In reading Ibsen’s A Doll’s House today, a person could find it hard to
imagine how daring it seemed when Ibsen wrote it over one hundred years ago. A
main subject of this play is the emancipation of women from the restrictions
that society and men place on them. When Ibsen wrote this play he was making a
statement about a woman’s role in Victorian society. That statement is that
society should allow women to be independent, and that women should free
themselves from the restrictions that society places on them. In Act I, there
are many clues that let us know what kind of marriage Nora and Torvald have. It
seems like Nora is controlled by her husband in every way. She relies on Torvald
for every thing in her life, from the way she thinks, to the way that she gets
money from him. “ Torvald, surely we can afford to be extravagant now, can’t
we? Just a teeny-weeny bit. You are getting quite a good salary now, and you are
going to earn lots and lots of money…Money…Ten, twenty, thirty, forty. Oh
thank you, thank you, Torvald.”( Ibsen 1416). The most obvious example of
Torvald’s control over Nora is his reteaching of the tarantella. Nora pretends
that she needs Torvald to teach her every move in the dance. While reading the
story we can see that Nora already knows the dance. This shows us the
submissiveness that Nora has, when it comes to Torvald. After he teaches her the
dance Torvald says, “ as I watched you darting and swaying in the tarantella,
my blood was on fire” (Ibsen 1458). This shows how Torvald is more interested
in Nora physically than emotionally. When Nora responds to Torvald by saying
“Go away Torvald! Leave me alone. I won’t have it”(Ibsen 1458). Torvald
responds to her by saying, “Aren’t I your husband? “( Ibsen1458). By
saying this, he is implying that one of Nora’s duties as a wife is to
physically pleasure him at his command. Another window from which we can look
into Nora and Torvald’s marriage is the way they talk to each other. They use
pet names every time they talk to each other. “Is that my little sky-lark
chirruping out there? Yes it is. Is that my little squirrel frisking about? Yes!
When did my little squirrel get home?” ( Ibsen 1415). The only time in the
story in which they don’t use these pet names is when Nora is leaving Torvald.
This represents her breaking away and leaving behind the restrictions that
society and her husband have placed on her. During the course of the play Nora
sees that some women can live independently. Mrs. Linde shows her this. Mrs.
Linde is an example of an independent woman in society, but only because she is
a widow. Widows are expected to be independent, and work to take care of
themselves and their families. According to Victorian society married women are
suppose to stay at home and take care of the children. Mrs. Linde shows Nora
that she can be an independent woman and free herself from the shackles that
society has placed on her. Throughout the course of the play we see that Torvald
treats Nora like a child. His distrust of her with money shows this. Whenever
Torvald departs with his money, and gives it to Nora he worries what she will do
with it. He thinks that she is very bad with money and that she will just spend
it on something foolish. “If only you could really hold on to the money gave
you.” (Ibsen 1416). This statement not only shows how Torvald sees Nora, but
how the Victorian society sees women in general. Torvald treats his wife like a
child, and Mrs.Linde sees this. She shows Nora what Torvald is doing. This
statement by Mrs. Linde shows this “Nora! In lots of ways you are still a
child.”(Ibsen 1438). In the play we see that Nora’s duties are very
restricted. She is restricted to caring for the children, doing housework, and
working on her needlepoint. A problem with her responsibilities is that most
important obligation is to please Torvald. The other obligations such as caring
for the children, she can let the maid take care of. Her children are another
concern in the play. If Nora continues to let Torvald dominate her than her
children are doomed to follow in her footsteps. The children are being raised to
know their role in society. The Christmas presents that are bought for them show
this. “Look some new clothes for Ivar…and a little sword…And a doll and a
doll’s cot for Emmy.”(Ibsen 1416). The boys get new clothes and a toy sword;
the girl only gets a doll. These presents represent a man and a woman’s place
in society. The new clothes and the sword show that a man’s place is out in
the world and his job is to care for his family. The doll that the little girl
receives shows that a woman’s place is at home, and she is to care for the
children. The problem in A Doll’s House is not only in Torvald, but the entire
Victorian society. Torvald himself represents the Victorian society. The way
that Torvald treats Nora is the way that most men treated their wives in that
time. The play is a statement about the way that women were treated in the
Victorian society. The play shows the way that women were seen as objects to
men. Nora starts to realize something is wrong with her life after Krogstad
exposes her. When Torvald doesn’t immediately offer to help Nora, she sees the
problem. By waiting until after he discovers that he will suffer no social harm,
Torvald reveals his true feelings. Torvald puts what people will think of him
ahead of his feelings for his wife, he claims to love. When Nora sees this, she
decides that it is time for her to leave Torvald. When Torvald tries to make
Nora stay, she explains to him how she feels like she has been treated like a
child all of her life. She feels that both Torvald and her father treated her
this way. Both of the major males in her life had denied her the right to think
and act the way that she wanted to, thus limiting her happiness. This shows the
way that males in a Victorian society dictate what females are allowed to do.
When Nora finally slams the door on Torvald, she is also slamming the door on
everything else in society that dictates what a woman’s place is. This
statement shows Nora finally breaking away from Torvald, and social norms and
becoming her own woman. “You are talking like a child. You understand nothing
about the society you live in. No I don’t … I must try to discover who is
right, society or me.” ( Ibsen 1467). Torvald represents the way that society
treats and views women. Ibsen is making a statement about this in the play. The
way that Nora takes her life in her own hands and liberates herself makes the
statement that society is wrong. A Doll’s House is a very feminist play. Ibsen
is trying to tell women to stand up and take control of their lives. He does
this through the way he shows Nora going through a drastic change and slamming
the door on a society that restricts her. Through the course of this play Nora
fights to remove the restrictions that the men in her life and society has
placed on her.