english interpretation of Ibsen's "A Doll's House"
"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.
--rhmmmm, that's a paddlin'
