The reason why Hedda Gabler married George Tesman is still a question to me since Tesman is less wealthy than Hedda and she doesn’t show a bit of love towards him (even if she did, it was an excuse to hide her true intentions at burning the manuscript). Tesman is undoubtedly a good husband, he endures Hedda’s moodiness and buys her the house when she expresses interest in it. However, Hedda is greedy and displeased with everything. She complains to Judge Brack about their boring honeymoon and even her life now, after returning to her dream house, is “boring [her] to death.” She appears to be a superficial and manipulative person. Her beauty would’ve definitely attracted many more men. However, the only reason I can think of to explain her marriage with George Tesman is that Tesman is submissive to her which makes her feel proud and superior.
Hedda’s debut both in the book and the film gives me a bad impression for her. Her pride and demanding attitude towards the people around her somewhat angered me. Her way of speaking and acting are very disrespectful, yet Tesman still tolerates her and spoils her. Hedda reminds me of some young ladies, even celebrities in our society today who also lack profundity. They always complain about their boredom because they have nothing better to do other than gossiping or thinking how to attract those rich men so their lives are “secured”. I believe that women, besides our duties to take care of our husband and children, need to have our own goal and passion in life. We should not be satisfied with being a housewife. We should use our leisure time to explore more of what we are interested in and contribute to that field. If our time is used wisely, we should not feel bored at all.
We should all live for a purpose. Hedda’s act of suicide is absurd in my view. She is just avoiding the consequences that she created for herself. In fact, I usually do not feel sorry for suicide cases because they absolutely have other ways in life other than death. They choose death because they do not have the courage to face their problems. Who doesn’t have ups and downs in life? Life like a straight line would be meaningless. Who doesn’t make mistakes? No one is perfect. We should always admit our mistakes and stand up again and not let life defeat us.
After reading the play, I was also confused on why Hedda chose to marry Tesman. I agree that by marrying Tesman, Hedda felt a sense of superiority and power. However, if Hedda wanted freedom so much, why did she marry in the first place? Why would she have confined herself to a marriage? If Hedda was so bored of her life and marriage, then she should have chosen to leave Tesman. Throughout the play, I was constantly confused on the actions and personality of Hedda. She was a difficult character to decipher and her actions were difficult to explain. But, it is safe to say that Hedda was indeed a very materialistic and over-demanding character. In my eyes, she is the perfect depiction of the spoiled and bratty children in our society today.