First quote: Jean. She made him leap over her riding whip, the way you teach a dog to jump.
Second quote: Julie. All that is well enough, but Jean—–you must give courage. Take me in your arms and tell me that you love me.
Strindberg portrays contradiction with these two quotes. Based on the first quote, Strindberg portrays Miss Julie as a strong woman who is dominant. He shows that she is controlling and wants everything her way. Miss Julie challenges the view of woman because of the way she is viewed in this quote. However, the second quote shows her vulnerability and her weakness. She is in need of courage and love that she practically begs Jean to comfort her. Both quotes show how Strindberg contradicts Miss Julie as a character. Also, the term “half woman” relates to Miss Julie. She never really loved her father so her mother took it upon herself To teach her everything she knows. She actually hates her father and lacks a self of her own because she is torn between her parents.
2 responses so far ↓
m.mccann // Mar 19th 2016 at 11:34 am
I like both of the quotes you used because it shows how Strindberg contradicts the character Miss Julie. The first quote is showing how much authority Miss Julie has in terms of class. Your second quote shows the differences in gender and how Jean has more power than her since he is a man. This makes Julie look weak and vulnerable.
b.martinez2 // Mar 19th 2016 at 11:48 am
You make good points between Strindberg’s analysis of Julie and the explanation she gives herself for how she feels about her parents. She didn’t decide to be a half man half woman but she didn’t have as lasting a relationship with her mother as she wanted. Her unique perspective makes her feel vulnerable as you made the connection in your second quote. Her half man half woman features come from her flawed relationship with her parents. Your first quote explains how she is dominant and strong according to Strindberg. Your connections between Julie’s character analysis and her actions show how being half man half woman makes her strong yet hopeless at the same time.
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