Dolls House Play
"A Doll's House" is classified under the "second phase" of
Henrik Ibsen's
career. It was during this period which he made the transition
from mythical
and historical dramas to plays dealing with social problems. It
was the first
in a series investigating the tensions of family life. Written
during the
Victorian era, the controversial play featuring a female protagonist
seeking
individuality stirred up more controversy than any of his other works.
In
contrast to many dramas of Scandinavia in that time which depicted the
role
of women as the comforter, helper, and supporter of man, "A
Doll's
House" introduced woman as having her own purposes and goals. The
heroine,
Nora Helmer, progresses during the course of the play eventually
to realize that
she must discontinue the role of a doll and seek out her
individuality. David
Thomas describes the initial image of Nora as that
of a doll wife who revels in
the thought of luxuries that can now be
afforded, who is become with flirtation,
and engages in childlike acts of
disobedience (259). This inferior role from
which Nora progressed is
extremely important. Ibsen in his "A Doll's
House" depicts the role of
women as subordinate in order to emphasize the
need to reform their role in
society. Definite characteristics of the women's
subordinate role in a
relationship are emphasized through Nora's contradicting
actions. Her
infatuation with luxuries such as expensive Christmas gifts
contradicts her
resourcefulness in scrounging and buying cheap clothing; her
defiance of
Torvald by eating forbidden Macaroons contradicts the submission of
her
opinions, including the decision of which dance outfit to wear, to
her
husband; and Nora's flirtatious nature contradicts her devotion to her
husband.
These occurrences emphasize the facets of a relationship in
which women play a
dependent role: finance, power, and love. Ibsen attracts
our attention to these
examples to highlight the overall subordinate role
that a woman plays compared
to that of her husband. The two sides of Nora
contrast each other greatly and
accentuate the fact that she is lacking in
independence of will. The mere fact
that Nora's well-intentioned action is
considered illegal reflects woman's
subordinate position in society; but it
is her actions that provide the insight
to this position. It can be suggested
that women have the power to choose which
rules to follow at home, but not in
the business world, thus again indicating
her subordinateness. Nora does not
at first realize that the rules outside the
household apply to her. This is
evident in Nora's meeting with Krogstad
regarding her borrowed money. In her
opinion it was no crime for a woman to do
everything possible to save her
husband's life. She also believes that her act
will be overlooked because of
her desperate situation. She fails to see that the
law does not take into
account the motivation behind her forgery. Marianne
Sturman submits that
this meeting with Krogstad was her first confrontation with
the reality of a
"lawful society" and she deals with it by attempting
to distract herself with
her Christmas decorations (16). Thus her first
encounter with rules outside
of her "doll's house" results in the
realization of her naivety and
inexperience with the real world due to her
subordinate role in society. The
character of Nora is not only important in
describing to role of women, but
also in emphasizing the impact of this role on
a woman. Nora's child-like
manner, evident through her minor acts of
disobedience and lack of
responsibility compiled with her lack of sophistication
further emphasize the
subordinate role of woman. By the end of the play this is
evident as she
eventually sees herself as an ignorant person, and unfit mother,
and
essentially her husband's wife. Edmond Gosse highlights the point that
"Her
insipidity, her dollishness, come from the incessant repression of her
family
life (721)." Nora has been spoonfed everything she has needed in
life. Never
having to think has caused her to become dependent on others. This
dependency
has given way to subordinateness, one that has grown into a social
standing.
Not only a position in society, but a state of mind is created.
When
circumstances suddenly place Nora in a responsible position, and demand
from her
a moral judgment, she has none to give. She cannot possibly
comprehend the
severity of her decision to borrow money illegally. Their
supposed inferiority
has created a class of ignorant women who cannot take
action let alone accept
the consequences of their actions. "A Doll's House"
is also a
prediction of change from this subordinate roll. According to Ibsen
in his play,
women will eventually progress and understand her position.
Bernard Shaw notes
that when Nora's husband inadvertently deems her unfit in
her role as a mother,
she begins to realize that her actions consisting of
playing with her children
happily or dressing them nicely does not
necessarily make her a suitable parent
(226). She needs to be more to her
children than an empty figurehead. From this
point, when Torvald is making a
speech about the effects of a deceitful mother,
until the final scene, Nora
progressively confronts the realities of the real
world and realizes her
subordinate position. Although she is progressively
understanding this
position, she still clings to the hope that her husband will
come to her
protection and defend her from the outside world once her crime is
out in the
open. After she reveals the "dastardly deed" to her
husband, he becomes
understandably agitated; in his frustration he shares the
outside world with
her, the ignorance of the serious business world, and
destroys her innocence
and self-esteem. This disillusion marks the final
destructive blow to her
doll's house. Their ideal home including their marriage
and parenting has
been a fabrication for the sake of society. Nora's decision to
leave this
false life behind and discover for herself what is real is directly
symbolic
of woman's ultimate realization. Although she becomes aware of her
supposed
subordinateness, it is not because of this that she has the desire to
take
action. Nora is utterly confused, as suggested by Harold Clurman, "She
is
groping sadly in a maze of confused feeling toward a way of life and
a
destiny of which she is most uncertain (256)." The one thing she is
aware
of is her ignorance, and her desire to go out into the world is not
to
"prove herself" but to discover and educate herself. She must strive
to
find her individuality. That the perception of woman is inaccurate is
also
supported by the role of Torvald. Woman is believed to be subordinate to
the
domineering husband. Instead of being the strong supporter and protector
of his
family, Nora's husband is a mean and cowardly man. Worried about his
reputation
he cares little about his wife's feelings and fails to notice many
of her needs.
The popular impression of man is discarded in favor of a
more realistic view,
thus illustrating society's distorted views. Ibsen,
through this controversial
play, has an impact upon society's view of the
subordinate position of women. By
describing this role of woman, discussing
its effects, and predicting a change
in contemporary views, he stressed the
importance of woman's realization of this
believed inferiority. Woman should
no longer be seen as the shadow of man, but a
person in herself, with her own
triumphs and tragedies. The exploration of Nora
reveals that she is dependant
upon her husband and displays no independent
standing. Her progression of
understanding suggests woman's future ability to
comprehend their plight. Her
state of shocked awareness at the end of the play
is representative of the
awakening of society to the changing view of the role
of woman. "A Doll's
House" magnificently illustrates the need for and
a prediction of this
change.