A Doll House Reaction Paper

📌Category: Plays
📌Words: 910
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 25 June 2021

A Doll House is a three act play published in 1879 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The title of the play directly correlates to its statement on womanhood in a male dominated society. A Doll is a small replica of a human that is often the toy of a child. Examples of dolls can be seen throughout different cultures around the world. In the Voodoo religion, dolls have been used in rituals to control the actions of their human counterpart. In a more colloquial and modern context, the word doll is slang for a woman who is pretty, but lacks intelligence or expression. Ultimately, dolls provide companionship and protection, either as a toy to a child or as an object to men. I could even go as far as relating sex dolls to the theme of the play, a replicar of a woman who yields pleasure for a man, but does not exhibit emotions and does not interact with its user. I am using these different examples to illustrate how relevant Ibsen’s message on the objectification of women in a society built by and for men, both when it was written and today. 

The play follows the character Nora, a woman who acts like a child and has been treated like one, both by her husband and before that her father. In the first interaction we see between Nora and her husband, Torvald, there is no inclination that the two are part of a loving relationship. Rather, Torvald treats Nora like a child who has no understanding of materialistic value. Nora plays along with treatment, but did she trick herself into thinking that her actions do not have real world consequences? We see this play out when Nora forges her husband’s signature in order to afford a medically prescribed vacation to Italy for Torvald’s health. In Act II when Nora confesses to Krogstad, an old friend and co-worker of Torvald, that she stole the money from Torvald, Nora argues that her actions would not be criminalized because she was had no other choice, since she could not legally sign the documents as a woman and because her husband was in dire need of medical assistance. Since Nora has always been treated like a child, she could not imagine that she should get punished for a crime when it had good intentions. Nora has to work a series of other jobs and is frugal on her own spendings in order to save up money to pay back the debt she owes. Nora is too afraid to tell her husband what she had done because she does not want his “man’s pride” to be affected. Nora’s fears highlight how she positions her husband’s outcry greater than the law. Nora’s role is to be a doll and to serve her husband with responsibilities to caring for his children and acting the role of a wife both for him and for guests. In Act III, Nora is pushed by Torvald to dress-up and perform the Tarantella dance for guests at his Christmas party. Prior to the dance Nora is seen in distress, Krogstad is blackmailing Nora to keep his job at the bank and Nora is trying to distract her husband from opening the letter from Krogstad that would reveal her forgery. The fast pace of the scene exemplifies that Nora is at a breaking point, she is being torn between two realities. While she is being pampered and babied by Torvald, she is also struggling to process her adult realities, including her friend Dr. Rank confesses his love for her, the influence of her independent friend Kristine Linde, and being blackmailed by Krogstad. 

At the end of the play Nora tells Torvald that she is leaving him and their children. Although Nora’s decision at first seems shocking, it is clear that abandoning her previous life and running away is her only escape to freedom. The reader is hinted towards Nora’s decision at earlier points in the play, primarily during interactions with supporting characters. The Helmer family maid, Anne Marie, who raised Nora and now nurses her children, speaks to Nora about her child she had out of wedlock and her decision to give her up for adoption to work as Nora’s nanny. I believe Ibsen included this to illustrate Nora’s contemplation about leaving her children, just like Anne Marie. A similar situation occurs with Kristine Linde, a childhood friend of Nora who ended her loveless marriage and lives an independent life. I viewed Krisitne as a future version of Nora. Krisitne has revolted against her choice to marry Mr. Linde for his money, when in her heart she loved Krogstad. Nora’s interactions with Krogstad reveal to the reader a darker side to an out of control life. Nora discusses suicide with Krogstad as an option to escape her reality. In a way Nora does end her life when she leaves Krogstad to be reborn as someone who lives independently. The final character that affects Nora’s decisions is Dr. Rank who unlike the rest of the play’s characters does not patronize Nora. Dr. Rank trusts Nora with the information that he would soon be dead. Dr. Rank’s near death mentality allows him to realize he loves Nora and he confides in Nora that he would do anything for her. Nora acknowledges Dr. Rank’s statement as a sharp contrast to the relationship she has with Torvald, where he reveals his reputation is valued more than his love for Nora. Nora’s encounters with the characters in the play build her understanding of her role as a servant to Torvald and how the things she wants, a platonic love and a mature treatment will never be satisfied by Torvald. Rather than kill herself, Nora separates from her husband and goes away, sending the message that the role of a single woman is more secure than that of a married one.

+
x
Remember! This is just a sample.

You can order a custom paper by our expert writers

Order now
By clicking “Receive Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails.