Chris Rackliffe

Some say that life is what you make of it. Others are certain that destiny and fate
are predetermined and push our actions to a specific outcome. Literature, since it
addresses the deepest issues, concerns, and questions of human existence, has obviously
touched on the different interpretations of life. he play A Dolls House by !enrik "bsen
addresses the eni#ma of existence throu#h the oppression and subservience of women in
$ictorian society. %ora, the main character, at the end of the play comes to a reali&ation
that she has been horrifically betrayed by the men in her life, and that her 'happy(
marria#e has not been what it seemed. !enrik "bsen)s play A Dolls House evidently
conveys the suppression and sub*u#ation of women in $ictorian society throu#h literary
devices, the title, and the final scene of the play.
+irstly, one can observe the oppression of women durin# the $ictorian period
throu#h the literary devices in "bsen)s A Dolls House. he entire play focuses around one
event. his event is the decision on %ora)s part to for#e her father)s si#nature so that she
could borrow money to take orvald, her husband, on a trip in order to stabili&e his
health. he overwhelmin# repercussions of this decision are felt throu#hout the play. %ot
only did %ora commit a crime in the law)s eyes for for#in# her father)s si#nature, but in
society)s eyes as well for bein# a woman borrowin# money. "n a typical $ictorian
household, the man and only the man handled the finances. ,omen were expected to be
completely subservient to their husbands, viewed of as a servant, not a helper- they were
expected to be decorations for their husbands to proudly display- women were expected
to stand behind their husbands at all costs, and look up to him as the 'ideal.maker( of the
household, for#in# the ideas that his wife was supposed to uphold and believe in.
he play is set in a small %orwe#ian town, where %ora and orvald are viewed by
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the public as a successful and happy family. 1lso, the play is set durin# the $ictorian
period, which is durin# 2ueen $ictoria)s rule in 3n#land from 0456 until 0780. 9urin#
this period, women were completely subservient to men. owards the middle and end of
this period, however, women started to declare themselves free and become '%ew
,omen.( 1 '%ew ,oman( was one who made unorthodox decisions :#oin# a#ainst the
norm and re*ectin# societal ideas;, sou#ht to #ain an occupation, stood up for feminist
ri#hts, had complete independence, even in finances, and chan#ed their opinions from the
societal views of marria#e. %ora is often interpreted as transformin# from the traditional
woman to the new woman at the end of the play.
he tone of the play is often very li#hthearted, with %ora and orvald completely
'happy( at the be#innin# of the play. +or example, at the be#innin# of the play, the text
states<
'!elmer =orvald>< Oh, %ora, you can)t ima#ine how much ")m lookin# forward to this
evenin#.
%ora< So am ", orvald . and how the children will love it( :"bsen 0?6;.
hus, %ora and orvald are essentially happily married at the start of the play. !owever,
as the plot builds up into the climax, the tone becomes increasin#ly tense and serious. +or
example, %ora states, '@ou mustnAt say thin#s like that toni#ht.... %o, orvald, #o away.
Leave me alone . " don)t want.( :"bsen 60?;. herefore, as the plot moves alon# its
course, the tone chan#es to fit in with the events, which further emphasi&es the conflict
and themes.
Some of the themes of the play include the suppression of women, the importance
of decisions, the wei#ht of morality, and the cost of emancipation. %ora is clearly
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suppressed by orvald, as most women were suppressed by men durin# the $ictorian
period. his is illustrated throu#hout the play in several aspects. +irstly, %ora is
subservient to orvald in finances. Second, %ora must keep secrets from orvald, such as
eatin# macaroons and borrowin# the money from Bro#stad. +inally, the letterbox is an
important symbol of %ora)s subservience to orvald. he financial aspect of %ora)s
subservience is illustrated when %ora states, '@ou could #ive me money, orvald. Only
what you think you could spare . and then one of these days ")ll buy somethin# with it(
:"bsen 0?8;. hus, money is a pertinent symbol to represent %ora)s subservience to
orvald, and more #enerally the subservience of all women to men. %ora is forbidden
from eatin# macaroons and has to hide it from orvald. his fear of bein# found out
further emphasi&es %ora)s subservience to orvald. he play states<
'!elmer< Surely your sweet tooth didn)t #et the better of you in town todayC
%ora< %o, honestly, orvald ... %o, orvald, really- " promise you( :"bsen 0?0;.
hus, %ora must keep secrets contained in order to keep her marria#e with orvald
stable. +inally, the letterbox represents %ora)s subservience to orvald, and the #eneral
suppression of women because of men, because orvald is the only one who has the key
to the letterbox. Bro#stad writes a letter to orvald to expose %ora. hen, as the play
pro#resses, %ora continually tries to #et orvald away from the letter box so she can keep
her secret, in hopes that she will be able to hide the actions that would appear as deceitful
and malicious in orvald)s eyes. She states, '1ll today and all tomorrow, you mustn)t
think of anythin# else but me. you mustn)t open any letters. you mustn)t even open the
letter.box( :"bsen 68?;. %ora)s inability to open the letterbox show yet a#ain that she is
subservient to orvald and thus, reliant upon him. herefore, %ora)s desperation to keep
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her secret can be observed in her dramatic attempts to #et orvald to re.teach her the
arantella dance by pretendin# as if she has for#otten it, and orvald must focus all of his
attention on her.
+inally, %ora)s subservience to orvald can be observed throu#h her
foreshadowin# in the first line of the play. %ora states, '!ide the Christmas tree properly,
!elena =the maid>. he children mustn)t see it till this evenin#, when it)s been decorated(
:"bsen 0DE;. %ora)s desperation to keep secrets and hide thin#s from people is evident
even in the first line of the play. herefore, %ora, even early on when she feels happy
with her marria#e, believes that she needs to keep secrets so that her marria#e will remain
the perfect life that it always has been between she and orvald.
he importance of decisions and the wei#ht of morality are illustrated throu#h the
fact that %ora made one wron# decision in borrowin# the money from Bro#stad by
for#in# her father)s si#nature. !owever, %ora considered her decision moral because she
was savin# her husband from a fatal illness. hus, one bad move can put one in a tricky
position, as %ora is in when she must try to keep orvald away from the letter box
because it will expose her deepest, darkest secret, and possibly be malevolent to their
marria#e. herefore, decisions must be scrupulously made and sometimes morals must
come before #overnmental law.
1 final theme is the cost of emancipation. +or %ora, freedom comes at a cost. She
must #ive up her children, turn her back on a 'perfect( life, and #ive up all that she has
ever known in order to #o out in search for her true identity and become completely free
and independent- a '%ew ,oman.( hus, the literary devices in A Dolls House show that
durin# the $ictorian period, women were considered by men to be ob*ects, and worth
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nothin# more than whatever the man to whom she was attached was worth.
Secondly, one can view "bsen)s portrayal of $ictorian society in A Dolls House
throu#h the title that he chose. A Dolls House can represent a lot of thin#s. Once orvald
discovers the letter from Bro#stad that exposes %ora and her secret, orvald becomes
livid and accuses %ora of never bein# a fit wife or mother. !e states, '@ou wretched
woman . what have you doneC ... 9o you reali&e what you)ve doneC ... ,hat a terrible
awakenin#F +or these last ei#ht years you)ve been my *oy and my pride . and now " find
that you)re a liar, a hypocrite . even worse . a criminalF Oh, the unspeakable u#liness of it
allF ... @ou)ve completely wrecked my happiness, you)ve ruined my whole future... Oh, to
think that " should have to say this to someone ")ve loved so much . some " still... ,ell,
that)s all over . it must be...( :"bsen 668.666;. hus, orvald relentlessly lashes out on
%ora for her wron# decision, even thou#h she was savin# his life. !e accuses %ora of
ruinin# his entire life, even thou#h the last ei#ht years :truly the happiest; of his life have
been spent with the same woman. Gpon orvald)s an#ry accusations, %ora comes to a
sudden reali&ation. his sudden awakenin# into a deeper and more meanin#ful
comprehension of herself causes %ora to reali&e that her life has been a doll)s house.
%ora states, ',hen " lived at home with /apa, he used to tell me his opinion about
everythin# and so " had the same opinion. "f " thou#ht differently, " had to hide it from
him, or he wouldn)t have liked it. !e called me his little doll, and he used to play with me
*ust as " played with my dolls...hen " came to live in your house... " passed out of /apa)s
hands into yours. @ou arran#ed everythin# to suit your tastes, and so " came to have the
same tastes as yours... or " pretended to. ")m not quite sure which ... perhaps it was a bit
of both . sometimes one and sometimes the other. %ow that i come to look at it, ")ve lived
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here like a pauper . simply from hand to mouth. "Ave lived by performin# tricks for you,
orvald. his was how you wanted it. @ou and /apa have committed a #rievous sin
a#ainst me< it)s your fault that "Ave made nothin# of my life... Hut our home has been
nothin# but a play.room. ")ve been your doll.wife here, *ust as at home " was /ap)s doll.
child. 1nd the children have been my dolls in their turn. " liked it when you came and
played with me, *ust as they liked it when " came and played with them. hatAs what our
marria#e has been, orvald( :"bsen 66?.66I;. herefore, %ora has an epiphany about her
life. She suddenly reali&es that she has known nothin# but what the men in her life have
told her- she has not been able to live or even think for herself.
%ora compares herself to a doll, a lifeless play.thin# which has been used,
manipulated, and even forced to do work for her father and orvald. She reali&es that
orvald is constantly tryin# to 'save face( instead of focusin# on their marria#e, and that
the entirety of their life to#ether has been nothin# but a waste of time. he title A Dolls
House stunnin#ly emphasi&es the intense and potent powers that men had over women
durin# the $ictorian period. he three short words A Dolls House #ive bold hints into the
entire period of history called the $ictorian period, even in *ust three simple words. his
powerful sense of diction is characteristic of "bsen)s writin#, as have been illustrated in
all of the quotes from the text. he title is essential to this particular melodrama in #ivin#
it a sense of unity, and a powerful central idea . the subservience of women to men durin#
the $ictorian period. herefore, the title A Dolls House is an essential in summari&in# the
subordination of women to men durin# the $ictorian period, and is an extremely effective
title for this text.
he remainder of the final scene, after %ora has comes to the reali&ations about
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her life and her marria#e, is essential in showin# %ora)s transformation from the
traditional woman of the $ictorian period into the '%ew ,oman.( %ora continues on her
rampa#e by sayin#, 'Hut you were perfectly ri#ht . ")m not fit for it =motherhood>.
here)s another task that " must finish first . " must try to educate myself. 1nd you)re not
the man to help with that that- " must do it alone. hat)s why ")m leavin# you( :"bsen
66E;. herefore, %ora finally decides that she must embark upon a new *ourney into a
more meanin#ful path of life that will fit %ora)s wishes and not anyone else)s. Since she
has lived by the whims of her father and her husband, she must now live by her own
whims and become the independent and educated person that she deserves, as a human,
to be. his is reminiscent of Omar Bhayyam)s poem entitled ',isdom of the 1#es.( he
poem states, 'he movin# fin#er writes- and, havin# writ J Koves on< nor all thy piety
nor witJ Shall lure it back to cancel half a line J %or all thy tears wash out a word of
it(:Omar 0;. hus, %ora has moved on in her life, and accepted her past as somethin# that
cannot be chan#ed. She then dedicates herself to a new future that will be devoted to
herself and not bein# an ob*ect to a man any lon#er. herefore, the last scene of A Dolls
House by !enrik "bsen
A Dolls House by !enrik "bsen is also reminiscent of many other literary works.
+or example, 'elephone Conversation( by ,ole Soyinka, and 1 Lesson Hefore 9yin#
by ,illiam L. Maines. "n both of these texts, there is extreme evidence of discrimination.
"n a sense, %ora and all women were bein# discriminated a#ainst durin# the $ictorian
period, simply because they were a different #ender from the homo#ony :rulin# class, in
this case, males;. hus, there are parallels between these works because of the oppression
faced by the individuals in each situation. "n 'elephone Conversation( a black man is
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unable to #et an apartment because of his race :SoyinkaNs 0;. "n 1 Lesson Hefore 9yin# a
man is convicted of a murder that he did not commit. hus, in each situation the main
character is bein# oppressed. +urthermore, the 'lesson before dyin#( for %ora could be
that she needs to advance herself and become the best person she can be, which does not
include bein# subservient to a man. 1lso, A Dolls House relates to the poem ',ork
,ithout !ope( by Samuel aylor Cole rid#e. he final two lines state, ',ork without
!ope draws nectar in a sieve J 1nd !ope without an ob*ect cannot live( :,ork 0;. hus,
%ora must use her hopes and aspirations of becomin# the best '%ew ,oman,( and the
cause of standin# up for her liberation in order to have a defined purpose and #oal to
achieve. his makes her *ourney worthwhile and meanin#ful. A Dolls House is also
parallel with Mustave +laubert)s novel Kadame Hovary because 3mma, the main
character is stuck in the fantasy world of romantic novels much like %ora is stuck in the
fantasy world that her father created for her, and that orvald continued as shown by the
play room and doll)s house :+laubert 056;. +inally, 1 Dolls House can be compared to
the poem '9ulce 3t 9ecorum 3st( by ,ilfred Owen. he last two lines of this poem
state, '9ulce et decorum est J /ro patria mori( :9ulce 0;. his quote is ori#inally from an
ode by !orace, and it means '"t is ri#ht and meanin#ful to die for one)s country.( "n
essence, %ora)s 'country( is herself. "t would be ri#ht and meanin#ful to die for the cause
of liberation from the oppressive nature of men, and bein# treated as an ob*ect and not a
sub*ect. hus, A Dolls House can also be compared to many other literary works.
"n essence, %ora)s *ourney from the be#innin# of the play to the end of the play,
comes full circle. She encounters the paradox of happiness by discoverin# that happiness
is in the eye of the beholder, and depends upon perspective, and that she was not entirely
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'happy( with orvald because of her required subservience to him. %ora also
encountered the eni#ma of existence, because, in essence, she did not 'exist( when she
was orvald)s housewife because all she ever had to do was be who he wanted her to be.
hus, by leavin# orvald, %ora is bein# 'reborn( into her '%ew ,oman( status, and may
be#in her *ourney of life afresh. +inally, %ora encountered the irony of action when she
decided to leave her children and her perfect life, even thou#h she said she never would.
%ora *ourneyed more in the course of the few days that A Dolls House spans, than a
person may encounter in their entire life. herefore, for that reason, %ora should be
praised for breakin# free of her oppressed fate as a traditional woman, and makin# the
best of her life as a '%ew ,oman.(
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