆ¦ ” ( lines 342-345 ) 5 as she identifies that Helmer would non appreciate her attempts. Her following leap towards breaking-free is shown when Krogstad comes to see her and attempts to pull strings her but Nora in response quotation marks, “ A girl ca n’t salvage her deceasing male parent from attention and concern? A married woman ca n’t assist her ill hubby? ” ( lines 810-813 )[ 5 ].
It is non until Nora sees the truth of Helmer ‘s character that she eventually breaks free. Nora ‘s long expected “ miracle ” ne’er took topographic point as Helmer demonstrates a really selfish side of his personality when he discovers that Nora had saved his life. Helmer stoically says, “ No adult male would give his award for the 1 he loves ” ( line 636-637 ) .This is the apogee point of the drama where Nora realizes that merely how the Victorian society demands it to be – Helmer ‘s societal image is of a greater importance to him every bit compared to his love and committedness to his married woman. This letdown bolsters Nora to give up her kids and walk out on her hubby to prosecute a life of her pick where she is entirely yet independent. Nora walks out on her household and her maternity duties to detect herself. Unlike Mother Courage, Ibsen shows a much more hard scenario for Nora as she is fond of her kids and she has a pick but due to the reactions of Helmer as a stereotype Victorian society hubby she has to abandon her kids, which is emotionally tragic for her.[ 6 ]Nora chiefly leaves to happen her ain independency but she besides believes that her kids ‘s upbringing would be better done by Anne-Marie ( their nursemaid ) .
The apogees of the two dramas symbolize the solitariness of the supporters, their ultimate destiny is similar but their attitude towards carry throughing their fate is different. Nora ‘s independency and privacy is the consequence of the pick she makes while Mother Courage is devoid of a pick. Nora, tired of the male dominant society decides to interrupt free and voluntarily chooses to be independent for her personal growing. While Mother Courage besides makes similar forfeits but the warfare society depicted by Brecht leaves her disabled. To reason Nora had the desire of being independent but for Mother Courage solitariness and independency were like a monetary value that she unwilling has to pay for the concern she did off the war.
