Justify the title of the play “A Doll’s House”

A Doll’s House is a realistic drama written by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Johan Ibsen in the year 1879. His plays attacked the age worn values of male dominated society.  He discarded outmoded dramatic techniques such as soliloquies and monologues.  The theme of the play “A Doll’s House” is individual freedom and emancipation of self. The protagonist of the play Nora is the wife of Torwald Helmer and they are married for the last eight years. They have three children. “Doll’s House” is a problem play because Ibsen deals with a social problem. It is the status of a woman in relation to her husband and home. Ibsen shows the pathetic situation of Nora being treated by her husband as a mere child who doesn’t know anything and she is called the squirrel, the skylark and a doll.

When the curtain rises, Nora is seen on stage telling innocent lies in a child-like manner. Helmer treats her like an irresponsible being – like a child, a bird (skylark), a squirrel, a possession, anything except as a woman. From his speech, it becomes clear that she is nothing but a plaything (a doll) for him. But underneath the surface of Nora’s mind, there is lurking a strong protest against the male domination with its laws, religion and social customs, all trying to crush the individuality, freedom  and dignity of woman. Her father and later, her husband have with the help of these male dominated social laws tried to keep Nora ignorant of the “true realities of life”, of her reasonable rights, of her obligations. From the First Act onwards, the gradual growth of Nora is seen and it reaches its climax in the IIIrd Act when she goes out of Helmer’s home slamming the door against the male-dominated ideas, laws and social customs.

Nora’s father committed forgery while working as a government employee. Torwald Helmer was appointed to examine the documents of Nora’s father.  It was during this verification of the documents that Torwald met Nora, fell in love with her and married her. Nora made supreme sacrifice in order to save the precious life of her husband. She borrowed money from Krogstad, an unscrupulous man for a trip to Italy for the medical treatment of her husband. Helmer was seriously ill and her father too had been on his deathbed. Not desiring to trouble her father at such a time for a loan and knowing fully well that Helmer would never agree to take a loan himself, Nora secretly borrows the loan without Helmer’s consent.  Nora signs her father’s name on the back of the promissory note (bond) given by Krogstad. Whenever Torvald has given money to Nora for new dresses and such things for home needs, Nora never spends more than half of it and bought the simplest and the cheapest things.  Thus Nora made great sacrifices for her husband and family.

 In the concluding scene Nora questions the foolish male-dominated religious ideas, spiritual laws, the legal system and the social views about man-woman relationships. How can a woman be herself in a male dominated society where women are mere dolls in the palms of men? In the society laws are made by men for their own selfish interests with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view. Nora has committed forgery, and she admits her forgery and she is proud of it because she has done it out of her love for her husband, to save his precious life.  But her husband with his conventional outlook on religion and social etiquette cannot understand it. To him forgery is a crime, a sin and a woman’s duty is to look after the needs of her husband and children. She has no duty to herself. Therefore Torvald accuses her of a cheat and a misfit for her children.

Krogstad is dismissed from the Savings Bank by Torvald Helmer as soon as he becomes the manager of the bank. In retaliation, Krogstad writes a letter to Torvald Helmer revealing the forgery commited by his wife Nora. Torvald reads the letter and is angry with Nora and tells her that she is a cheat and dishonest and not fit for bringing up their three children and in that moment Nora sees him for what he is actually is. His masked face is torn to pieces in the mind of Nora. She learns that Torvald is a hypocrite and has no love for her. Meanwhile another letter comes from Krogstad with the forged promissory note and cancelling all revengeful action against Nora. This made Torvald happy and relieved and he forgives Nora and tells her that she is once again his skylark and squirrel.  But Nora tells him that she had expected a wonderful thing from Torvald that he would certainly take up the blame of the forged bond on his shoulder and say publicly that it he who committed the crime and that he was the guilty one and not Nora. But that wonderful thing did not happen. So Nora goes out of Torvald’s home slamming the door against the male-dominated laws and social customs.

The play “A Doll’s House” has dropped a bomb into the male dominated society not only in Europe but all over the world. Social life in the cities has changed fast since the publication of this play and woman has gradually attained equal status with man in all fields of life.

4. The role and character of Mrs. Linde

Mrs.Linde is the best friend of Nora who calls her pet name Christine. She narrates her tragic story to Nora. Christine and Krogstad are childhood friends and they fell in love with each other. But Christine had to look after her ailing mother and two younger brothers and she needed money for them. Being highly practical minded, Christine consented to marry a rich man so that she could provide money for the education of her two brothers and the sick mother. Krogstad is jilted by Christine and he gets married to another woman. Christine does not want to lead a poverty striken life and this is why she has rejected the love of Krogstad and married a rich man. But fate did not allow her to continue enjoying the happy rich life. When her husband died, and his business has collapsed, leaving Mrs.Linde penniless and childless. But when her mother dies and her brothers begin to earn their livelihood, a sense of loneliness seizes her and she finds her life meaningless. So three years after the death of her husband, she has come down to city to meet her old friend Nora, because Christine urgently wants a job so that she can forget herself by doing the work. Nora tells her that her husband is going to become the Manager of the Savings Bank and he will give her a job in the Bank. Torvald Helmer gives Mrs.Linde a job in the Bank in the place of Krogstad. Nora tells her dreadful secret to Christine and Christine helps Nora. Mrs.Linde offers to marry Krogstad who is now a widower with three children. Krogstand is thrilled with joy and promises to undo the mistake he has committed. He returns to Nora the bond and cancels all revengeful action against Nora. This made Torvald happy and relieved and he forgives Nora and tells her that she is once again the skylark and squirrel for him. Thus Mrs.Linde has played an important role in averting the crisis that faces the Helmers.

5. The role and character of Krogstad

 Krogstad is introduced in the Ist Act of the play “A Doll’s House” as a villain. He is a lawyer and a widower with “several children”. His marriage life was very unhappy according to Mrs.Linde. He is dismissed from the Savings Bank by the Manager  Torvald Helmer and Mrs.Linde is appointed in his place. According to Dr.Rank, the family friend of Helmers, Krogstad, the lawyer suffers from a diseased moral character. Krogstad comes to Nora and threatens her that if he does not get back the job in the Bank, he will file a case against her in the court for forgery. He has paid her a loan of two hundred and fifty pounds for the medical treatment of her husband in Italy. Krogstad reminds her that she has committed a major crime by forging her father’s signature on the bond given to him for the loan. In the court Krogstad can easily prove the case against her because her father had died before the date on which the bond was signed.

Nora tries her best to persuade her husband Torvald not to dismiss Krogstad from his post in the Bank but Torvald was adamant said that he made up his mind to dismiss Krogstad and appoint Mrs.Linde in the post. Torvald tells Nora that while working in the Bank as a clerk, Krogstad committed forgery and has never confessed the guilt. This is why Torvald has decided to dismiss Krogstad from the Bank. As soon as Krogstad receives the order of dismissal, he again comes to Nora and threatens to reveal the truth about the forgery of Nora to her husband. Krogstad sends a letter to Torvald revealing the forgery of Nora.  But here Mrs.Linde comes to the help of Nora and she offers to marry Krogstad who was once upon a time the lover of Christine. The love of Mrs.Linde has changed Krogstad from a villain to a kind-hearted human being. He sends his second letter to Torvald cancelling all revengeful acts against Nora and also the forged bond is attached with the letter.

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"A Doll's House" - Henrik Ibsen - Critical Analysis

"A Doll's House" - Henrik Ibsen - Critical Analysis

Introduction:

Ibsen is called the father of realistic drama. He perfected the drama of conversation. He was the first man to show that high tragedy could be written about ordinary people and in ordinary everyday prose. His plays deal with the problems of contemporary everyday life situations. “A Doll’s House” is the best known and one of the most popular of Ibsen’s works. It is a play about women’s freedom, which deals with the liberation of the individual from the shackles and restraints of custom and convention.

Problem in Husband-Wife Relationship:

The play deals with the problem of marriage, of husband-wife relationship. It deals with the condition of a married woman under the excessive control of a husband, and shows the method which the woman employs in order to get out of that predicament. The play’s central idea is that a woman is not given to a man as a commodity but as a human being to be respected and treated affectionately by her husband.

Nora’s wifely Devotion to her Husband:

Nora is full of devotion to her husband. She loves him and is very faithful to him. To save his life she borrows money and has to commit forgery. She hides the act of forgery only because of his love for her. She signed in place of her father as she was compelled by circumstances. Even though she is blackmailed, she tries to keep the secret of helping her husband. She enjoys doing something extraordinary for her husband. And, in return, she expects her husband to love her equally.  But atlast she finds that her husband does not love her as an equalmate, but only as an inferior being. She has made all possible sacrifices for Helmer, but Helmer proves to be selfish.

Nora’s Treatment as a Pet:

When the play opens, we find that Nora has been leading the life of a pet in her husband’s home. There is no doubt that her husband is very fond of her, but the loving expressions that he employs when addressing her clearly shows that he regards her as a kind of pet. He addresses her as “my little squirrel”, “little skylark” etc.

Helmer’s Possessive Attitude towards Nora:

Helmer regards Nora as his property. He has a possessive attitude towards her. He believes that she belongs to him completely. His treating her as a pet only manifests his possessive attitude. In the end, as the danger from Krogstad has been avertd, Torvald compares her to a hunted dove whom he has rescued from a cruel hawk.

Nora’s Desire for Her Own Identity:

Nora thus develops a desire to find her own identity. She decides to leave Helmer and tells him that first her father and then her husband had wronged her. Under the parental roof, she had to adopt the views and opinions of her father; and under her husband’s roof she had to adopt the ideas and the tastes of her husband. Her father treated her as a baby doll, and her husband treats her as a doll-wife. Now, she realizes her duty towards herself. Besides being a wife and a mother, she is an individual. So, she takes back her wedding ring and steps out of the house, slamming the outer door behind her. Thus she becomes a woman who is in search of her own identity.

A Doll’s House – A Feminist Play:

The play thus deals with the problem of feminine liberty. A woman after her marriage does not lose her identity and individuality. She can maintain her freedom as an individual and can refuse to act as a slave to her husband. Ibsen championed for the right of women. Hence, without doubt, “A Doll’s House” can be called a feminist play. It advocates the rights of the women, and especially of wives in relation to their husbands.

 Conclusion:

Thus, by the end of the play Nora becomes an independent individual, to discover her own potentialities and achieve self-awareness and self-reliance. Though she will be facing an uncertain future yet she is ready to take the risk. She has now matured. She has achieved self-confidence. Hence, “A Doll’s House” is a suitable title thematically and structurally. The play deals with the making and unmaking of a woman as a doll.

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A Doll’s House: Individual freedom of Nora

Individual freedom is a fundamental theme of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Through the character of Nora Ibsen shows the necessity of individual freedom. Without it one can’t flourish oneself and establish oneself as equal partner with other (Nora – Helmer relationship). The protagonist, Nora always wants to be an independent person. Though she got her success, she paid a good price for herself liberty. The present paper investigates and discusses how Nora led her life before achieving her self-liberty and her passion for individual freedom.

Life of Nora before her revolution:

Actually Nora is literally trapped in Torvald’s family. She hasn’t been happy in her marriage, living as a “doll-wife” for Torvald. They never have any serious conversations. As Helmer’s wife, she is expected to obey his wishes. Even she suppresses her desire to please him. Helmer forbids her to have macaroons though this conflicts with her freedom. Helmer wants to keep her wife attractive. She had to obey Helmer which took place during the fancy dress party. She wants to stay at the party and enjoys herself but Helmer forces her to go back home early after tarantella dance. Actually Helmer’s motive was to sex with her. Thus he controls her life. When Nora refused, he reacted with the word won’t! won’t! He reminds her duty as a wife. The repetition of the word “won’t” shows his anger. In this way she was treated by her husband. Helmer expects to be obeyed when he wants to make love to her, regardless of whether she wants it or not.

All these examples reveal an imbalance in the power distribution between Nora and Torvald. Helmer is the dominant authority. Their conflict is reflected even in letterbox episode. Nora is unable to see her letter. The letterbox is locked and Helmer possesses the key. This implies that Nora does not have the freedom to see her own letters without going Torvald. As a married woman, she was not allowed to work and had to depend on her husband to pay off her debts. She has to use to flattery to manage a job for Mrs. Linde. It seems that Nora was passive and had no individual opinion. Her own opinions are shaped by her father and her husband.

Passion for freedom:

Nora had great passion for freedom. She suppressed it became she was eagerly waiting for a miracle. Nora reveals to Dr. Rank and Mrs. Linde that she would love to say, “Damn” to her husband. She seems to be willing to go against the tradition that women are not supposed to use coarse language. However, as soon as her husband appears, she tells Dr. Rank, who is encouraging her to say it, to keep quiet. This incident demonstrates Nora’s freedom to say whatever she wishes. Nora also requested Dr. Rank to share some Macaroons. Then Dr. Rank reminds her about her husband. She said that he would not tell her anything. Even she said that she didn’t care him. It is revealed that in order to pay off debts, Nora manages to get quite a bit of copying to do. Nora tells Mrs. Linde that it is almost like being a man. She enjoys working. She is forced to do it secretly because of social tradition. This shows her love for self liberation. At the end of the play, she told Torvald that she hasn’t been happy in her marriage. She decides to be free from the rules that have been imposed upon her. When Torvald tells her duty as a wife and a mother. Nora says that she is first and foremost a human being.

Ibsen creates a female protagonist who chooses to leave her family to gain freedom. Nora believes that Torvald’s new managerial position at the bank will solve all of her troubles and make her free. She says “Oh, Christina, I feel so light-hearted and happy. Its delightful to have lots of money, and no need to worry about things, isn’t it?”(Ibsen 36). This incident shows that Nora was always freedom loving.

As a stereotypical wife, Nora did not work outside. As a result, she did not know the outside world. Torvald used this chance to rule over her. Being ignorant of the external world, Nora was compelled to take what Torvald imposed upon her in the name of love. Social convention interrupts her to achieve self-liberty. To control Nora, Helmer said, “ Oh,in your blind inexperience”(Ibsen 166) Being a home maker, Nora had to depend on her husband for money. Torvald controlled the economy of his family. So it was easy for him to subjugate Nora by dint of his economic power. Thus societal expectations and monetary needs have influenced Nora’s life.

Social convention clearly shows the rule of gender, more specifically the role of husband and wife. As a wife Nora is expected to obey his husband’s wishes and tries to please him. The event of Macaroons shows that she has no freedom of choice. Her choice of freedom thus interrupts by Torvald. Nora wears the fancy dress according to the direction of Helmer. She wants to stay at party but Helmer forces her to go back home early after tarantella dance. He wants to have sex with her. Even he became angry, when she refused his appeal. This reveals that women are not supposed to have the freedom to decide when to have sexual intercourse. Helmer’s authoritative mentality is responsible for this.

Relationship between Nora and Helmer is not based on equal power distribution. As a result Helmer is the dominant partner who hinders the freedom of Nora. This typical power imbalance conflicts with Nora’s freedom.

It is a conventional for a woman to be passive and have no individual opinion. Nora utters “But our house has been nothing but a playroom. Here I have been your doll-wife as I used to be papa’s doll-child” (Ibsen 164).

Nora’s own opinions are to a certain extent, shaped by her father and her husband. Nora says that at home her father had to tell what her father thought. She kept quiet about her different opinion. She was her father’s doll. In this way patriarchal society hinders her freedom of expression. After her manage her opinions are shaped by Torvald.

Women are never thought of an in dependent individual. They are thought as mother, wives and daughters Nora’s decision to abandon her husband and children to discover her real self. Torvald tried to convince her in the name of social rules.

Torvald is the stereotypically strong husband while Nora is little sky lark. Torvald used bird image for addressing Nora. In the first act, Torvald refers to Nora as his little feather brains, his little scatter brain and his squirrel sulking. Thus he depicts the weakness of Nora. It is seen that if a person heard his weakness continuously she started to believe that she / he is weak. It is a way to control a person which Torvald used.

Actually Torvald threats Nora like a child for example as a child forbidden by her mother from eating candy. Nora hides macaroons from Torvald. Acting as a parent-husband Torvald controls her easily.

Nora’s self deception prevents her from understanding the social prejudices that limit her independence. Nora does not initially question her situation. Even she sees her husband’s possessiveness as an expression of his love for her.  Torvald loves me beyond words. He would feel jealous if she even mentioned any of her old friends back home. So of course she dropped that. In this way, to some extent, she is also responsible for her subjugation.

Why she departs from Torvald’s home:

In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House the protagonist took a crucial decision to leave her family. Nora decides to leave because she understood that she had lived in illusion so many years in Torvald’s home. So she wants to face reality.

Comforts can often blind someone from the real truth. It is very true in Nora’s case. She is utterly trapped in domestic comfort. She gets everything in her doll’s house. she eventually loses touch with the outside world and consequently realises truth. When Torvald chastises her because of her lies, she finally notices that she is confined. She is not truly loved. Nora recognized that she had lost sight of the truth. So she takes a radical action.  Torvald told about her ignorance of the world.  She replied that she didn’t have an experience. But now she is going to make out who is right the world or she. It is the realization that forces Nora to take such a radical action.

Nora was expecting for a miracle. The miracle was that her husband would save her from the coming danger. She thought that Torvald would forgive her for her forgery. When she saw its opposite scenario, she revolted against her husband and left him. She always obeyed his wishes and tried to please him because of the expectation of a miracle from him. She says “I have so patiently all these eight years; for of course I saw clearly enough that miracles don’t happens everyday”(Ibsen 170). She was sure that Torvald would step forward to take the blame on himself.

Nora found that she had no identity. Her identity is shaped by her husband and father. Then she revolts against her husband who represents patriarchal society. Being deprived of speech, action and performance, she decided to leave Torvald. When her forgery was revealed, Nora found that her relation with her husband is not mutual. She also found an imbalance in the power distribution between her husband and her. Helmer is the dominant partner. Nora finally realized that for eight years she did not understand her husband at all. She has made nothing out of her life because she has been constantly living in the shadow of men. She has been deprived of her freedom to grow to become an individual. She says that Helmer and her father have done her a great wrong. So she decides to leave Helmer and her children in order to experience the world.

Actually Nora wants to discover who she really is. She wants to educate herself. At the same time she wants to gain experience and knowledge to find out things like religion and morality. She is not content with any second hand experience or what is written in books. She is willing to break up her marriage to fulfil her sacred duty. These things help her to take decision to depart from Torvald’s family. When Nora learns that her marriage was not effective, she decided to leave Torvald. Her marriage was playful wedlock.

In A Doll’s House Nora’s independent nature is a direct contrast with the tyrannical authority of Torvald. Nora and Torvald are not truthful to each other. When Torvald is proved as disloyal and ungrateful, Nora departs from his home.

Self-awakening:

In acts 3 Nora’s illusions about her family life are shattered by Helmer’s selfish and insensitive reaction to the news of Nora’s forgery. He said, “oh, what an awful awakening!” In all these eight years she who was my pride and joy a hypocrite, alien worse, worse – a criminal! How infinity disgusting it all is! The shame!”(Ibsen 154).  Helmer’s outburst grows her self-awakening. It is not until she sees the truth of Torvald’s character. She finally breaks free as a lark from his grasp. Her long expected miracle never took place because of Torvald’s selfish character. In fact, he said that no man world sacrifice his honour for his criminal wife. She finally comes to a much longer understanding of women’s plight. She replies “thousands of women have”. This four words statement shows that she had many achievement and she is worthy of a larger award than what she has been given. Thus Nora discovers her situation in Torvald’s family.

Moreover Nora found that society norms and forms are also against a woman. So she refused to believe these social norms. She said “I don’t believe in that anymore. I believe that, before all else, I am a human being, as much as you are or at least that I should try to become one. I know that most people agree with you, Torvald and that they say in book. But henceforth I can’t be satisfied with what most people say, and what is in books”.(Ibsen 168) I have to think over this things myself and try to understand them.

Pain of getting individual freedom:

 Her departure from Torvald’s family will help Nora to gain her freedom as an individual. Though the Kristine’s statement we got the idea of Nora’s coming future. Kristine said that she had to work for living.  Christine had worked all day long which was her only joy. She was completely alone in the world. Actually Nora lost her husband children, social status and security but she gained her freedom as an individual.

The ending of the plays makes the situation ambiguous. We are unsure that she will return to her husband’s home or not. But she proves it clearly that she failed to flourish herself in Torvald’s house. Through the weapon of resistance one can establish one’s identity and equal right. Nora’s actions and decisions prove that only the resistance can establish a person’s true identity.

Work cited:

Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Trans. William Archer. Dhaka: Friends Book Corner, 2009. Print

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3. I write it out in a verse— MacDonagh and MacBride And Connolly and Pearse Now and in time to be, Wherever green is worn Are changed, changed utterly

 In the poem’s climax, he again turns away from that speculation to remember the dead rebels. He lists by naming some of the Rising's most important leaders—MacDonagh, MacBride, Connolly, Pearse. He affirms that for the rest of Ireland's existence, these rebels will be honored whenever the Irish gather to celebrate their country, their identities have been completely transformed from that of ordinary people. The event was highly destructive but also helped bring about profound change.

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