Cameron
1
Sarah Cameron
World Literature 2
IB English
Escaping Conformity
Many pieces of literature over the years have common themes of women being
confined in a society to the point where they lose all individuality. This theme can be
seen in both Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Henrik Ibsen’s play, A
Doll’s House. By looking at similar aspects in both novels, it is easy to see the loss of
individuality of both main female characters and their struggle to try to break free of the
chains of society.
A major similarity between the works is that both women are trapped in a
patriarchal society. In A Doll’s House, the setting suggests an era where the man is the
leader of the household. His wife is just a housekeeper who prepares the family’s meals,
does household chores, and tends to the children. She stays at home keeping herself busy
until her husband comes home, and then she must make sure that he is comfortable at all
times. This idea is shown throughout the play mainly because the setting is the house
only, and the audience never sees Nora outside or in a different location. She is strictly
confined to her home and serving the family. Whenever Torvald returns home, Nora
always asks how his day went or if there was anything she could do for him. At first, the
audience sees that Nora is not at all bothered by her status in the household, but as the
play progresses, she starts to question it. Mrs. Linde, an old friend, comes to visit, and
she tells Nora about her life after her husband’s death and how she’s been working hard
in order to create a living. The works gives her confidence, and Nora wishes that she also
Cameron
2
could have that sort of independence; however, a working woman is usually looked down
upon in this type of society. This meeting with Kristine sparks an uprising in Nora,
which will lead her to claim her own individuality in a world for men. This patriarchal
society is also seen in The Handmaid’s Tale. Women in this twisted society are basically
used for procreation only. They are there just to make sure that there will be future
generations of man in a world full of war, disease, and death. The men rule in this
society. They are given an abundance of women in hopes that they will impregnate at
least one of them. Offred is controlled by this society. She cannot say what’s on her
mind because the Eyes will come and take her away. There is no way to escape because
there are high walls, barbed wire, and guards all around Gilead. Even her name shows
how male-dominated this society: Offred is a combination of “of” and “Fred,” her
commander. She has lost some individuality already because her name only
distinguishes her commander, not herself. She is just an extension of him. Unlike Nora,
where independent women are looked down upon, unconformity is a death sentence in
Gilead. This just gives her a stronger cause for her to escape and be free while staying
alive.
Another major issue that is dealt with in both works is the idea of appearances and
how this adds to a loss of individuality. Both Torvald and Nora believe that keeping a
good appearance for the public is everything for them to maintain their status as a good
family. Because of this, Nora keeps her illegal activity to a bare minimum in order to
make sure that her secret is kept at all costs. She is afraid that if someone finds out, she
will be ruined. She acts like everything is absolutely fine, even though Krogstad is
blackmailing her later in the play. Her tarentalla dance, which she performed wildly,
Cameron
3
reveals to the reader how anxious and nervous she is, but to her audience, her
performance is pure entertainment. When Torvald finds the letter, he’s upset not because
she was lying to him for all those years, but because he’s worried of what other people
will think of him. He had worked hard in order to get to where he was, and now he’s
worried that all of that can be ruined because Nora decided to take some financial matters
into her own hands. He is worried what other people will think when they realize that
Nora and Torvald have separated. All of these stereotypes of being the perfect wife have
again chained her to society and have caused her to lose her individuality because she is
playing the part of someone else in order to receive acceptance. Offred is also playing a
part, but this is for her survival. Appearances are taken very seriously in Gilead. There
are different ranks of women, and each rank wears a different color so as to distinguish
them from someone else. Handmaids, like Offred, are required to wear red. Each
handmaid looks exactly like the other, which also adds to her lack of individuality
between one handmaid and the next. She has to blend in with the crowd at all times as to
not attract attention. Any suggestion of uneasiness or anxiousness could be a signal that
something is up and the Eyes will be on her tail right away. She must wear a façade in
order to hide her true emotions and pretend like nothing is going on. Because she can’t
express her true feelings and emotions, this can also be seen as a loss of individuality. It
seems that in both societies, appearances are much more important that they should be
causing Nora and Offred to become clones made from their controlling environment.
Both women go through a terrific struggle in order to receive the independence
that they have been craving. The struggles develop throughout the plots, and the climax
of each is where they find success. Nora has been struggling to keep her reputation as the
Cameron
4
perfect wife up while doing a balancing act with trying to keep an illegal financial
arrangement under wraps. She ends up losing it when she’s having the conversation with
Torvald, and she realizes that she has only been loved for the role she plays, not for the
person she truly is. He doesn’t respect her as an individual at all, and it’s a good thing
that she realizes this so then she can make changes in her life accordingly. She claims
that she is treated like a doll, a plaything, in which she has no real say whatsoever as to
what goes on in her life, and she is fed up with being passed around. Because of this, she
decides to leave Torvald and spend time getting to know herself and gaining
independence. It’s a bold move, but she feels that being her own individual is more
important than being a wife and mother at that moment. This is made certain by the
slamming of door as she leaves the house and ventures out on her own. Offred struggles
with giving up completely and giving in or still trying to resist and escape in order to stay
alive. When Ofglen, commits suicide so she won’t have to be taken by the Eyes, Offred
is actually relieved, but she feels that she is completely in the control of the authorities.
She wants to live and will do anything for it. She hears the van come, and is a bit hesitant
when Nick is telling her to come with him because the Eyes have come to take her to a
safe place. Her decision is critical because it will affect the rest of her life. No one
knows exactly the fate of Offred, but it is most likely that she was able to escape and gain
independence and become her own individual. She had said that she would do anything
to live, and her last and most critical decision most likely allowed her to continue living
life, and if she’s lucky, continue living a new life where she is given freedom. It seems
that both struggles fought by the characters caused them to find comfort and gain
Cameron
5
acceptance of themselves. They have become stronger women as a result of
accomplishing their goals.
By looking at the societies, importance of appearances, and struggles Nora and
Offred have faced, it is easy to see how the fight for gaining individuality was a long,
hard trip, but in the end, they were rewarded with their accomplishments. For these
women, being true to themselves is the most important and precious thing that they could
call their own, and the value it immensely. It’s more important to them than being a wife,
a mother, or a saved handmaid. Unfortunately, the societies in which they live don’t
allow that kind of independence, causing Nora and Offred to suffer. They are able to
gain individuality and break free from the controlling grip of the societies in which they
live. For them, honestly being themselves is the greatest thing that could ever be done.