What Do You Consider To Be The Impact Of The Ending Of ‘A Doll’s House’ On The Audience? Essay, Research Paper

Arthur Wilson Page 1 07/11/00

What do you consider to be the impact of the ending of A doll s House on the audience?

The ending has a huge impact on the audience. I think that some would regard the ending as a surprise. By the end all the control and power of the relationship is clearly in Nora s hands, and both the audience and Torvald know this.

By the time Torvald has read the letter and been relieved by the returning of the I.O.U, the audience start to see how weak he actually is and how he starts clutching on to straws. Having initially been disgusted by Nora and appalled at what she had done, he then returns to normal having found out that everything will be fine. He once again treats her like his doll, his plaything: from now on it ll be different. Playtime is over. Now the time has come for education . He just brushes off everything she had just said about how she had felt like she had just been passed from one man to another, like a doll from her father to her husband. He chooses to ignore the cracks in his marriage in the hope that they will disappear. All this is clear to the audience because for once Nora doesn t just play along with the game; instead she is constantly questioning him. From the very beginning with the macaroons up until the end Torvald has been losing control over Nora. The audience can see this clearly when he starts to get angry: You re out of your mind! You can t do this! I forbid you! The realisation that he is losing control has hit him and he resorts to ordering her about in the hope that she will be a good wife and do as she is told. He also resorts to accusing her of being mad, purely because he can t justify what she is doing in his own head. In that sense, given the era the play is set in, he is adopting a typical male view.

Even during the moments when he learns that his wife is upset and ready to leave Torvald still manages to put himself first. He explains her sacred duties are to your husband, and your children . This is something that the audience will pick up on he even puts himself ahead of his children. This could give the audience the impression that Torvald is not just a typical male of that time who puts himself high above his wife, he is just a bad person who puts himself ahead of everyone, even his children. Near the end is when Nora, for the first time, clearly questions society s belief that women a less then men. Having heard Torvald say that her duties towards herself are as a wife and mother , she replies by saying that she doesn t believe that any longer. She says that she is first and foremost a human being, like you . In that one sentence she questions the views and opinions of society as a whole, not just Torvald. This will have a huge impact on the audience. Torvald continues to try and make excuses for Nora s actions, he says that she is ill and feverish . Torvald comes across as very na ve when he challenges Nora s love for him. I think that he expects her to say that she is still in love with him but she doesn t, she admits that she fell out of love for him that very evening when the miracle failed to occur. The audience will notice the change in attitude from Torvald as well as Nora, they will notice how he is clutching on to straws, and from this they will be expecting a dramatic ending.

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There is a change in tone from Torvald, which the audience may perceive as a change in Torvald himself. He controls his emotions and asks Nora to explain more clearly why she has fallen out of love with him. He is listening to his wife as suppose to the other way round. He then manages to show his true self again by saying that although she is very important to him and although he would work night and day for her, there is no man alive that would risk his honour, even for the person he loves . Then Nora replies with a shocking statement: Millions of women have done it . This is another clear swipe at society and the audience will notice this. Nora has clearly grown in confidence during the play and she is now able to easily answer back to her oppressive husband. From that moment on, Torvald has realised what is really happening and he panics. He then tries once more to try and work things out. He uses a clich statement, possibly a reflection on their clich marriage: A gulf has indeed opened between us. Oh but Nora couldn t it be bridged? Once again his attempt doesn t work and he feels that he has only one chance left, that is to promise her that he would change. The audience will see how Nora has got Torvald under her control, he is begging for another chance and she has the power to say no .

In the following conversation there is a complete role reversal, Torvald has become the way Nora was during the play, he is speaking about her the way she spoke about him: But to be parted to be parted from you! No, no, Nora, I can t conceive it happening! Suddenly Torvald has shown how dependant he actually is on Nora, something that he hasn t shown through the course of the play, and Nora has shown how she is not dependant on Torvald contrary to what she has shown through the course of the play. Torvald is seen by the audience begging to Nora for her not to leave and instead for her to wait until the morning. The audience then see what could be the whole reason as to why Torvald is so upset at Nora leaving his reputation. He asks if they could live together a brother and sister instead of husband and wife, this is a sign to say that all Torvald cares about is how the situation is perceived by outsiders, he wants to live in truth but to portray a lie. He is worried about his position as a man, and his job at the bank. The audience will see this and will most probably not yet be convinced that there is any hope of change. There is a sign, however, that Torvald really does love Nora when he says: you are my wife, both as you are and as you will be . This could be perceived as him saying that he has always loved her as a wife and always will. Another way of perceiving this is that he is still desperately trying to trick her into staying with him by giving her sweet nothings. The way the audience perceive this is based purely on the directors adaptation of the play.

By the end Nora has taken complete control. She even quotes the law, something her husband should be very aware of. She says that he is free of any obligations towards her. She gives him her engagement ring, and then demands that he do the same. He does. This is a pivotal moment, and the audience will realise this. It is very dramatic. Returning engagement rings makes the whole process very final, the audience will realise that there is no turning back. This is the moment that finalises Nora leaving Torvald. Torvald seems to accept this by saying: This is the end then! he then tries to offer her

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what would seem to be money, a sign that no change has taken place in his last conversation with Nora. He is offering her money, asking what will happen of her when she is in need of help. This is the old Torvald, treating her like a child, a doll. She refuses to accept anything and leaves. That last bit when she is offered money and refuses it will be what the audience will remember.

Depending on how the director adapts the play, I think that the audience will feel that there is a sense of hope for Nora in the sense that she is moving on, becoming herself and challenging society. I don t believe that they will feel that way for Torvald. The very last part of the play is proof of how the characters have developed, or not developed s the case may be. In the beginning Nora is always seeking money. She wants it to pay of the loan that she owes to Krogstad, but Torvald doesn t know this. She always eems to manage getting the money that she wants, she teases Torvald and goes along with his game and as a result she gets the money. We understand that this has been going on for sometime and through the course of the play Nora constantly gets what she wants. She has to ask for money, she doesn t just get it offered to her. At the end of the play Torvald offers her money, without her asking him, and she declines. The audience will see this as a declaration of her independence, she has got rid of all the connections tieing her to him. Tovald s last words could be taken as the beginning of him changing. After she has gone he questions what she has said about the fact that it would take the miracle of miracles for them to live together as a married couple. I think that he knows and accepts this, and in that sense there could well be hope for him. I don’t feel that there is hope for their marriage, but there is hope for both of them to go their separate ways and make the most of their lives. There is certainly a hint that Torvald will change, and maybe the audience will feel that his next marriage won t be a complete failure.