ISSN 2455-393X
JOURNAL OF THE ENGLISH LITERATOR SOCIETY
An International Open Access Refereed Research Journal
Volume 1 Issue 2 - Published Online 12 February 2016
Est. 2015
http://www.literatorsociety.org
The Portrayal of Nora in Henrik Ibsen’s
A Doll’s House: An Emancipation of Women
Mr. Jotiram Janardan Gaikwad
Teacher Fellow, Dept of English, Shivaji University, Kolhapur
Assistant Professor, St. Xavier’s College – Autonomous, Mumbai
URL: http://www.literatorsociety.org/jels/2455-393X-21.pdf
Introduction
Henrik Ibsen, a renowned Norwegian playwright, has elevated theatre from mere
entertainment to a forum for exposing social problems introducing the spirit of
realism and naturalism in drama. He has made serious drama a mirror of his age
by placing the themes and situations of contemporary life on stage in plays like
Catillina (1850), Love’s Comedy (1862), The Pretenders (1864), League of Youth
(1869), Emperor Galelian (1873), Pillars of the Society (1877), A Doll’s House
(1879), Ghosts (1881), An Enemy of the People (1882), and The Wild Duck
(1884). Though he has written a tragedy, satire, and national, philosophical and
historical drama, he is well-known for realistic social drama in general and A Doll’s
House in particular.
A Doll’s House is a realistic portrayal of woman’s assertion to her independence
and individuality. In this play, Ibsen depicts the struggle of heroine, Nora Helmer,
to liberate herself from the family and societal bonds. The play shows Nora’s
progressive growth from a very dependent house-wife and a caring mother to a
woman enlightened. It is a struggle of Nora for woman’s emancipation.
Nora – Dependent House-Wife
Nora is a protagonist of the play A Doll’s House and the entire play moves around
her. She is sensitive, sensible, and completely unaware of her own worth until the
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last act of the play. She initially appears flighty and excitable. Though she is a
perfect wife, she is a "singing lark," "little squirrel," and "little spendthrift" to her
husband. She hides her thoughts and actions from her husband even though there
is no real benefit. She forges her father's signature for a loan, and lies her husband
about the source of money, the household accounts, and odd jobs she takes to earn
extra money. She is viewed as an object, a toy, a child, but never an equal. Her
problem is that she is totally dependent on her husband and deceives herself till the
end of the play.
She is good in nature and friendly in relationships. She shares her secret with Mrs.
Linde and helps her to get a job in bank, she maintains good relations with Dr.
Rank though she knows he secretly loves her. It was possible for her to avail loan
from Dr. Rank but she gives up the thought of taking money from him as it would
exploit her feeling. There is a scene of an innocent flirting she does with Dr. Rank,
using her womanly gestures, but when her fidelity is in question she mends herself
quickly.
Nora – Independent Women
As the play progresses, we learn that Nora is not as a carefree and naive as she is in
the beginning, rather she is a determined and hardworking young woman willing
to break the laws to save the life of her husband. She is more than the 19th century
wife and mother, enjoys working and earning money “like a man”, and shows
independence of thought in her actions, and fierce determination and ambition to
pay off debts. At the end of the play, when she realizes that her husband is not the
man she thought, she takes the controversial decision to leave her husband and
children to make her own way in the world, rejecting the idea of the ideal family
life and the expectations of society.
From the beginning onwards, like woman of the nineteenth century Europe, Nora
patiently puts her efforts and attempts to maintain peaceful life accepting all
customs and rules established by the male dominated society, but when it goes
beyond her capacity to bear the circumstances, very firmly she leaves husband’s
house to make herself free from the shackles of the society upholding the principles
of freedom and equality. Her journey from a very dependent wife to an
independent enlightened woman transforms Nora into a very bold, intellectual and
firm to fight against society and its institutions for her own identity, status,
equality, freedom.
Nora –Intellectual, Bold and Firm in Actions
Nora has shown as a doll-wife, who maintains secrecy of her deeds, and doesn’t
have an intellectual capacity to make distinction between good and bad, right and
wrong, but in reality she is intellectual, bold, and firm in her actions.
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When her husband asks question after reading a letter, she accepts the reality and
replies by saying, “It is true. I have loved you beyond all else in the world.” (106)
though her husband points out what she had done is wrong, Nora accepting very
intellectually asserts that it doesn’t matter to her what world says. For Nora, saving
the life of her husband is most important than the societal laws.
After realization, very firmly she tells her husband “I do not love any longer” (118)
or “I am no wife for you” (120), as she doesn’t love her husband and she is leaving
house. Being an independent woman, she is bold to say directly to her husband, “I
can't spend the night in a strange man's house.” (121) or “I take nothing from
strangers.” (122). Even when her husband tries to interrupt her, she instructed him
by saying, “No, don’t interrupt. Only listen to what I say.” (112)
Thus, the intellectual, bold and firm Nora fights for her own identity, status,
equality and freedom.
Nora – In Search of Identity
After spending a life of non-entity and a mere commodity in the house, Nora
decides to overcome the situation and search a place where she would be no more
a doll but a personality of her own. The process of realization brings question to
Nora who I am:
“I think that before all else I am a human being, just as much as you are-or, at least,
I will try to become one. I know that most people agree with you, Torvald, and
that they say so in books. But henceforth I can't be satisfied with what most people
say, and what is in • books. I must think things out for myself and try to get clear
about them.” (117)
Nora insists on her husband in particular and society in general for considering her
existence, the existence of woman, as a human being. Though, she knows to get
the support from society is difficult, she is strong in her assertion.
The realization of who I am gave a new understanding about self hence she says, “I
must try to educate myself. You are not the man to help me in that” (115) and “I
have never felt so much clearness and certainty as to-night” (118).
Nora is totally transformed after the realization. The meek dependent wife changed
into an independent individual, who is very conscious about her own identity. No
pleading or requests of her husband, even a social decorum, weakens her decision
to leave her home in search of her own ‘self’, in search of identity, which she does.
Nora – On Status of Women
The women were never free; either she was the property of father or husband, and
expected that she should adjust her ideas, views, opinions and tastes with them.
Nora, right from the beginning has shown a conventional wife who leads life as per
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the directions, expectations of her husband. This has been shown through the
words of Torvald, who calls her ‘Skylark’, ‘Squirrel’, and ‘little darling wife’ etc.
Even, she allows husband to treat her like a ‘property’ and ‘possession’, because she
has a belief that only husband can protect wife in all circumstances. But when she
realizes it was not the love but man’s pride to take woman as his possessions, she
says, “I have had great injustice done me, Torvald, first by my father and then by
you (113)”. And, after blaming father and husband for injustice, she further states
that how she was treated by both at home:
“While I was at home with father, he used to tell me all his opinions, and I held
the same opinions. If I had others I concealed them, because he would not have
liked it. He used to call me his doll child, and play with me as I played with my
dolls. Then I came to live in your house -- … I mean I passed from father's hands
into your. You settled everything according to your taste; and I got the same tastes
as you; or I pretended to -I don't know which - both ways perhaps. When I look
back on it now, I seem to have been living here like a beggar, from hand to mouth.
I lived by performing tricks for yon, Torvald. But you would have it so. You and
father have done me a great wrong. It is your fault that my life has been wasted.”
(114)
Nora asserts that either it is a father or husband there is no change in their attitude
towards women, both of them never allowed women to be free. She is under the
control of father before the marriage or husband after the marriage. She had a great
hope from her husband but when she realized like father her husband has a same
desire to control woman as an object, her eyes opened and she liberates herself from
the clutches of the male dominated society to get firsthand experience of life and
to discover her own right to live as a responsible member of society.
Nora – On Woman’s Sacrifice
Nora, like the nineteenth century wife, has sacrificed all her own opinions,
thoughts and ideas and adopted her husband Torvald’s views as her own. She being
a devoted wife took a loan from a man like Krogstad by forging the sign of her
father in order to save the life of her ailing husband. Though she had adopted
unlawful means to avail the loan, she is innocent about her act till Krogstad makes
her to realize from the eyes of the law. Nora has tried to pay the installments on
regular basis even by cutting her own expenses and undertaking some work. She
neither makes a show, nor informs all to husband, but keeps secret and feels proud
about it. She has a great faith in her husband and expects that he would support
her at crucial time and stand behind her like a firm rock. But, when her husband
stands contrary to her expectations, she exposes husband’s hypocrite behaviour
saying:
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“I have waited so patiently all these eight years; for of course, I saw clearly
enough that miracles do not happen every day. When this crushing blow
threatened me, I said myself confidently, "Now comes the miracle." When
Krogstad's letter lay in the box, it never occurred to me that you would
think of submitting to that man's conditions. I was convinced that you
would say to him ... “Make it known to all the world," and that then - …
Then I firmly believed that you would come forward, take everything upon
yourself, and say, “I am the guilty one." (119)
Nora, stating sacrifices done by the wife for the sake of husband in a hope to see
the change one day in his behavour, exposes her husband in particular and society
in general for their hypocrisy. And when she realized, there is no possibility of
miracle or to see the change in her husband, she decides to leave him, his house
and social taboos.
Nora – On Status of Women after Marriage
As stated earlier, Nora being a conventional wife, right from the beginning onwards
leads life as per the directions and expectations of her husband adjusting her ideas,
views, opinions and tastes with him as a doll wife, “Here I have been your doll wife,
just as at home I used to be papa's doll child” (114), and an object of fun and
entertainment, “I thought it fun when you played with me, just as the children did
when I played with them. That has been our marriage, Torvald.” (115) However,
as exposed by Nora, after the marriage, woman was treated as a doll or an object of
entertainment.
The success of marriage depends upon the communication and understanding
between wife and husband, but this was not a part of the society to which Nora
belongs. This reality is exposed by Nora, saying “You don't understand me; and I
have never understood you-till tonight” (112), and “It's not so late yet. Sit down,
Torvald; you and I have much to say to each other … Sit down. It will take some
time; I have much to talk over with you” (112). Therefore, she declared the
institution of marriage is based on the lack of communication and understanding.
The marriage concept is based on love and seriousness in relationships between
wife and husband. But, Nora’s married life is based on the false concept of love,
“You have never loved me! You only thought it amusing to be in love with me”
(113), and on the non-serious relationship, “We have been married eight years.
Does it not strike you that this is the first time we two, you and I, man and wife,
have talked together seriously” (113).
Nora states that the marriage institution, which considers woman as a doll wife, is
based on lack of communication and understanding, false concept of love, and
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non-serious relationship between wife and husband. Nora, at last overthrows the
marriage system as it rejects equality and freedom to women as a wife.
Nora – On Morality
On the moral ground, Nora makes question to societal morals when she is
informed that forging her father's signature to save her husband's life is a criminal
act. She believes that the most heroic action of her life is taking loan on her own to
save the life of her husband. She argues that how her sacrifices to save her husband’s
life could be an unforgivable crime in the eyes of society:
“I hear, too, that the laws are different from what I thought; but I can’t believe that
they are right. It appears that a woman has no right to spare her dying father, or to
save her husband's life. I don’t believe that.” (118)
Nora states that the existing laws are in favour of male and deprive the rights of
women. So, by asking, what is the use of such laws if they don’t allow women to
save the life of her most loving person, she challenges existing laws by saying, “I
must make up my mind which is right – society or I”. (118)
The woman was expected to fulfill her duties towards husband and children, but
society never thought about duties of woman towards herself. After realization,
Nora asserts her duties towards herself saying, “I have other duties equally sacred
… my duties towards myself” (116). So, Nora asserts to the society if not you, I
must think about myself.
On the issue of sacrificing the life, Nora exposed the double standards of society,
pointing to the reply of Helmer who says, “no man sacrifices his honour, even for
one he loves” (120). This shows the ego and attitude of man towards women. So,
Nora attacks on socially formulated boundaries raising a simple question “Millions
of women have done so” (120), then why not men.
Nora is against to the established wrong practices on the moral ground and expects
a change, a change in both, man and woman. Though she demands a change, she
knows to bring the change in man needs a miracle, “Both of us would have to
change so that ---- Oh, Torvald, I no longer believe in miracles.” (123)
The most of the moral codes of conduct that deprive the rights of women are
governed and controlled by the religious practices. So, Nora raises question asking
what we know about the religion:
“I don't know properly what religion is … I know nothing but what our clergyman
told me when I was confirmed. He explained that religion was this and that. When
I get away from here and standalone I will look into that matter too. I will see
whether what he taught me is true, or, at any rate, whether it is true for me.” (117)
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Nora’s assertion is we come to know our religion from the clergyman and he taught
religion to us from his point of view, so how could we say what he taught is right
or wrong. Hence, she thinks it is a time to understand religious practices from our
point of view. Thus, she puts a question to morality.
Nora’s disclosure of the false concept of morality, pointing out discrimination of
law, refusing rights to woman, denying her duties towards herself, showing the
man’s attitude towards woman’s sacrifices and lack of understanding about the
religion demonstrates the real nature of morality in particular and society in
general.
Conclusion
Nora, being an individual feminine personality within the confines of a stereotyped
society, strives to become a self-motivated to save the life of her husband without
thinking what is right for law. She is finally confused on what is right and what is
wrong, and realized that she cannot live with a husband who cannot dissociate
himself from the laws of society. Though she is defeated in her marital life, she is
victorious as an individual. Death of a wife and mother gives birth to Nora as a
new modern woman.
Thus, Nora’s transformation from a very dependent wife to an independent
woman is a struggle in search of her own identity, is a struggle for woman’s
emancipation.
Works cited
Behnam L. (2007). A Note on Ibsen and Nora’s Doll Life. Tehran: Jahan-e-Ketab.
Chandler, Frank (1939). Aspects of Modern Drama. Delhi: The Macmillan
Company.
Gassner, John (1964). Ideas in the Drama New York & London: Columbia
University Press.
Henrick Ibsen. A Doll’s House. Translated William Archer. London: T. Fisher
Unwin.
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