The Three Awakenings
In most stories the man character goes through a change somewhere in the story. In the stories, Oedipus the King, A Doll’s House and A Piano Lesson, the main characters all have an awakening. Some are more dramatic than others. All the characters are similar in many ways. Oedipus, Nora and Berniece all are awoken by something from there past.
In Oedipus the King, Oedipus was given away as a baby. His mother and father are queen and king of Thebes. Oedipus didn’t know it but he killed his father. He also solved the riddle of the Sphinx. In doing so he became king of Thebes. At the beginning if the story Oedipus was confident and had every reason to be. The town was ridden with a plague and everyone turned to Oedipus for help. He was one step ahead of the town. He already sent Creon to the oracle at Delphi for advice. Oedipus soon finds out that he killed his father and married his mother. He gave up being king and lived life in misery.
Nora from A Doll’s House is married to Torvald, a lawyer who loves her dearly. He loved her so much he did almost anything for her. At the beginning of the story Nora seems completely happy. She does not seem to mind her doll-like existence, in which she is pampered. As the story progresses Nora comes to realize she is not just a “silly girl,” as Torvald calls her. That she understands the business details related to the debt. In the past she took out a loan in order to save her husbands life. She spent years secretly working to pay off her debt. She was willing to break the law in order to ensure Torvald’s health shows her courage. She sings and dances to please Torvald’s fantasy. “I have been performing tricks for you, Torvald,” she says. She realizes she is not his wife but in reality his doll and she has been living in a doll house.
At the beginning of the story, A Piano Lesson, A brother, Boy Willie, and sister, Berniece, are fighting over a piano. Berniece fiercely protects the...