"The Scream" by Edvard Munch"The Scream" is a confronting painting of an isolated figure on a bridge clutching his ears; his eyes and mouth open wide in a scream of anguish. The Scream by Edvard Munch has become one of the most prominent symbols of psychic distress.
The "friends" of the screaming figure is apparent in the background. The distance, ambiguity and lack of involvement of these figures is quite similar to Nora's relationships. As the figure is distorted with anxiety, the two people are showing no understanding or concern for him. The bridge can be symbolic for a journey into another world. This reflects Nora's path to self discovery and her struggle to travel from her imagined world to reality. Munch describes his inspiration for this painting.
"I was walking along a path with two friends-the sun was setting-suddenly the sky turned blood red-I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence-there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city-my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety-and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature."This
One of several versions of the painting "The Screa...
nora and dora
Fourth version of the painting The Sick Childpainting can reflect the interior expressions of Nora's mind. It shows the mental anguish Nora is experiencing, however the lack of concern by the "friends" in the background shows that Nora clearly does not communicate her troubles to others. It also shows that her state of mind also distorts the world around her to suit her perceptions. This is shown by the violent swirls in the crimson sky and blue-black fjord which are manipulated to reflect the emotion of the character. The use of bold colours and jagged strokes portray the raw and overpowering emotion of the figure. The powerful visual techniques of The Scream overwhelms its viewers similarly to the enchanting literary techniques used...