Aidoo switches perspectives in every scene. By alternating these perspectives, we the readers are able to see the thought process of the characters as the scene plays out in real time. Aidoo even gives inanimate objects like Mercy’s shoes life. As Mercy walks to Connie’s home the shoes sing “Count, Mercy, count your blessings” The author chose this song for the shoes to sing to Mercy to shows it’s thoughts on Mercy. It is later revealed that the shoes were a gift from Mensar Arthur, a wealthy old member of parliament that she is using to acquire things. The shoes are trying to steer her in the right direction by reminding her to “count her blessings” If you take a look at the lyrics the song is based on you can see that it’s message is to be grateful for what you have even during difficult times. This is the message the shoes want her to receive.

On pg. 995 the shoes are described as “more realistic than their owner” The shoes want Mercy to be realistic about her situation. While Mercy wants to as she desires “to sleep deep and only wake up on the morning of her glory.” The shoes are telling her to be grateful for what she has for it is her reality. She can’t wish for something to be true. You have to take action for that to happen. Those shoes are a reflection of that message. For they were not acquired through her own work but by relying on the work of Mensar Arthur, whose asking price is her body.

Aidoo also gives life to the Guinea Sea by personifying it as a god. When the sea god says, “People are worms, and even the God who created them is immensely bored with their antics.” He uses the word worms to describe humans as weak. He criticizes the way humans handle their problems like Mercy does. He criticizes the way men think highly of themselves the way Mensar does. The sea god finds their feelings of superiority absurd for in actuality God is superior to them. The sea god as well as God is tired of seeing humans make the same mistakes after it has given humanity multiple chances.

It is ironic that Mercy is named Mercy when she shows no mercy to herself or others. She doesn’t care how it affects the wife and children of the men she is having affairs with or herself. She doesn’t respect her body or her mind. She yearns for something greater but instead of feeding herself the necessary nutrients she needs to grow she decided relying on men would be an easier way of getting the things she wants. James explained it best, she is surrounded by girls who sell themselves to get what they want. She doesn’t really have a role model. Her mother died when she was young. She didn’t spend as much time as her older sister Connie did with her mother. Connie and Mercy also don’t see eye to eye. Connie is a traditional woman who is content with taking on the role that is expected of her by society. Mercy is sexually liberated. She has no problem using men for her own gain. She considers dating a taxi driver or her boss just to have the convenience of a car. Mercy may also think she knows better because her sister has an outdated viewpoint on how women should act. Instead of being compassionate towards her sisters grief over her cheating husband she laughs and tells her to cheat too. Mercy’s response to Connie in line 3 on pg. 996 reveals Mercy’s desire for more out of life than what is expected of her and the differing viewpoints among sisters. Although women have made some progress like being allowed to work and be more sexually open about themselves, they still haven’t made much progress. Women still have boundaries imposed on them: They have limited career options (ex. typist, secretary or teacher) and are still being controlled by men to an extent. Powerful rich men use girls like Mercy to get what they want and women like Connie still lack the power to leave a bad relationship. Mercy could rely on her own work to get what she wants but chooses not to and thus, dooms herself to a life of unhappiness in doing so. Connie is described as self reliant but when it comes to her husband she can’t bring herself to leave a cheating man who doesn’t love her the same way and thus also dooms herself a life of unhappiness.http://http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/irving_berlin/count_your_blessings_instead_of_sheep.html

When you look at the character list on the first page of the play you notice that Ibsen used the possessive word his to identify who two of the characters were. Instead of identifying Miss Julianne Tesman  as George Tesman’s aunt, she is identified as his aunt and Hedda Tesman is his wife. The possesive use of the word his is interesting because the play is titled Hedda Gabler who is George Tesman’s wife. Why not identify George as her husband? It is also interesting to note that in the script the character’s names are changed from Miss. Julianne Tesman  to Miss Tesman and George Tesman to Tesman and Hedda Tesman is simply Hedda. Although Hedda is married to George Tesman she doesn’t take his last name. On pg. 811 in an attempt to stop Lovborg from informally addressing her in an endeared tone she reveals to him that she doesn’t love George. She is not stopping him from informally addressing her out of respect for her husband, but rather because she doesn’t want to belong to anyone.  She plays with the men in her life. These men include Lovburg, Judge Brack and Tesman. Her relationship with Brack is open, she is forthcoming about herself. She isn’t careful about her words with him. She shamelessly tells him how she purposely insulted Aunt Julie when she “unknowingly” called Aunt Julie’s hat distasteful and old. She doesn’t seem to have any small feelings of love to help humanize her. Hedda needs to feel in control, that is why she doesn’t take George’s last name or lets Lovborg informally address her. She draws people to her by using her beauty, confidence and through the use of manipulation.  Thea spills her guts to her even though Hedda was mean to her as a school girl, George and Aunt Julie spend all their savings to please Hedda, she enjoys Lovborgs’ attention because it causes Thea pain and gets Brack to suddenly sell the house to her. When she commands someone they obey. She commands George to write a letter right away on pg 792. She commands Thea many times throughout the play either with words or by force on pgs. 793, 813 and 817. She shows how persistent she is in controlling the outcomes by getting Lovburg to leave Thea alone with her by manipulating him into leaving on pg 814 after he first declined to leave.

The characters in this play love to make implications, they rarely state outright what they are thinking. It’s all carefully worded. For example on pg 785 Miss Tessman (Aunt Julie) and Tessman ( George Tessman) have the following conversation:

On the house George and Hedda recently moved into

Tessman: It’s splendid! Only I can’t think of what we’ll do with those two empty rooms between the back parlor and Hedda’s bedroom.

Miss Tessman: [ Lightly laughing ] My dear George-when the time comes, you’ll think of what to do with them.

Tessman: Oh, of course-as I add to my library, hm?

Miss Tessman: That’s right, my boy-of course I was thinking about your library.

From observing the dashes I can tell that these are awkward pauses used to hide what Miss Tessman actually meant. She was suggesting that the rooms would be used for the children that the Tessman’s would be having one day. It would seem that George does not see children in his future. Which is strange because on pg 788 George joyfully describes Hedda as “filled out” which either means that she is pregnant or  has gotten rounder because he is able to provide for her.  I believe she either doesn’t care for kids or isn’t impressed by him. She later reveals to Judge Brack that she married George because he offered to give her everything, but his everything isn’t enough for her since he comes from a lower middle class as opposed to her coming from an upper middle class life.

The following is another instance of implication on the top of pg 785 when Aunt Julie suggests that he may be having an affair. When she asks about prospects she doesn’t mean job prospects but rather another woman. Dashes are used here again to show that she is carefully implicating something without actually saying it.

Miss Tesman: … George-isn’t there something-something extra you want to tell me?

Tesman: About the trip?

Miss Tesman: Yes.

Tesman: No-I can’t think of anything I didn’t mention in my letters. I was given my doctorate-but I told you that yesterday.

Miss Tesman : So you did. But I mean-whether you might have any-any kind of-prospects-?

Tesman: Prospects?

Miss Tesman: Good Lord, George-I’m your old aunt.

Tesman: Well of course I have prospects.

Miss Tesman: Aha!

Tesman: I have excellent prospects of becoming a professor one of these days but Aunt Julie dear, you already knew that.

Miss Tesman: [With a little laugh] Your right I do. [Changing the subject]…

Although Ibsen describes the Tesman characters as simple and kind they’re behavior around Hedda shows the opposite. Aunt Julie spends all her savings to help keep up appearances for George even though her sister Rina is ill. Aunt Julie and George put up with Hedda because she is a symbol of accomplishment. She is of value because he was able to win her over all the other suitors. She is essentially a trophy wife. Aunt Julie and George use the word beautiful a lot to describe Hedda. It especially becomes apparent that George doesn’t truly value her when he calls Hedda the most beautiful thing of all. I believe that he doesn’t have any confidence in himself and marries Hedda to boost his ego. It would also explain why he is threatened by Lovburg’s success. Without the handsomely payed position he wouldn’t be able to provide for his wife and would eventually loose her. He does not believe that he can compete with him for the same job position so he asks him to withdraw from the competition.