Argument for my essay

Nora views herself as a child as that is the role dictated by her family and friends. They create her character, and at the end of the play she realises that she needs to find herself as a woman, not a child – she does not want the patriarchal figures of her father and husband to instruct her anymore.

Essay Questions

1. So, I started with the question: How does the play present families and relationships? This is too broad, however, and will not enable me to answer the question with enough focus. 
2. Then, I decided to develop the question: How is Nora and Torvald's relationship presented in the text? I did this because, clearly, their relationship is the most detailed in the text. However, there is such a large scope that I think it will be difficult to develop a thesis. 
3. How is patriarchal control explored in A Doll's House? I think that this route enables me to address the three male characters (Torvald, Krogstadt, and Dr Rank) and their relationships with Nora and Christine in greater depth, whilst also addressing one of the key themes in the play: control. I think, still, that I may need to focus more on a specific area - the essay is only 1500 words, so to look at patriarchal control is maybe too broad. I also want to look at selfishness, as this is something that arose from my earlier writing on the first question. 
4. To what extent does control in Ibsen's A Doll's House stem from selfish aims? I think that this question is interesting. I could look at Torvald's control of Nora in order to preserve her as his child-wife - someone who looks attractive and helps him to appear like a generous husband - and I can address Krogstadt's selfishness - he controls and manipulates Nora in order to get his job back. I think, however, that the question is poorly worded, and I'm not sure if it will provide enough examples. 
5. Torvald attempts to control Nora, so maybe I could word the question a bit more like this: How does Torvald try and control his wife in Ibsen's A Doll's House? 
6. Or maybe, on a different note that would allow me to focus more upon Nora, and facades, something I wrote about in my last post: How does Nora assume different personas in order to determine her fate? or: To what extent are Nora's many façades of her own volition? 
7. I quite like the example questions that have a line from the text at the beginning, so maybe I could use something such as: "You're hiding something from me": To what extent are Nora's many façades of her own volition? or: "I'd turn myself into a little fairy and dance for you in the moonlight, Torvald": [insert above question here]. 
8. But maybe the question is too complex, with 'façades' and 'volition'. Maybe I need a simpler title. What am I trying to say? I want to explore Nora's manipulation of her different characteristics, influenced by her company: flirtatious with Dr Rank; confessional with Torvald; instructive with the servants. I want to explore the extent to which these are what she believes to be correct, or what society does. But maybe I could develop that in the essay. So, possibly, this question could work better: "Nora, you're hiding something from me": How does Ibsen present Nora's different characteristics in A Doll's House? 
9. No. Right. I want to look at changing identity in the text. A doll, a bird, a woman, a wife. The many sides of Nora's personality, and how they change until she loses them all following her leaving the family. Do I want to look at identity, or roles? Torvald's role as a protector, as the head of a house-hold. Nora's role as a mother, a woman, a wife. 
10. Following the thoughts of the last point, maybe a question more along the lines of: "I am first and foremost a human being": How does Ibsen explore the duties of his protagonists in A Doll's House? This sounds better, because I can look at the perceived duties, as well as the duties that Nora discusses in her final speech. 
11. However, I think to improve this, I should maybe change 'duties' to 'roles', so it would become: "I am first and foremost a human being": How does Ibsen explore the roles of his protagonists in A Doll's House?

Ibsen's presentation of families and relationships in the text

A Doll’s House presents real human relationships – turbulent and complex. There are friendships, romances, and maternal (also paternal, though distant) relationships.

The most immediate relationship in the text is between Nora and Torvald. This relationship varies – from being highly sexualised to childlike, with both characters flirting and avoiding the truth of their slowly collapsing ‘romance’. The two characters use their sexuality to get their own way – with Nora teasing her husband (and Dr Rank) with the promise of dancing.

This means that Nora is sexualised – often of her own accord – but her husband is predatory towards her, which is why, I think, he uses birds as a term of endearment – he likes his wife to be weaker than him, smaller than him, and beautiful. She is something pretty to look at. Even Nora picks up on this when she is talking to Christine – commenting on her own beauty.

Christine and Krogstad’s relationship transforms the superficial villain of the play into someone human with a past riddled with heartbreak and loss. Krogstad says: “When I lost you, it was just as though all solid ground had been swept from under my feet. Look at me. Now I’m a shipwrecked man, clinging onto a spar.” This exclamation of feeling is very different from the threatening individual who visited Nora dressed in shadows

Ibsen also addresses relationships between friends – Nora’s relationship with Christine, Torvald’s with Dr Rank. However, in these relationships, there is an aspect of cost-benefit analysis – using people for personal gain. This raises the question of whether or not the friendships, or indeed relationships as a whole, are more than merely for the benefit of individuals: Christine mends Nora’s dress and plays to her need to be complemented, yet has this relationship with her in order to get a job with Torvald; Torvald pities Dr Rank, but really Dr Rank is there to see Nora. It is this cycle of need upon which the text revolves.

The children are not cared for by their mother, but by her own childhood-nurse, Anne-Marie, and Torvald is only fleetingly seen as interacting with them. This means that the ultimate impact of Nora’s epiphany is not as devastating as it would have been, perhaps, in modern day Norway. Other people do the majority of childcare – she played with her children just as her father did with her (dolls) but no more than that. She uses her children to appear motherly – almost all of Nora’s acts are to keep up appearances. She is the doting child-wife, child-mother, beautiful and demure and able to dance at a party. Torvald considers her to be a prized possession. He disciplines her more than his children because this dominance is attractive to him. When she leaves, he reacts because of the impact upon him, and his life, as opposed to what this means to Nora. Maybe this is telling of humanity – are we all intrinsically selfish?

Therefore, the play represents families and relationships as being means to achieve personal goals, as opposed to being honest. This is, in my opinion, why Nora’s departing words are so poignant – she is doing something for herself without using others to achieve it for the first time in the play.

'A Doll's House'

What is Ibsen's purpose?
To challenge a set of cultural assumptions and conventions such as a patriarchal paradigm and self-determination.

Contextual Area of 'A Doll's House' - 1

Ibsen is considered to be one of the most influential playwrights for developing the theatrical genre of realism. 'A Doll's House' looks at a woman who was flawed, and difficult, and often irritating, but one who is capable of making her own decisions, and wants to be an equal in her marriage and society. In Ibsen's own marriage, he wanted himself and his wife to be equal (which isn't that hard to believe, really).

He was met with a lot of criticism initially for encouraging women to leave their husbands and families - however, this is not, I believe, the message of the text. The play helps people find meaning in their lives, it's more about pursuing what you feel is the right thing than being about feminism. Nora is a woman because, I believe, this was the strongest way in which Ibsen could make his point. Of course, women and men should be equal, and this is emphasised in the text, but so is the need to be yourself, and find yourself, and it is this, not really the children or the marriage, that is the key concern in 'A Doll's House'.

'A Doll's House' - The Title

There are two instances where Nora specifically refers to herself as a doll: 

1. "Our home has been nothing but a playroom. I have been your doll-wife."
2. "at home I was papa's doll-child."

This shows that Nora considers every home she has lived in to have been artificial - the men in her life showing her off, but not truly caring for her, or respecting her. She is objectified by Torvald, and is not considered to be capable of making her own decisions as a woman. Torvalt is sexually demanding, especially after the pair return from the party, but this illustrates Nora's role as a plaything - there to meet Torvald's needs, and, he believes, physically incapable of anything else. 

Interestingly, the title varies between translations. The one I am studying is 'A Doll's House' others are merely 'A Doll House'. I think the latter is more accurate, as Nora does not own the house. She is a guest, almost. The house is cared for by the maid and housekeeper, paid for by Torvald. Her role is undefined. Torvald even refers to it as his house when they are arguing. That is why I think that the translation 'A Doll House' makes more sense, judging by the content in the play...unless the title is ironic. Is the title ironic?  

'A Doll's House' - Thoughts Preceding Study

I have watched the Young Vic's production of 'A Doll's House' twice now, and have found myself feeling the same way both times. 

I have found the play to be:

• unsubtle in its themes
• insufferable/difficult to watch at times due to the bird motifs and strange portrayals of love

Nora's speech at the end, however, is brilliant. I love it, I love its delivery in the version I watched, and I think that it is a particularly brave ending in its cultural context. Her epiphany removes the awkward rush of themes and twists in the second act. 

I'm looking forward to discussing the themes in greater depth in the weeks to come with my class. 

'A Doll's House' by Henrik Ibsen - 2

Torvald has 'an aversion against anything ugly'. His terms of endearment (birds) is thus explained. He loves beautiful things because they belong to him. He tells Nora that she 'is his most treasured possession', and says that he 'knew he wouldn't be able to keep Dr Rank long'.

When Nora says, "Please be nice to me," her insecurity is made clear. Her need for affection by anyone - men or women, children or adults - is presented. When Dr Rank tells her he loves her, however, she runs away. Is this a foreshadowing of her fleeing later in the text? She is a bird - birds must fly.

She trusts Dr Rank more than 'anyone else'. Dr Rank picks up on how Nora loves keeping secrets from her husband - she finds this exciting, but Rank understands how this represents her mistrust. Nora and Torvald's relationship is difficult to understand. At some points it is tender, at others, it is predatory.

Nora uses her husband - "I can't do anything without you."

Rank and Torvald prey on Nora as they watch her dance 'as though her life depended on it.' Torvald thinks that her performance 'was a little too natural'. This is because Torvald considers her to be a doll, in his doll's house.

Torvald says, "I always think that an exit should be dramatic." It's amazing how much foreshadowing there is in the texts.

Nora gives Dr Rank light - physically (when she lights his cigar) and metaphorically. He has lived in darkness for so long, but his love for Nora brings him light. That is why his invisibility hat and cross are black, to contrast with her brightness.

Torvald treats Nora like a child - telling her to sit down, take his jacket off her shoulders. He loses his love for her so quickly, then so quickly it returns when 'they are saved'. He takes the moral high-ground by stating the most obvious sentence in all of theatre - "I find your inability to do anything rather attractive. It makes me realise that I'm a man and you're a woman." His monologue about her 'becoming his child' summarises the major themes of the entire play.

Nora realises that neither of them had understood each other before his confession. He finds her amusing - he perceives her to be incapable of doing anything, especially helping him, because he thinks that he is infinitely better than her. She realises that she has been 'terribly treated' by her father and by Torvald, because she never understood what love was, because the men in her life loved her because they loved the
idea of her. Nora says, "I've lived my whole marriage...like a street-entertainer...by performing tricks for [Torvald] because that's how [he] likes it."

She decides to leave Torvald so she can learn who she is and 'stand up on [her] own'. Torvald says that she is a mother and a wife before anything else, before herself, and Nora 'sees with clarity' that her responsibility lies with herself, and not with others. She states that she has 'a different opinion on this matter' to Torvald, and it is the first time that she has said what she feels, and not what Torvald does.

Torvald says that 'no man would give up his honour for the person he loves.' She retorts, saying 'thousands and thousands and thousands of women have done' exactly that. This shows an awareness of the world that she has not displayed before.

Nora says, "we have the people we are fond of, and the people we enjoy being with."

Nora concludes that she 'doesn't believe in miracles anymore.' This is an excellent climax.

'A Doll's House' by Henrik Ibsen - 1

There are many key concerns in 'A Doll's House', and Ibsen makes them very clear through his association of motifs with characters e.g. Torvald and birds, Anne-Marie and maternity, and Dr Rank with sickness and temptation.

One of the main techniques I found interesting was that of foreshadowing. Having seen the play before studying it, I know the conclusion, which makes the rewatching of the production all the more interesting. I noted down some examples of foreshadowing from the first hour or so of the production:

• Nora says "I'd never break a promise I'd make to you." 
• Nora says "You shouldn't underestimate me." 
• Torvald says "The mothers were the worst."

I also found Nora's obsession with appearances intriguing. This is summarised in her comment to Mrs Linde - her view that "It's so important to be finely dressed." This links with the protagonists' desire to be admired. Nora's sons try to impress her with tales of their games because they don't see her enough, whereas Nora uses her sexuality and vanity to impress her husband, dressing for him ("I want to look good for you.") and responding to his demand: "I'm your husband - it's your job to indulge me." 

This exposes a great deal about Ibsen's portrayal of men and women in the text. Torvald's use of bird-names really irritates me, and every time he uses one, I feel a bit ill. Nora is a caged bird. However, her role is more complex than merely being an oppressed wife. 

She is very aware of her beauty and sexuality, and uses these to her own advantage, especially with Torvald and Dr Rank. She caresses Torvald, and complements him, and plays him, almost, at his own game, just without the forced terms of endearment. 

I'm looking forward to being able to analyse why the text is called 'A Doll's House' in a bit more detail - I have some ideas, but not enough to formulate into a thesis just yet.