217;s actions had negative effects on their families and their families’ lives. Although Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius resulted in everyone’s death, it is still very similar to Nora’s illegal financial workings. Both lost their families, and in Gertrude’s cause she lost her life.Some works of literature serve a political purpose, especially ones that try to change society. Many times it is a female character that is trying to bring about change. Two such pieces of literature are Sophocles’ “Antigone” and Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. In “Antigone” it is the title character Antigone who is trying to change the city of Thebes and the society of her time by overstepping the traditional female bounds and defying the king’s sovereignty. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” It is the character of the grandmother who is trying to bring about reform although it may only be within her own family. She tries to bring her new age family of the ‘40s in touch with her old fashioned conservative family ideals. Both of these characters engulf themselves within the central conflict as a consequence of their ideals and motives, leaving them dead.Antigone is portrayed to be a martyr; such was the way she wanted to be portrayed throughout the play. She is seen as being ignorant, as she defies not only her uncle Creon, but also society itself, as she “leaped” over the traditional male/female social structure. Creon is put into an awkward situation by Antigone’s actions. She uses the law of the god’s against his own word, thus questioning his leadership. As self-consciousness as Creon is, he is now overly worried about the people’s reactions to Antigone’s behavior. He wants to follow his word, thus not showing his in competency, yet he does not want to turn her into a martyr. Antigone, ...
