A Doll's House by Henrik Iben - Essay Example

?A Doll’s House Order No. 531485 Introduction “A Doll’s House” is a scintillating play written by Henrik Ibsen during the period of the ‘Naturalism Movement.’ The central theme of this play revolves around women of the nineteenth century society. The play depicts women in gender roles portraying how they stayed at home and looked after their families. Most of Henrik Ibsen’s plays revolve around the struggling of people for an authentic identity for themselves. The backdrop of this struggle is a tyrannical society in which individuals struggle between their duty towards themselves and towards their families and society in general. One such woman is our protagonist Nora who represents such women who are repressed by society. Nora’s husband is Torvald Helmer, who is a rather controlling type of individual and treats her as one of his responsibilities and he is the one that portrays her identity. Most women in those days were not educated and so were easily relegated into a corner and never came out to voice their opinion. In this deductive essay, we are going to make an investigation on the theme of identity and how it was reflected in ancient society. Women in the 19th century were expected to be the typical stereotype subservient housewife, but one would be surprised at the turn of events in Henrik Ibsen’s play. Nora Helmer, who is the chief protagonist of this play, has all the characteristics of this stereotype woman, who does not possess an identity of her own and hence is depicted as an oppressed individual who possesses an inauthentic identity because of the societal demands of those times. In the beginning Nora is seen responding to her husband’s teasing and does not seem to care about her doll- like existence and with no identity to call her own. In sharp contrast to Nora, we have the contemporary woman of today with a world of difference in their attitudes and reactions to such a situation. Modern women in our present society has her own identity because she has made herself so strong, powerful and full of confidence in all that she does. However, as the play progresses we find Nora shedding some of her inauthentic identity by playing a more specific role in the family. The author highlights various facets of her intelligent and courageous nature which is far from the “silly girl” her husband made her out to be. One such incident that was highlighted was the loan she had taken to preserve her husband’s health after forging her father’s signature, which proved that she was quite intelligent and possessed qualities that were beyond mere wifehood. However, Nora was quite inexperienced in many ways and did not understand the ways of the world, because she always lived under the care of her father and later on her husband. This statement is very clear when she tells her husband Torvald in no uncertain terms that, "I've been your wife-doll here, just as at home I was Papa's doll-child."(1608) However, as the play progresses, we find a great change taking place as Nora emerges as a strong and confident individual who refuses to be a doll any longer and rejects the false union of marriage and the burden of motherhood. This image of Nora identifies with the image of today’s strong and confident women, who like to live life according to their own terms and not remain a scapegoat to be targeted at all times. The changing phase of Nora, is further augmented when she connects once again with her childhood friend Mrs. Linde who suffers the loss of her mother and husband. Mrs. Linde was a very down to earth person whose life was a big struggle due to poverty. Her adherence to the norms of society provides a perfect foil to the impetuous nature of Nora. Linde is a perfect foil to Nora’s lively exuberance in addition to her feminist ideas which explode towards the end of the play. Mrs. Linde is an archetype of the woman of those days, whose qualities Michael Meyer has described as “stuffy Victorianisms. Kristine Linde is in fact a sharp contrast to Nora. Linde is the kind of woman who was well aware of her place in society, and who would welcome the fact of binding herself in wedlock and receive the label of a wife even if she has to marry the terrible Krogstad. She had always been a very devoted and dutiful daughter who cared and nursed her sick mother up to the time she died. On the other hand, our protagonist Nora had no such filial emotions and had even deserted her father who was sick and old. However, in her quest of self-discovery she does not allow her maternal feelings to surface and become a hindrance to her. She did not experience any compunction at all about leaving her children. Such an act would have been taken to be scandalous when considering the times in which she lived, but the same act would not even raise an eyebrow in these modern times because such acts have become the norm of the day. Mrs. Linde, can be looked upon as a model of propriety, who tells Krogstad to leave the letter in the mail box, so that their lives could begin free of any falsehoods. On the other hand, Nora is found transgressing norms throughout the play in completely harmless ways and lying about it and swearing just to defy conventions, as when she says, "I have such a huge desire to say-to hell and be damned!" (Ibsen 59) As the story progresses, Nora comes to understand that her husband Torvald is not the man she thought he was. The careless way in which he deals with her soon brings her to reality and she decides to slowly break away from society, explore new ground and be her own person. Nora is staunch in her decision and she does not want to follow the plan society has set for her, but on the other hand, she wants to follow her own plans and break away from the regular norms. The complete transformation of Nora is expressed in the final stages of the play where she is found breaking the shackles that bound her in the name of marriage. She no longer wants to be in the shadow of her husband and makes no bones about it when she expresses her feelings to him by saying,- “We need to discuss all this that has been happening between us”. This statement leaves the audience wondering as to Nora’s motive, but it seems quite clear that Nora is on her way to a new life. She emphasizes this fact again when she says - “I'm a human being, no less than you-or anyway, I ought to try to become one." (Ibsen, 1609). Nora’s blunt and straightforward expression is in sharp contrast to Mrs. Linde, whose pathetic condition is further highlighted and depicts the sad condition of women in those days were accepted their fate and never questioned the fact of their own identity. Nora could be taken has a good example for today’s modern woman who cannot accept being treated as a doormat for the rest of their lives. It was rather common in those days for society to think that women could not survive without the care or help of a man. But, the story needed someone like Nora who dared to follow her dreams against all odds. It is this point in the story that makes it more meaningful and interesting. Henrik Ibsen’s work can be much appreciated for its portrayal of the beaten woman and finally the confidence and courage women would get when Nora who was such a stereotype, breaks away from the norm and dares to follow her dreams in the way she deems fit. At a time and age when women were looked upon as mere possessions, Nora’s awakening, forces the audience to look upon her as a courageous and free thinking woman. Reading such an enlightening story, would serve to encourage those women who identify with her since they are traveling down the same pathway. Though Nora at first seems to be the very picture of a subservient wife, yet it comes as rather a shock to the audience when realization dawns on her and she feels that she had allowed herself to be a doll all these years in the hands of her husband. However, after the initial shock of Nora’s enlightenment and the turn of events, many readers would definitely feel a lot of courage and confidence by reading Ibsen’s story. They would certainly feel encouraged to take some action on their part if they were in a similar position like Nora. This is a feel good story because of the positive outcomes it encourages and is definitely very relevant for women in today’s society. References A Doll's house essays http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/42391.html Free Essays on ‘A Doll’s House’: “Breaking Away.” 123HelpMe.com, 10th Dec.2008 http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=12009 GradeSaver: A Doll's House - Study Guide http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/dollshouse/charlist.html The Struggle for Identity in A Doll’s House Dolls House essays http://www.123helpme.com/assets/6656.html Read More