A Doll House Essay, Research Paper

ESSAY #1

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.