Enairys Diaz-Diaz
Dr. VanPutte & Dr. Greenfield
BIO 280H
17 November 2023
Naturalism in Miss Julie
August Strindberg (1849-1912) was an advocate for theatre. He saw it as Biblia
Pauperum, he believed that everyone should have the chance to be educated even if they could
not attend school or have the knowledge to read. He didn’t see theatre as entertainment but
inversely used plays to display modern ideas and concepts. Strindberg created Miss Julie to be a
pillar of the Naturalism movement, this movement was led by the idea that human character is
shaped by genetics and the environment that surrounds us. This idea and themes are what created
the narrative of Miss Julie’s tragedy.
The first focus of the narrative the reader sees are the difference in class between Jean,
Commented [GR1]: Comma splice; you can attach the
second clause to the first with which: movement, which
was led. . .
Commented [GR2]: Since this is your main thesis, give a
more detailed definition of naturalism--character and
behavior determined by class, gender, economics,
upbringing, psychology, etc.
Commented [GR3]: is focus . . is the difference. . .
the Count’s valet, and Julie, the Count’s daughter, who fall in a complicated entanglement during
the Midsummer’s Eve celebration. As the story opens, we see the evident differences between
Jean and Julie. Julie is aware of her authority and uses it to control men, leading to her being
found making her fiancé jump over a whip by Jean. After Julie has sex with Jean it becomes
apparent that a change occurs within their characteristics of their relationship, no longer a
professional relationship, and something that would bring dishonor to Julie if others found out,
we see the power switch over to Jean.
Commented [GR4]: This true generally but use some
specific references to the text to support this change of
attitude that takes placel.
Once Jean is aware of the sudden authority he has, he uses it to torment Julie. Blaming
her for all his problems and treating her badly, possibly in a way to show how everyone else
would treat her once they all found out. His hostility is the first look of how the class authority
was so easily broken just because he is a man, and he holds that against Julie. This hostility even
extends to Christine, Jean’s fiancé and the Count’s servant, when she questions him. Social
Darwinism propelled this idea forward with Miss Julie’s childhood, in which she was made to
wear boy clothes and taught to do things men traditionally do, this reflects on Social Darwinism
because it utterly failed and almost seemed to break Julie in a way and therefore sprouting a
hatred for men.
Julie’s condition is unknown, but some speculated hysteria or even neurosis. The reason
for her behavior can be traced back to her parents. Her father stands as a looming figure in her
life, after being raised by her mother to hate men and watching her authority also be stripped
Commented [GR5]: The connection with social Darwinism
is not clear. Not sure SD is relevant here. You can say that
Julie was brought up in a way to create gender confusion
and distrust or even hatred of men. Use quotes to show
this.
Commented [VD6R5]: I would agree. The lack of identity
leads her to not truly understand who or what she is or
where she fits in. Perhaps he is arguing that nuture is more
important that nature.
from her made her distrust of men grow. Considering the way she was raised, Julie is actively
fighting the natural way of things. Her environment was surrounded by people doing things out
Commented [GR7]: Can you clarify this or give examples?
of their nature, and when her father put an end to it, she was the only one who remembered and
was affected by it all.
The viewer watches as Julie is consumed by her past and Jean easily shifts back to his
role as a valet when the time comes. Their hopes for freedom have already been taken from
Commented [GR8]: Needs clarification Father put an end
to what? and how?
Commented [GR9]: You've been referring to the reader
and the text. Do you want to refer specifically to the film
version?
them. Their lives were already cut out for them, if not for the events of Midsummer’s Eve,
nothing would've happened. Strindberg's characters in a way "characterless," their allegiances
and beliefs constantly changing. The quote, "I find the joy of life in its violent and cruel
struggles, and my pleasure lies in knowing something and learning something," (pg. xi)
Commented [GR10]: In the Preface, Strindberg says his
characters are "characterless," their . . .
encapsulates the idea of naturalism, which emphasizes the inevitability of the destiny of Jean and
Julie. ea
Commented [GR11]: You've made a case for the
naturalistic elements in the play. The paper could be
strengthened by more examples, including quotes, and by
organizing each paragraph around an aspect of naturalism-gender determination, class, economics (consider Jean and
Julie's discussion of the importance of money in making
their escape).
Commented [VD12R11]: i agree. Make these
improvements and I think you'll have a strong paper.