The play A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, offers a critique of the superficial marriage between Nora and Torvald Helmer. Written in 1879, the play describes the problems that arise after Nora secretly and illegally takes out a loan from a local bank in order to save Torvald's life. Throughout the play, the delicate relationship between Nora and Torvald relies largely on the enactment of conventional gender roles. For example, Torvald plays the role of the male hero, vowing to always protect his helpless wife from harm, while Nora plays the role of the submissive wife who relies on her husband's opinions as her own. Through the interpretation of these roles, A Doll's House challenges the traditional notion of gender, implying that gender is not the result of biology but rather a role one plays to meet the demands of the company. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay At the time A Doll's House was written, 19th-century patriarchal society dictated social norms for men and women. Men were seen as leaders; they ran businesses and governments, made important decisions, and served as protectors of the weakest members of society, women and children. Throughout the play, Torvald seems to adopt the characteristics of traditional masculinity. He is proud to have been promoted to head the bank and finds satisfaction in playing the role of protective husband, telling Nora: “When the real crisis comes, you will not find me lacking in strength or courage. I am man enough to carry the burden for both of us” (565). However, upon closer inspection, we can see that Torvald's masculine identity is not intrinsic, but rather a role he plays to meet society's expectations. Rather, his sense of masculinity comes primarily from maintaining certain social hierarchies, which place him in a position of power. This quest for power is visible in Torvald's work at the bank. He admits to Nora that he fires Krogstad mainly because Krogstad refuses to address him with respect. Torvald says, "We...well, we're on first name terms." And the tactless idiot doesn't try to hide it when other people are present. On the contrary, he thinks it gives him the right to know me. He shows off all the time, with “Torvald this” and “Torvald that”. . . If he stayed, he would make my position intolerable” (564). As Langas explains, Torvald refuses to rehire Krogstad "because he needs to confirm his authority as a man" (Langas 159). Society's notion of masculinity requires one to succeed in business, and Torvald must maintain control of the bank in order to maintain his masculinity. Krogstad loses his job because he poses a threat to the traditional power structure at the bank and therefore a threat to Torvald's sense of power and manhood. Torvald's masculinity is also inexorably linked to his role as patriarch of House Helmer. In the first half of the play, Torvald continually exerts his power over Nora, forbidding her from eating macaroons and belittling her with nicknames such as "squirrel" and "my little songbird." He even considers Nora his pet, saying, "The wasterbird is a pretty little creature, but she makes an awful lot of money." It’s amazing what an expensive pet she is for a man to keep” (561). While one might characterize Torvald simply as an authoritarian chauvinist, another view is that his apparentMisogyny reflects his desire to fit into the social construction of masculinity. Nora's own behavior supports Torvald's manly power. Moi writes: “Helmer's sense of masculinity depends on Nora's performance of helpless, childlike femininity” (Moi 264). In other words, the more submissive Nora acts, the stronger Torvald feels. For example, when Nora admits to Torvald that she is having trouble with Krogstad, he responds, "Just lean on me." I will advise you. I will guide you. I would not be a real man if your feminine impotence did not make you doubly attractive to me” (576). Nora and Torvald's fragile relationship relies heavily on perpetuating Torvald's feelings of power and masculinity, and even Nora is aware of this. When explaining to Mrs. Linde why she was never able to tell Torvald that she had taken out the loan, Nora says, "And what's more - he's so proud to be a man - it would be so painful and humiliating for him to know that he owed me nothing. It would completely ruin our relationship” (565). Langas comments: “Nora's recognition demonstrates that she realizes that marriage is based on a gender hierarchy that she accepts, for the moment” (Langasa 157). Ultimately, it is clear that Torvald's ability to feel in a position of power determines his performance in terms of masculinity dictated by 19th century society. Nora's femininity is also shaped by the demands of a patriarchal society. At the time Ibsen was writing, the prevailing social code was the “cult of true femininity,” as Welter calls it. The “cult” prescribed certain standards for acceptable female behavior: “The attributes of true femininity, by which a woman judged herself and was judged by her husband, neighbors and society, could be divided into four cardinal virtues: piety , purity, submission, and domesticity. Put them all together and they spelled mother, daughter, sister, wife – woman” (Welter 152). Throughout the play, Nora continually adjusts her identity in order to please the person she is with at the time, playing flirtatious with Dr. Rank or strong women when she is with Krogstad. However, the easiest role for her to play is that of the "real" woman, the submissive woman, who is seen most explicitly in her relationship with Torvald. Some critics believe that Nora has a miraculous awakening in the final act and suddenly realizes that her marriage has been "a charade where neither partner is honest with the other" (Orjasaeter 33). However, I believe that from the beginning Nora recognizes the "performative structure of identity" (Langas 165) and attempts to use her femininity to exercise her own form of power in patriarchal society. At the beginning of the play, Nora admits to Mrs. Linde that she acts a certain way because it amuses Torvald to see her "dancing and dressing and acting crazy" (555). This deliberate decision can be seen in the way Nora often uses her subordinate position to reinforce Torvald's sense of power, allowing her to manipulate or distract him from the situation at hand. For example, when she tries to convince Torvald to hire Mrs. Linde at the bank, she takes advantage of his male pride by saying, "You see, Christine is awfully good at office work, and she's crazy to find herself under the guidance of a truly intelligent man who can teach her even more than she already knows” (557). Later, as she attempts to distract Torvald from criticizing Krogstad's forgery, she once again transforms into a vulnerable wife and pleads, "You know, I trust your taste more than anyone else's." I'm so excited to look really beautiful at the costume ball. Torvald,Couldn't you help me decide what I should wear and what kind of costume I should wear? (561). Eventually, with a letter from Krogstad waiting in the mailbox, Nora uses the tarantella dance to manipulate her husband. She appeals to his male ego by saying, "I can't go anywhere without your help." I completely forgot everything. . . Help me, Torvald. Promise me you will? (569). However, even though Nora believes she is gaining power through these interactions with Torvald, by continually placing herself in an inferior position she both allows him to maintain his feelings of masculinity and perpetuates the patriarchal culture that origin, gave so much credit to female subordination. As the play progresses, Nora becomes more and more absorbed in the theatrical roles she is forced to play. This is seen in his close relationship with Dr. Rank. Unlike her interactions with Torvald, when Nora is with Dr. Rank she is able to shake off the submissive wife allusion. However, it still plays a role; she takes advantage of his affection for her; actively challenging the norms of true femininity and uses her shyness to get what she wants. When Nora considers asking Dr. Rank for money to repay Krogstad, she shows him her silk stockings and says, "Nude colored." Aren't they beautiful? It's very dark here now, of course, but tomorrow...! No, no, no, just the soles. Well, I suppose you can look a little higher if you want” (566). In this scene, the room is dark, Nora shows her legs and she plays the role of seductress beautifully: the audience is sure that Dr. Rank will say yes to Nora's request. Langas says: “The scene is a kind of striptease, where the woman attracts the man's desire. . . The female body as an object participates in a gendered negotiation of power” (Langas 162-163). However, Nora's sense of control is shattered when the doctor confesses his love for her. She did not expect Dr. Rank to cross the boundaries of respectable masculinity, but once he does, Nora is no longer comfortable with the role of temptress. After asking for a lamp, she resumes playing the role of faithful wife, saying, “Well, on my word, you are a good gentleman, Dr. Rank. Aren't you ashamed of yourself now that the lamp is lit? (567). Once the room is lit again and the situation is restored, Nora and Dr. Rank are then able to function within the confines of traditional gender relations. In the final act of the play, Nora becomes increasingly frustrated with social constructs related to gender. . After Torvald reads Krogstad's letter detailing Nora's loan from the bank, he immediately forgets his vows to save Nora from harm. Even though Nora thought Torvald would forgive her because she took out the loan to save him, he becomes angry, threatening to cut off all contact with the children and saying, "Now you have destroyed all my happiness." You ruined my entire future. Oh, it’s too dreadful to contemplate! (575). For the first time in the play, and seemingly for the first time in their marriage, the couple are able to interact entirely without artifice, and the result is a heated argument. The relationship does not end with this argument, however; this ends after Krogstad's second letter arrives and Nora is freed from her debts. Torvald here attempts to reestablish conventional gender roles and reclaim his position of power. He tells Nora that things will soon go back to the way they were: “There is something indescribably wonderful and satisfying for a husband to know that he has forgiven his wife – has forgiven her without reservation from the bottom of his heart. This means that she has become hisproperty in a double sense; he, so to speak, brought her back to the world; she is now not only his wife but also his child. From now on, this is what you will be for me, my poor little creature, helpless and disoriented (576). For much of Torvald's speech, Nora remained offstage, changing her dress, and at this point she returns. She now wears everyday clothes and tells Torvald, “I have changed” (577). Yet the change goes far beyond simply removing the fancy attire from the masquerade ball. By removing her physical costume, Nora now discovers that she is unable and unwilling to return to the characters she once played. Having finally freed herself from the restrictions of the role, Nora is confronted with the extent of her own theatricality. Although she actively participated in the charades, she was unaware of the lasting consequences. After playing so many roles throughout her life, she finds herself unable to formulate her own sense of identity, outside of the men she played for. She has become “a person who exists only according to roles dictated by society” (Tam 190). Nora's lack of identity is seen through her interactions with men, including her father, who the audience never sees but hears a lot about. Nora says: “When I lived with Dad, he told me what he thought about everything, so I never had an opinion other than his. And if I had any myself, I kept them quiet, because he wouldn't have appreciated them. He called me his little doll and he played with me like I played with my dolls” (577). She also criticizes Torvald for his lack of opinion, saying, "You arranged everything the way you wanted, so that I simply took on your tastes in everything – or pretended to." . . I was your wife-doll, just as I was Papa's child-doll” (577). Nora's continued use of the doll image is not simply an allusion to the title of the play but an important means of understanding the extent of Nora's image. roles. By allowing her father and husband to manipulate her as if she were a toy, Nora actually took on the identity of a doll. She moves and feels alive but ultimately lacks the qualities that make one feel human (Me 266). When Nora finally understands that her identity is permanently tied to other people, she makes the difficult decision to leave her family and embark on "a journey of self-quest and self-creation" (Tam 189). ; she sets out to establish an authentic sense of identity. She tells Torvald: “I must stand on my own two feet if I want to discover the truth about myself and about life. So I can no longer live here with you” (577). To this, Torvald responds that she must stay because of her duties to him and to the children. He says: “You are above all a wife and a mother” (578). Nora replies: “I don’t believe it anymore. I believe that I am above all a human being, like you – or at least, I must try to become one” (578). This exchange is significant in that it shows Torvald's desperate attempt to force Nora to return to the roles she plays, those of wife and mother. It also illustrates Nora's outright rejection of these roles and her desire to break free from culturally constructed gender norms. As Nora continues to tell Torvald of her need to leave, he makes one last effort to convince her to stay. He says, “Do you need to ask yourself where your duty lies in your own home? Don't you have an infallible guide in such matters: your religion? (578). However, Nora's new sense of agency also allows her to critique her own experience of religion. Piety was one of the requirements of 18.2 (1966): 151-174.