A Doll House: A Play of Marriage, Secrets and Forging - Essay Sample

Introduction

A Doll House is a play written in 1879, and its first performance was at the Royal Danish Theatre in Denmark. The story is about a woman Nora, her husband Torvald, Nora's friend Mrs. Christine and Krogstad. Nora and Torvald's marriage is rocky because of several problems that are in the family. Firstly, Nora is keeping a secret from her husband about how she forged her father's signature in order to get money to help her husband get treatment in Italy. Secondly, she lied about Krogstad's visit to their house. Additionally, she is not truthful to her husband about the main reason why Krogstad visited them. Nora, even though at fault, performed all these actions for the sake and the well-being of her family. Therefore, the secrets and lies told by Nora majorly depict the conflict between women's roles in the family and the larger society.

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Mrs. Christine's Financial Motivations: Exploring Women's Roles in the Family and Society

Firstly, the conflict between women's roles in the family and the larger society is portrayed when Mrs. Christine, who is a widow, explains to Nora how she married her husband because of his ability to help financially. Mrs. Christine was in dire need of money to help her ailing mother and two of her younger brothers. Thus, she did not love her husband but explored the situation for the sake of her family. Later her husband died, leaving her penniless, and her brothers have grown, and her mother also passed on; however, she does not seek what she loves to do instead for the past few years she has worked extremely hard to support her relatives. Currently, Mrs. Christine had come to visit the Helmers in the hope of trying to get a job from Torvald at the bank (Pebruantari, 2015).

Nora's Dilemma: Balancing Family Debt and Husband's Health

Secondly, the conflict between women's roles in the family and society at large is evident when Nora is in a dilemma to either put her family in debt or save her husband. She forges her father's signature three days after his death in order to obtain sufficient money to help seek treatment for her husband. When Torvald asks Nora where the money came from, Nora lies to him that it came from her father. However, Torvald had refused to borrow the money; for the sake of her husband's health, she borrowed the money in secret. Although Nora managed to pay the debt in installments and the interests over the years, she has not paid the full amount. Therefore, she hopes that Torvald's new job will enable her to pay the balance entirely (Shah, 2016).

Nora's Deception: Preserving the Family's Reputation at the Expense of Truth

Thirdly, the conflict between women's roles in the family and the larger society is evident when Nora wants to keep her family together by lying to her husband about the visit she received from Krogstad. Krogstad knows Nora's secret and uses the information to blackmail her. He asks Nora to use her power as Torvald's wife to make sure he does not get fired or else he would tell people what she did. Nora cannot risk people knowing she is guilty of forgery and, most importantly, ruin her family's reputation. She tries to convince her husband not to fire Krogstad, but her husband's mind is made up. Torvald further requests her not to plead Krogstad's case again and dismisses Krogstad. Krogstad reacts by writing a letter to Torvald, explaining to him about his wife's discretions.

Torvald's Betrayal: Unveiling the Misunderstanding of Nora's Sacrifice

Fourthly, the conflict between women's roles in the family and society at large is evident when Torvald learns about his wife's discretions. Nora explains to him that her actions were out of love, but Torvald blames her for ruining his life and calls her mad. This is evident when he says to Nora she is; "-a hypocrite, a liar-worse, worse-a criminal" (Bandal, 2017).

Torvald does not understand the sacrifice that Nora made to save his life but berates her, not giving her a chance to speak. He tells Nora that they will continue keeping up appearances; however, she will not be allowed to see the children; additionally, the typical aspects of their marriage will no longer be the same. Torvald's reaction shocks Nora because she did not expect her husband to behave in such a manner.

Nora's Departure: Challenging Societal Expectations and Embracing Independence

Additionally, the conflict between women's roles in the family and society at large is evident when Nora decides to leave her family. Torvald accuses her of not being a good mother and a wife by neglecting her "most sacred duties" (Bandal, 2017). Nora decides to leave and educate herself so that when she comes back, she will be in a better position to educate her children Torvald only wants her because he loves the thought of being in love with Nora but in truth, she has never really loved her. They have been two strangers living together for eight years. Torvald often treated his wife as a doll, just like Nora's father did and forced her to live in a way that only entertained him. (Kumari& Sunalini, 2018). This is evident when Torvald asks, "Is it the squirrel skipping about?" (Shah, 2016) as he refers to his wife.

Conclusion

In conclusion, A Doll House is a story that depicts the limitation of marriage by gender roles the society expects. The story has a sad ending with no hope for the Helmer's marriage. Torvald is devastated even though he acted selfishly towards his wife, while Nora has a range of possibilities and opportunities. She takes on a new path and hopes for the best.

References

Kumari, V. N., & Sunalini, K. K. (2018). Women Perspective in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. An International Journal in English, 8.

Bandal, V. (2017). NEW WOMAN IN HENRIK IBSEN'S A DOLL'S HOUSE. Literary Endeavour, 151.

Shah, A. R. (2016). The Concept of Feminism in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. International Multidisciplinary Research Journal.

Pebruantari, R. (2015). MARRIAGE REFLECTED IN HENRIK IBSENS A DOLLS HOUSE PLAY (1879): A FEMINIST APPROACH (Doctoral dissertation, MUHAMMADIYAH UNIVERSITY OF SURAKARTA).