Ibsen Journal #2

To start off with Werle, Gregers, Hjalmar (kind of) and the rest of the guests mostly follow the "rules" of etiquette. An example of the narration of etiquette, "a knife clinks upon a glass; silence; a toast is made; cries of 'Bravo', and the hum of conversation resumes." (119). The narration tells us that these people are having a nice and formal dinner party. The example of etiquette is found in how they make a toast then with a cry of "Bravo!" shows they come from wealth and are well-mannered. Especially Werle, and how he has a background of being wealthy and proper. The only display Werle shows breaking the rules of etiquette is when Gregers intentionally forces him to have a talk in private which escalated in the end. Gregers, I would say, also shows etiquette mostly. Since he too comes from wealth and status. His father is rich and lives in a nice home with servants and maids. He is the main reason for why his father is throwing the dinner party, which shows that he has a formal way celebrating his return. 

Mrs. Sorby and Hjalmar are kind of at the balance between violating the rules of etiquette and showing etiquette. For starters, Mrs. Sorby was once the housemaid and is acting the role as hostess of the dinner party. Some might consider it ill-mannered for a former housemaid to host a dinner party but she shows that she is moving up the social ladder from a maid to the house mistress. This depends on the way you might interpret breaking the rules of etiquette. Secondly, Hjalmar was on the line of breaking etiquette because he failed to acknowledge his father at the dinner party because his father is of lower social status and definitely condemns etiquette. But, Hjalmar is also showing etiquette by ignoring his father because of his social class, so it kind of gives him an excuse on which ever way you see it. Hjalmar also pretends he did not see his father when Old Ekdal asks if he saw him there, "You didn't see me at all did you? -- No, but they said you'd been through." (141). 

Lastly the character who breaks the most etiquette is Old Ekdal. When the wealthy dinner party guests are having their conversations, Graaber (the librarian and worker) and Old Ekdal enter throught Werle's study and the site of the dinner party which is quite awkward and not allowed. Since these are workers of Werle, it is socially unacceptable to have your workers leaving through the main doors in the front because they aren't of the social status and neither were they invited to the dinner. This is also breaking rules of etiquette because of the fact that Old Ekdal is wearing dark old clothes, "He is dressed in a shabby overcoat with a high collar, woollen gloves, and in his hand, a cane and a fur cap." (120). 

This is when Hjalmar pretends not to notice his father. In the end, Ibsen's argument regarding etiquette is that because one might show etiquette it does not mean that they have the best choices made for themselves, and their choices now may reflect later in life.