A Doll'''s House, written by Herkin Isben (1879). The play tells of truth about the way women where looked at during the late 1800'''s. It is a play about the role of women in Ibsen's time. Nora is a major character, who struggles to bring happiness to her family. One of A Doll'''s House central themes is rebellion from society. It is demonstrated by several of its characters breaking away from the social standards of that time. During the time in which the play took place society, women can't express themselves. Women were supposed to play a role, in which they took care of their children, supported their husbands, and did what they were told. Things like work, politics, and decisions where left to the males. '''Women were denied participation in public life; their access to education was limited; their social lives were narrowly circumscribed; and they could not legally transact business, own property, or inherit.''' (Magill, 1769).
If you read Ibsen'''s A Doll'''s House might say that feminism is a large theme in the story? I would have to say I In this research that it is. In the play, there are many examples of Torvald treating Nora badly and in a way despised her because she'''s a woman. I like to introduce in my research some examples of some of the positions of Nora and how her husband was treating her.
The first thing I noticed from a feminist perspective is how Torvald treats Nora. He treats her as if she is a child and In more than one position. For example, he not allowed her from eating macaroons. Nora actually takes it seriously as if she were to get in trouble for eating them. Another thing Torvald does is call Nora all kinds of different names, such as squirrel, lark, and a spendthrift. he calls her so many different names it is like he does not know her actual name. Nora is also treated like a child when it comes to money, She has to ask Torvald for money. To me, it is just like a parent giving a reward to kids. The next thing I noticed from a feminist lens was that Nora is always trying to please her husband, almost as if it is her job to do. For example is how Nora is practicing dancing and dressing for a dance at a party. This shows her need to look nice and impress her husband, especially in public. A big thing Nora does to please Torvald is not told him about borrowing the money. She knows Torvald will not like this and does everything she can to make sure he does not know about it. Instead of lying and hiding her secret for so long It would have been a better idea to just tell him in the first place. Nora also does other things to please Torvald, such as not bothering him while he is in his work and trying not to debate with him. Another thing I saw through feminism is the roles women do in society compared to men. through the story, I have noticed that women play less of a role than the men do. Men seem to have harder work and the higher paying jobs. You see this situation in Nora and Torvald. Torvald has a high position in a bank and earns a lot of money, while Nora stays at home to clean it and take care of her kids with the nanny. At one point in the story, that when Nora had to work for three weeks to make decorations for the house Torvald says he feels bad. This shows that woman does not really have to work in their society and it is more for men to do.
control of women:
Ibsen's play, A Doll's House, was one of the realism plays, set during the later part of the 19th Century when women had few rights in Norway, as well as most other parts of the world, in the male society which they lived. Women were more often than not treated as possessions, where a man is entitled to at that time full control of women. As seen in Act One Helmer's control over Nora when he addresses her like a father rather than a husband with his wife." Is that my little lark twittering out there? " (A Doll's House,Ibsen). When Helmer directs Nora about household finances as if she has the cleverness of kids. " seriously, Nora…No debt, no borrowing. There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt." (A Doll's House,Ibsen). Torvald controls the money in the household, that way also controlling his wife.
In 1879, a wife was not legally permitted to borrow money without her husband's consent.When Torvald becomes seriously ill, Nora is forced to borrow money so that she can take him to a healthier place to save his life. He doesn't know of her actions, which are clearly illegal. Torvald's sense his belief that debt is unacceptable for any reason, a woman is to do what her husband expects, and a man's reputation means more than his life.When Torvald learns that Nora borrowed money by forging her dead father's signature on a loan from Krogstad. He not cares at all that Nora tried to save his life, and he immediately removes her from a position of control over their children. "HELMER:.Is this true, that I read here? …it is impossible that it can be true. NORA:It is true. I have loved you above everything else in the world. HELMER: Oh, don't let us have any silly excuses…Miserable creature'''what have you done?'' Torvald is cruel as he shows his wife how he does not care for her sacrifices and risks.
Torvald also frantically notes the need to control Krogstad to keep the man from leaking word of Nora's actions to society:"I must try and appease him some way or another." It becomes clear to Nora that theirs has never been a marriage based upon love, but more on control. When Torvald realizes that Krogstad will not pursue the matter, he assumes he and Nora will continue life as they always have, but Nora decides to leave. This ending was so shocking to audiences in Norway. Ibsen always denied that he believed in women's rights, stating instead that he believed in human rights. The clearest example of Torvald's physical control over Nora can be seen when his teaching of the tarantella. Nora pretends that she needs Torvald to teach her every move in order to learn the dance. It shows her complete subjugation to Torvald. After he teaches her the dance ."Torvald. …When you were dancing the tarantella chasing, inviting–my blood was on fire;I couldn't stand it any longer–thats why I brought you down so early– Nora. Leave me now, Torvald. Please! I don't want all this.
. Torvald. What do you mean? You're only playing .your little teasing bird game with me; aren't you, Nora? Don't want to? I'm your husband, aren't I? '' (A Doll's House ,Ibsen). This shows that Torvald is more interested in his wife physically than emotionally. He feels that it is one of Nora's main duties as his wife to physically delight him.
Torvald is not only dissatisfied mentally and physically but also financially. He does not trust his wife with money. He feels that she is unable and too unripe to handle a matter of such importance. Torvald sees Nora as a child.She is forever his little "sparrow" or "squirrel". On the unusual occasion that Torvald does give Nora some money, he worries that she will waste it on pastry, candy or something else of Childish and useless value. Nora's duties, in general, are confined to caring for the children and doing housework But, Nora's most important responsibility is to please Torvald. This makes her role similar to that of a slave .
A doll
Nora identifies herself with a doll to explain how she has been treated by Helmer in marriage :"I was your little songbird just as before–your doll whom henceforth you would take particular care to protect from the world because she was so weak and fragile." (Isben 447) This shows the way Nora feels that she has been viewed by Torvled. The fact that she is a "doll" shows that she is an object that is owned by Torvled . She is not recognised as an independent human, and she is not given agency to act as a human in the play. From the begging of the play, Helmer patronizes her, treating her as a child, calling her a "skylark," a "squirrel" and a "squanderbird." Nora says in the final act, that when she married Helmer he took over where her father had left off, arranging everything so that his opinions became her opinions.
The "doll" is a very important imagery because it points towards the way that Nora in particular and women in general were objectified and not treated as adults, and were seen as a possession to protect and look after by the patriarchal society in which Ibsen lived. Torvald a villain; he'''s the ignorant husband who await a lot of his wife. But he'''s just a result of his time; he'''s not unlike most husbands in that era. we can'''t blame Torvald for what happens, he had little control over anything but the way he acted, and as we'''ve seen, he only acted according to the morals of that time. Nora was a doll all of her life, first to her father then to Torvald, if she were to leave more then likely she would just become someone else's doll .
Torvald was not the best husband in the world, but Nora chose to marry him. Nora never really got a chance to know Torvald. Torvald had his eye on Nora from the beginning. So he help her father and for that Nora was grateful, and thus became Mr. & Mrs. Helmer. It sounds like a very romantic story, but little did Nora know what would be in store for her. Torvald treated Nora like she was his child, I guess that is because he took no part in raising his children the he and Nora had together. If Nora would have taken the time to find out if Torvald was the one for her, then maybe it wouldn't have taken her eight years to realize that she never really loved him. If you are unhappy in your home then you leave your spouse, but you are never to leave your children .
"little lark,little squirrel"
When Torvald enters the play, Nora's childlike behavior becomes more patent. Torvald calls her pet names "little lark", "little squirrel", and "Little Miss Extravagant". Nora is being treated like a little cute girl and she happily accepts the nickname. "Torvald finds himself having to repress Nora with rules, much as a father would have to inhibit a child, forbidding her from pursuing candy and other temporal pleasures." (Kashan) When the play was first performed in English it was titled "The Child Wife" (Templeton 113).Torvald calls her little pet names and says that she'''s frail. Nora also does things according to what her husband wants. He also doesn'''t allow her wife to have much freedom. Torvald doesn'''t leave decisions to Nora. like when they talk about what Nora is going to where and do for the ball. He makes comments that suggest that his wife could never understand anything, just because Nora a woman. Torvald calls her '''[his] dearest property'''; Mrs. Linde states that she will save Nora '''at any price''', as if she could be bought "(Drake 32).
" The dream world is the acquisition of material possessions; Nora is always trying to make herself happy by buying things: dresses, toys, candy etc., rather than doing anything meaningful with her life. She has never spent serious time with her husband of nearly a decade, and is always dumping her children on the nurse rather than bonding with them herself. This practice may have been common at the time the play was written, but Ibsen is clearly not ashamed of bold social criticism " (Chandler 333)." In her dream world, Nora takes a back seat approach to life and becomes like an object, reacting to other'''s expectations rather than advancing herself. As a result of her passivity, Torvald is very possessive of, frequently adding the '''my''' modifier to all the pet names he calls her. In the original Riksm''l2 (Boel), there are many monetary idioms, lost in translation, that advance the concept of Nora'''s objectness". (Drake 32).
Today many women are in a situation like Nora's. there are still those in modern society who are doing their best to suppress the feminist revolution. The men that are holding society down by not caring about the feelings of others. But Torvald is not the only guilty. Nora, also very submissive, is also very manipulative. She makes Torvald think he is much smarter and stronger, but in reality, she thinks herself to be quite crafty she getting what she wants. When the door is slammed, Torvald is no longer exposed to Nora's manipulative nature. He then comes to the realization of what true love and equality are, and that they cannot be achieved with people like Nora and himself together. When everyone finally views males and females as equals.