Kramer Vs. Kramer Character Comparison

607 Words3 Pages
Now Ted Kramer and Torvald Helmer are both the main male characters in their stories respectfully. Both of these men are concerned with their appearance and how the public views them. Ted shows this by buying the Burberry Coat. He looks at himself in the three way mirror and asks his friends with him, "So how does it look"? This shows his obsession for positive image and approval of his peers. Torvald keeps his image up by being an assertive and successful employee at the bank. They try to keep their image high in the view of the public because they are inspiring to be successful businessmen. Both Ted and Torvald have just received promotions at their work. Thinking this would make their wives happy they were proud of their recent achievements. However this signified they placed their work above their family because they were only thinking of their needs and not of the families. They are not home as frequently as the wives would like them to be because they are out working. Both didn't like spending money or allowing their wives to spend it on gifts for themselves. When Ted's handshakes as he is signing the check shows he is hesitant to spend money. The same goes for Torvald when he tells Nora she has to stop spend his money on gifts, often calling her his "little lark and squirrel." They control their wives without them even knowing about it. They want their wives to act the way they want them to. For the most part they stay inside the house because of the way Nora and Joanna act reflects how people view Torvald and Ted. Their work made them oblivious to their wife's ambitions to possibly starting their own career instead of being a stay at home mother. They were so caught up in working and obtaining personal wealth that they had detached relationships with their families,
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