Henrik Ibsen’s plays anticipate major developments in the twentieth and twenty first
century that includes the individual feeling of alienation and actual alienation from
society, the pressures by which society insures conformity to its values and suppresses
individuality and the barriers by which modern life set up against living heroically.
In this play ghosts he has introduced naturalism that is a philosophy, a general
understanding of reality and humanity’s place within reality.
It explains that “Society invades personal life” characters in most naturalistic literature
typically illustrates the deterministic role of heredity and environment of human life. It is
supported by the sentence in a play “deeds of the fathers comes before the children.”
· Human beings are passive victims of natural forces and social environments.
· Henrik ibsen with its sress on heredity encouraged an important tradition of dramatic naturalism.
This is completely true and supportive that there is a heredity transfer of characteristic
from parents and children, as Osvald did the same thing as his father.
But at the same time if our upbringing is good enough and we are being awared of all
the facts of would have told Osvald the truth about his father he would have never done
such a mistake by repeating the same mistake.
It is true that nature cannot be changed but at the same time that there is another thing
that “nothing is impossible.” A person can learn through experience and example.
This is one of the bitter realities of the society that greatly affect people especially
women. But the point is it can be changed through intelligence and awareness. Children
should be aware of everything and should be taught by the parents so that they should not
get into any kind of guilt as Osvald went on hearing the truth about his father.
Other than the heredity naturalism is also supported by God’s will. Because
sometimes children have to pay for their parent’s sins.
Although the heredity effects human nature and action but it can be overcome through
intelligence and awareness.
It is not only a hereditary factor that is explained if we see through reality it is also
very instinct.
Basically naturalism is not so strong scientifically there are many contradictions. The
concept of hereditary naturalism came from Darwinsim through his theory of evolution
but by the end of the first quarter of the 20th century the intellectuals has largely
surrendered this picture of the human condition.
Naturalism can be defeated through intellectualism. So also our hereditary
characteristics affect us but our mind contributes a lot to our intelligence. But at the same
time naturalism cannot be challenged. But according to me intellectualism has a power to
overcome this.
The concept of feminism in this play has also contributed to this aspect. The
women who alone faces all this hardships but still dominated by the fake values of the
society. Although she doesn’t get fully dominated but fails to manage i-e hereditary effect
of father and the son.
As it is more about man’s instinct so although it is difficult to deal with but society can
stop him from doing evil or sin.
Although naturalism has its effect on environment but at the same time the society also makes a person to think in a proper way by showing the circumstances.
A man cares a lot about his society and we change ourselves according to that we
become in a way in which our society wants to see us no matter what kind of nature we
have or what our hereditary characters influence us.
Although nature but human mind is also unpredictable. So although by nature we
have something by nature but our mind can make us a completely different individual.
So naturalism involves almost all aspects of society in which it effects individuals on
inheritance and spiritual relations have the main contribution but it can be defeated
through intellectualism.
