Hedda Gabler: the Inner Room

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Roberto Gonzalez Mrs. Conkling English IV AP 22 February 2013 Hedda Gabler: The Inner Room Failure to individuate can lead to a tragic death. Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychologist, defines the self as “the inner guiding factor that is different from the conscious personality.” Hedda’s personality tends to be controlled by her self, represented by the inner room in Hedda Gabler, by Henrik Ibsen. According to Jung, a person must go through individuation, the gradual integration and unification of the self through the resolution of successive layers of psychological conflict, in order to become whole with your psyche. Throughout the play Ibsen also makes it clear to the reader that Hedda fails to individuate. Hedda’s interaction with the inner room illustrates a closer look into her self and her failure to individuate. The inner room’s placement plays a vital role in the play Hedda Gabler. “In the back, a wide doorway with curtains drawn back, leading into a smaller room decorated in the same style as the drawing room” (1).The way the stage is set up, the audience’s eyes are automatically drawn to the inner room. The shaping of the furniture and the rooms themselves tend to draw attention to the portrait of General Gabler. Since the inner room represents Hedda’s self, the audience is unknowingly concentrating on her self. The General also represents Hedda’s self because he gave shaped her personality to demand being in control, or at least attempt to. Hedda strategically goes into the inner room in seldom occasions. Having the inner room in sight of the audience at all times subconsciously reminds the audience of Hedda’s self. The inner room represents Hedda’s unconscious self. Hedda rarely spends time in the inner room, which represents how often she controls her self, not very often. In the inner room lies a portrait of her father, General Gabler. This
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