Social Criticism in A Doll's House

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In A Doll's House, Ibsen as he often does, criticizes society and the ways of life in that time. Ibsen shows this in Torvold's overwhelming power and control over Nora. This is also seen in the way that Women are weakened by society. Lastly it is shown in the way that Torvold tries to maintain a good reputation to the public. Ibsen critics many different aspects of society from the way that the male figure is so dominant in marriage, next how the woman does not have much of a role in society, and finally how reputation is more important than morals.

First is the way that the marriage between Torvold and Nora is put to shame due to the overpowering actions of Torvold. One example of Torvold's dominance was his forbiddance of macaroons in the house. Another was the way that he dressed her for the Costume party. All this time Nora had pretty much been loyal and listened to all of what Torvold had said, and then the one time that Torvold cold have been loyal to Nora and believed her and been on her side he didn't and instead was thinking about himself. This shows how much of a one-sided marriage it was and how it was a mock on society, mainly the ways of the upper class.

Next is the criticism of the role of the women in society. It was basically a time where the woman could not do anything for herself. An example of this from the book is the loan that Nora took out to save Torvold's life. Nora could not take out the loan herself due to the fact that she was a women and only men could take out loans, a women could only take out a loan if they had the consent of a husband or a father. Due to the fact that she was doing this for Torvold she went ahead and forged the documents knowing that it was wrong and could end up getting her into trouble. This was a total mockery on society due to fact that even though Nora was doing this to save the life of her husband she not only was not aloud to do it but then Torvold found out he was not happy she saved his life but mad about what it could do to him. Therefore showing the very weak role of women in society by saying that Torvold would have rather died then have a women save him.

Last is the idea that in the upper class of society the most important part of your life is how others portray you, bringing me to my next topic which is how Torvolds reputation was more important than his family life and morals. As was sad before Nora had been very loyal to him for the years of their marriage and then when it came to the point where Torvold could return the favor to Nora by defending her and he was more concerned with making sure it doesn't get out so that his reputation would not be ruined. Ibsen is criticizing the social ways in this situation due to the shallowness of the upper class in dealing with this sort of problem.

Another author that criticizes society in his work is Harper Lee. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird Lee does a great job at putting down and mocking society. The difference between Ibsens criticism and Lee criticism was that while Ibsen focused on the upper class, Lee's criticism is focused more towards the lower class. An example of criticism in the novel is the way that a black person of that time and place was unjustly accused of a crime just because the color of his skin, and even if their was evidence to support and prove him innocent the jury of all white men would probably convict him once again because the color of his skin. This also brings up the fact that even though Atticus Finch was a lawyer and it was his job to defend the defendant, he was still pressured by the white community even to the point where his life was threatened just for doing his job. Although this is only a couple examples of criticism it gives a similar idea to that of Ibsen, being that society is full of flaws and the only they can be changed is by criticism to try to connect to the social ways and change them.

In conclusion Ibsen criticizes a wide range of social issues of the time. Now although there are three different examples of his criticism there seems to be a relationship between the three, and that is the fact that they are all mocking the ways of the upper class. From having a fake and overpowering one-sided marriage to being fake to preserve ones reputation to the lacking role of women in society Ibsen manage to do a good job of mocking the ways of life then. Finally even though it was probably not only the upper class for the sake of arguments we will say that it was and the examples and arguments that I have presented all lead to one thing and that is that the upper class in society is not only fake in their actions, and to the point of the women's roll to be so miniscule, but also very concerned with others opinions.

Helmer is a successful bank lawyer in the drama A Doll House written by Henrik Ibsen. His wife's name is Nora. She is a housewife with three children and gets help raising them from her maid Helen. Nora and Helmer are both busy people within their lives. Little do they know that their marriage is not safe due to the fact that it is not given first priority in the lives they led. The action takes place in their home. Helmer is very protective when it comes to the family image that is portrayed to the public. This is because his career, as a lawyer, depends on it. He feels that he should have a perfect public image for the sake of his career and not his family, since that is what comes first in his life. This is seen when he discovers a letter from a bank that his wife, Nora, gets a loan from. He finds out that the loan was acquired illegally through forgery. She uses her father's signature. Helmer immediately strips her of all her rights to him as his wife and to the children as their mother. He does not ask for divorce since this will not be a good public image for his career, instead he asks her to have a separate room from his and limits her time with the children. Helmer is the rule maker of his house. He meticulously gives details on how he wants his house run. He has set time for everything, when the meals are prepared, when the children should go to sleep, when they should wake up, what to eat, when to check the mail etc. This is probably the reason why he is successful in his career. He is again putting his career as first priority and uses the principal that he applies to it in the family. Helmer has an office in the house of with he gives limited accesses to his wife, Nora. He treats her as if she was one of his children instead of his wife. He entertains his official friends in the office in closed-door sessions and usually doesn't fill in his wife on his business. Career comes first for Hemler. The key to the mailbox is in the hands of Hemler. It looks like he does not take his wife as an equal by not giving her a spare key. He wants to be the first one to handle all the mail, scans the letters in the box and then distributes them to the appropriate people. His wife again is placed second to his business. Nora, Helmer's wife is also very protective when it comes how her husband views her. I see this when she hides the fact that she is having chocolate, which is forbidden in the household. She would rather let Dr. Rank, a family friend, know about the chocolate and not her husband. The doctor actually helps her to hide the package when Helmer walks into the living room. She also puts him in second place in her life. Nora also tells her friend Mrs. Linde about the money that she squeezes out of her house hold budget to pay for the loan she took from the bank. She does not tell her husband about the loan because she knows how he will react towards her and the issue. She protects herself instead of their relationship, putting their marriage in second place. The family friend doctor tells Nora how he has been in love with her for a long time. She reacts negatively letting Dr. Rank know that she will not tolerate his behavior. She keeps it from her husband since she wants to maintain an innocent view from him. The hiding of such issues from Helmer is first priority instead of her marriage. Nora is caught red-handed lying about the visit of Nis Krogstad, the banker. Nis is responsible for the Nora's loan. Helmer asks about the banker's visit and she denies the fact that he had come the their house. She is constantly lying just to save herself from changing her husbands view towards her. The blow to their marriage happens when Helmer discovers that his wife forged a bank document to get a loan. He gets angry and strips her of all her motherly and wife rights. Another letter shows up and clears them form the forgary He changes immediately and reinstats Nora back to her postion in their home. This clearly shows that he loves his career more than anything else. Nora on the other hand expects her husband to show her a sacrificial love and take the blame for the forgary. At the end of the drama Helmer and Nora end up living separtae lives. They have both contributed to their marriage's downfall. Nora with her obsetion of wanting to always please her husband by using pretence, lies, undermining strategies and fear and Helmer with the

love for his career, hunger for power, control and his fear of un unplesant public image help to destroy one another. The most perfect family is no more since Nora loved herself excesivly and Helmer loved his career extremly.

Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, considers a very delicate situation experienced by a Scandinavian family in 187. Nora Helmer, the main character and adored wife of Torvald faces a life-altering dilemma. She has to decide whether to remain with her obsessive husband in his sheltered home, playing the part of a doll, or take the initiative to leave and seek out her own individuality.

There are three minor characters that have a significant impact on the final decision that Nora attains. Each one, representing some particular social aspect, is essential to the development of Nora's character. Krogstad, Dr. Rank and Mrs. Linde have all had a long-standing relationship with the Helmer family, but neither character can provide Nora with a completely reassuring path to follow. She must discover this for herself, as they can only help to point her in another direction other than the one that Torvald has.

Nils Krogstad is in fear of losing his job at the bank. He will stop at nothing in order to retain his position, as he has struggled relentlessly to get to where he is now. Krogstad was guilty of committing the same crime as that of Nora and although their motives were different, the law still regards their actions as fraudulent. In all of his ruthlessness and selfishness, Krogstad represents the desperation that Nora experience's throughout the play as she tries to figure a way out of her desperate situation. She had gone to him in her time of need and now he has approached her in his time of despair. However, she is unable to assist him because it would mean that she would have to involve Torvald and that is the last thing she wants to happen. Thus, Krogstad retaliates by explaining to her that if he goes down, she will go with him. But I tell you this if I'm pitched out a second time, you are going to keep me company(Ibsen ). He shows no sympathy, as he does not hesitate to destroy the reputations of both Nora and Helmer for his own benefit and to further his own standing in society. The character of Krogstad demonstrates that although one can overcome their fault and eventually move on with life, that person will ultimately revert to other similar acts of ruthlessness later in life.

Dr. Rank is also a long-time acquaintance of the Helmer's and makes frequent visits to their household. Nora enjoys secretly flirting with him until he admits that he has had a profound affection towards her for quite some time. This causes her to become upset towards Dr. Rank because his confession means that they can no longer continue their secretive game together. The connotation of the name 'Rank' has a symbolic meaning in Ibsen's play. The word rank denotes a stink or rot and may very well represent the depression experienced in Nora's life. The significance of his life helps to exemplify the loneliness and misery experienced by someone living in solitude. Evidence of his desolation occurs when he says, I'm slowly sinking. There's nothing to be done about it (Ibsen 45), and furthermore when he explains how he does not wish to see Torvald once the dying process begins.

On no account must he. I won't have it. I'll lock the door on him. As soon as I'm absolutely certain of the worst, I'll send you my visiting card with a black cross on it. You'll know when the final horrible disintegration has begun (Ibsen 45).

The very existence and fate of Dr. Rank manifests a sense of sorrow and despair and this forces Nora to take into consideration the particular lifestyle of his when making her decision to leave her family and home.

Mrs. Kristine Linde is a longtime confidante of Nora, and until the beginning of the play, has not seen her for nine or ten years. Since then, her husband has died and she was left with nothing, having to open a shop and run a school in order to get by. Now, she has returned to the Helmer's in search of more work. Mrs. Linde represents the social conformity that women can accomplish in that era. An example occurs when Nora asks her how it is possible that she was left with nothing and still able to move on. Mrs. Linde casually replies, Oh, it sometimes happens, Nora (Ibsen 8). Although she was able to overcome the death of her husband, it does not mean that she has necessarily been happy all this time, as she states,

These last three years have been one long relentless drudge…Just utterly empty. Nobody to live for any more. That's why I couldn't stand it any longer being cut off up there. Surely it must be a bit easier here to find something to occupy your mind (Ibsen 11).

The character of Mrs. Linde allows Nora to understand that by leaving, she will undergo many hardships however, she provides Nora with assurance, a sense of hope that women can make a living on their own, without a husband at their side.

In the end, all three minor characters have undergone a radical change, having arrived at some other position in life. Krogstad and Mrs. Linde have become a couple, and Dr. Rank is soon to pass away. This is significant, as Nora has chosen to abandon her family to pursue her own independence and individuality. She will no longer play the part of a doll and depend on Torvald to support her and resolve all of her problems and thus, takes a giant step forward towards the development of women as their own individuals. Ibsen's A Doll's House explores the role of women in the late 1800's and stresses the importance of their realization of this believed inferiority. Living in our present day society sometimes causes us to underestimate the transition that women have undergone throughout these last hundred years. However, Nora's progression at the end of the play arouses an awareness to an awakening society recognizing the changing view of the status of women at that time.

english

interpretation of Ibsens A Dolls House

A Dolls House is classified under the second phase of Henrik

Ibsens 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 Dolls 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

Our 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

(5). This inferior role from which Nora progressed is extremely

important. Ibsen in his A Dolls House depicts the role of women as

subordinate in order to emphasize the need to reform their role in society.

Definite characteristics of the womens subordinate role in a

relationship are emphasized through Noras 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 Noras 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 Noras well-intentioned action is considered

illegal reflects womans 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 Noras meeting with Krogstad regarding her

borrowed money. In her opinion it was no crime for a woman to do

everything possible to save her husbands 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 dolls 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.

Noras 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 husbands wife. Edmond Gosse highlights the

point that Her insipidity, her dollishness, come from the incessant

repression of her family life (71). 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 Dolls 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 Noras

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

(6). 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

dolls house. Their ideal home including their marriage and parenting has

been a fabrication for the sake of society. Noras decision to leave this

false life behind and discover for herself what is real is directly

symbolic of womans 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 (56). 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, Noras husband is a mean and cowardly man. Worried about his

reputation he cares little about his wifes 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 societys distorted views.

Ibsen, through this controversial p

Torvald Helmer - His speeches in the play are indicated by Helmer, his last name, but Nora addresses him as Torvald throughout. Dr. Rank, however, calls him Helmer. He is a lawyer and is the husband of the protagonist. He began work at the bank because the law was an unstable career for a man with a wife and three children to support. He has just been promoted to bank manager.

Nora - She is the protagonist of the play and the wife of Helmer and her character development is the main concern of the play. In the beginning of the play, she is overjoyed because of her husbands recent promotion. Over the course of the play, however, she realizes that she does not know the meaning of happiness in Helmers house.

Dr. Rank - He is the best friend of Helmer and also Nora. He is ill with tuberculosis. In Act II, he professes his love for Nora, as he feels he is close to death and he wants to tell her of his feelings before he dies.

Mrs. Linde - Her parts in the play are indicated by Mrs. Linde, but Nora, her childhood friend, calls her Kristine. Mrs. Linde is from the same hometown as Nora. She has just arrived in town by steamer on Christmas Eve, the day on which the first Act takes place. She says that her return to the city is for the purpose of finding office work. In Act III of the play, however, it comes to light that she may be there also to see Krogstad.

Krogstad - He is a lawyer who went to school with Helmer. He also has a subordinate position at the bank. He is a widower with many children who used to live in the area from which Mrs. Linde recently arrived. He is generally regarded as being morally corrupt. He also has a very bad reputation because he was found to be guilty of forgery and he later became involved with illegal business. For example, he lent money to Nora without the consent of her husband, which was required under the law.

Bob, Emmy, and Ivar - The Helmers three small children.

A Dolls House - Study Questions

1. Compare Helmers and Noras attitudes toward money.

Helmer is the member of the household who controls the money. However, it is Nora who is notorious for spending it. Helmer is always teasing her about this and Mrs. Linde recalls that Nora was a big spender at home. When the secret of Noras loan is made known to the audience, we see that her interest in money is more of an interest in the welfare of her family. She is most excited about Helmers new, well-paying job because it means she can pay off her debt to Krogstad. Recall that Nora is generous in other ways as well, shown by her large tip to the porter in the opening scene. While Helmer does not talk about money all the time, he is obsessed with having a beautiful home, including a beautiful wife. These things he sees as important for his reputation. Keeping up this reputation requires money.

. Why is Helmer constantly reprimanding Nora for her wastefulness and foolishness while at the same time egging her on?

Helmer likes the helplessness he sees in Nora, exhibited by what he sees as foolishness and ignorance of the way society works. This is because it makes her dependent on him. He loves the idea of Nora and her dependence on him as opposed to actually loving her as a person. This is evident in the first section where Helmer teases Nora about wasting money and then tries to please her by graciously giving her more. After pointing out her foolish faults, he says that he would not want her to change a bit. Helmer does not like any kind of change in Noras constant, obedient demeanor. When she begins to wildly dance the tarantella in Act II, Helmer is dismayed. While Helmer likes to keep Nora dependent on him, Nora says in Act I that it would humiliate Helmer if he knew he was at all dependent on her. This is true of other aspects of their relationship besides the financial one. Helmer does not truly love Nora, so he is not really emotionally dependent on her either.

. How does Mrs. Lindes arrival in town affect Noras awakening and transformation?

4. In Act I (in section two of this note), Mrs. Linde describes Nora as still a child. Is this a valid assessment of Noras state of development? How so?

5. In the conversation between Nora and Mrs. Linde in Act I, both women treasure their experiences of sacrificing for others as something to be proud and happy about, in Noras words. What does this attitude say about the role of women in the society that Ibsen is describing. How does Noras view on this subject and on society as a whole change over the course of the play?

6. Describe Helmers fascination with beauty and appearances. What kind of implications does this seemingly superficial fascination have for his personality? Give examples from throughout the play. Do his attitudes in this area change at all over the course of the story?

7. What do you make of Mrs. Lindes assertion that one must have someone to work for in order to be happy? Even when she decides to follow her own happiness and get together with Krogstad, part of what she wants to do is take care of and work for Krogstad and his children. How much is this working for others really for herself? Consider the fact that Nora describes her own sacrifices for Helmer as something to be proud and happy about in looking at Mrs. Lindes situation in a larger context.

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