The Search for Self in Tirra Lirra by the River Essay

The Search for Self in Tirra Lirra by the River It has been suggested that Tirra Lirra by the River can be regarded as a novel which aims eventually at a better understanding2. In my opinion understanding is achieved at two levels in the novel. The first type of understanding is personal and introspective, and is discovered by the central character. The other is societal, achieved through allegory and symbolism, and aimed at the reader. Jessica Anderson aims to develop this dual understanding through the exploration of two main themes: the quest for self-knowledge, and the consequences of gendered societal repression. In this essay I will explore these themes, and how much Nora and the audience respectively finally†¦show more content†¦She is trapped in a world of shadows and reflections, like the Lady. Reality has never quite lived up to expectation, and the very fact that Nora dares to expect something special from life draws the ominous growled out question ... Who does she think she is? (p. 13.). It is only while convalescing in bed that Nora begins to separate her real self from her imagined self3. It is through her ability to resolve the conflict between her dream world and reality that she escapes the curse of living in a shadow world - a curse shared with her symbolic counterpart the Lady of Shallot. Like the Lady of Shallot, she looks on reality, but unlike her, Nora wins her life as she begins to integrate the contrasting elements of her being.4 This is Noras triumph, and Andersons significant departure from the story told in Tennysons poem. The reason Nora finds it so hard to reach self-knowledge is also due to her pre-occupation with surfaces and superficial reflections of herself. Throughout the novel, Nora struggles to ... present the image of the woman she assumes she is supposed to be - even to the extent of ... a surgical reconstruction of her face.5 The real Nora has never been the face or any of the personalities she displays to the world. But she has found it easier to capitulate to expectation than try to explain herself, telling us that the thicket of misunderstanding ...