HOW WOMEN HAVE BEEN SOCIALLY MARGINALIZED?

Based on the drama A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen, it seems that there are some issues
in this drama that Ibsen want to portray. It is the patriarchal values system in this drama. In the
play A Doll House, Ibsen simply shows that the feminine side is always seem as the negative,
powerless and hopeless in their character. However, the characters feminism does not seem
very outstanding at the first sight. There are a few women that is being socially marginalized
in this play and they are Nora, Mrs. Linde and Anne Marie. Socially marginalized meaning in
Ibsen’s play portrays on how the women character in this play is assumes to be less important
than the men’s characters. This is a social phenomenon by which the women in this play is
being excluded from making decision. Moreover, their needs and desires are being ignored by
men in this play.

A lot of attention is given to Nora as she is the protagonist in A Doll House. Ibsen
emphasize Nora’s character as a woman that is essentially a doll living the life of luxury. Ibsen
have shown that their marriage is dysfunctional even from the start of this play. The marriage
is based on the dominance of the husband and suppression of the wife. Nora’s husband Torvald,
sees Nora as a plaything or a doll. It is the main reasons Torvald called Nora with nicknames
such as ‘lark’, ‘songbird’, ‘little child’ and even a ‘featherhead’. It simply shows that Torvald
likes to address Nora like a child rather than a wife and shows how disrespect he is towards
Nora. However, Nora do not really mind her husband calling him like that it seems that she
enjoys and even play into it. There is also a scene where Torvald scold Nora because she eats
macaroons. He should not have scold Nora for such a little matter because she also has right to
do or eat things that she enjoyed. These shows that Torvald do not respect Nora as his wife and
he treats Nora more like a child than a wife. Nora is been portrayed as an irrational, naive and
a woman that always dependent on her husband. Throughout this play we can see that Nora is
initially spoiled by her husband. She resents being dependent upon Torvald and having to ask
him for money. She had also been spoiled by her father before as a child.

Besides, Nora has always been stayed inside the house and this shows that she is been
absence from the real world for a long time. She has always been sacrificing all her life for her
husband and her children. It is the main reasons she must completely depend on her husband’s
money. It is not fair for Nora because even if Torvald give her money, he still wants to make
sure that Nora spent the money reasonably. For example, he even complains her for spending
too much money on the Christmas gifts even though all the gift that she had bought is only for

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her family and it is not for her own self. Then, even after he give some money to Nora, he told
her to make sure the money is enough for the housekeeping at Christmas. He did all that to
shows that he is the leader of the house and the family and he is the person that can govern the
house and not Nora. He always wants to control Nora and it makes Nora cannot make decision
on her own. She must always follow Torvald decision and confirmation first. This is one of the
examples on how Torvald socially marginalized Nora from making decision on her own.

In addition, Nora also had to deal with a hard time when Torvard is ill. She is struggling
financially because all this while she is economically depending on Torvald money only. It
makes it even harder because she had to travel to Italy for him to recover. The struggle makes
her borrowed two hundred and fifty pounds from Krogstad to afford them a year-long trip to
Italy. This decision of her proved her loved for Torvald. It illustrates that she is willing to do
things displeasing to her husband because she desperately wants to save Torvald’s life. Nora
already knows that her husband has make it clear that he will not approve her to spend money
furiously or borrowing money but Nora still taking the risks to save the life of her husband.
However, Torvald does not appreciate it at all.

Then, to pay off the debt, she has been secretly saving some of the allowances Torvald
gives her and secretly working a few jobs. For instances, she does usual job for woman such
as job that involved needlework and embroidery or she started copying down papers. Nora
enjoyed working because she told Mrs. Linde that it feels good when she is working and
earning her own money. She also said that it feels like she is a man as she works to earn her
own money. This side of Nora shows that she is matured, and she can be an independent woman.
The reason Nora enjoyed working and earn her own money is because it is the only time she
can feel the freedom. She has always been confined in her own house and her contact with the
outside world is quite limited. For example, in this play we can only see that she can only go
shopping and visiting neighbour. At the beginning of act 1, Nora was extremely happy about
Torvald new job because money will not be a concern now. This is the proved that Torvald has
benn socially marginalized Nora’s life through their marriage. Nora does not able to go out and
explore the real world by herself and she is treated like a doll in a cage called house.

However, it turns out that Torvald new job involve Krogstad and it makes things even
harder for Nora because Krogstad is going to be fired by him. Nora is being involved in this
problem because Krogstad asked Nora to persuade Torvald to not fired him and keep his job at
the bank. He then blackmails Nora that he will tell Torvald about her debts if Torvald still want

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to fire him. Moreover, Krogstad told her that she has commit crime and he used it as an excuse
to threatens her. He got a lot of power over Nora as she admits that she forged her father’s
signature after he was dead to get the loan. Krogstad can prove that it is a fraudulence and it
sure is something illegal. She then is disrupted by her anxiety over the loan she took out. This
scene shows that Nora has been socially marginalized by Krogstad. Krogstad also threatens her
to expose about the debts to Torvald if he loses his job. It is not fair to Nora because all this
while she has paid the debt every month as they promised.

Since then, Nora tries her best to persuade Torvald to make sure that Krogstad does not
loses his job at the bank. Torvald then make it clear to her that he had made the decision and
Nora have no right to change it. Torvald also feels that he is been challenge by his own wife as
she tries to change his decision. Torvald think that Nora is being stubborn for not accepting his
decision. He also does not want to take back his word of firing Krogstad because he thinks that
people might think that he is being controlled and vetoed by his own wife. Nora keep telling
her to keep Krogstad at the bank, but he still does not want to keep him in the bank although
she begs him to do it for the sake of their family. Torvald even asked the maid to quickly deliver
Krogstad’s notice to shows to Nora that he had already makes his decision. This shows that
Torvald does not want to consider Nora decision as something important and it also shows that
Torvald does not take Nora seriously at all.

However, all her sacrifices to saved Torvald is not being appreciated by him. Torvald
finally know that Nora has borrowed an amount of money from Krogstad. He thinks that Nora
has embarrassed his reputation and name. He does not think what Nora had done as a sacrifice
to save his life. He even put all the blame to Nora and threatens her to not bring up about their
children anymore. He is no longer trusts Nora as a mother and a wife and he make it as an
excuse to not give his approval for Nora to take care of their children. He did not appreciate
Nora’s sacrifices and he also did not try to understand all the pressure Nora feels to make the
decision for him. Nora then explains that she had expected Torvald to take the blame for her
crime. Unfortunately, he makes it clear that his reputation is much more important than his love
for her. He even says that “no man would sacrifice his honour for the one he loves”. This is the
reasons Torvald is portrayed as rational, imperious and to some degree even emotionally cold.
He always thinks about himself and did not appreciate Nora as his wife. This is the proved on
how Nora is being socially marginalized by Torvald even thought she make the decision by
thinking of saving her husband life.

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 Besides, Nora is being socially marginalized by Torvald as he treats her as a plaything
such as a doll. He always gets Nora to do things and want her to follow his rule to make sure
that everything is under control and keep up to his standard. Even though they are fighting
about Krogstad’s problems now, Torvald makes like there is nothing happen by asking Nora
to start practice her Tarantella dance. It shows that Torvald does not thinks about Nora thought
or anything that she speaks about as an important thing. This is basically how Nora thought is
being socially marginalize by Torvald. There is also a scene when Torvald asked Nora to
practice dancing in front of him and Dr. Rank. He even makes sure that the dancing is perfect
by criticizing her way of dancing the Tarantella dance. It is basically to make sure that Nora
does not embarrassed him at the event. This also shows how Nora is willing to pleased Torvald
with thing he likes. She practiced the dance and make sure that it is perfect. She also asked
Torvald to choose the dressed that will looks good on her.

In addition, there is also a scene when Mrs. Linde asks if Nora has told Torvald about
the loan and she answered that she will not tell him because she knows that Torvald has a strong
opinion about these things. He will also feel humiliated and it will also disrupt their perfect
family. Nora also said that she would probably tell him about the debts after many years when
she is no longer attractive to him. She knows that someday Torvald’s interest in her will
eventually fade when her looks fade and no longer attractive for him. It indicates that Nora is
aware of her position in Torvald’s life. It also shows that Nora is aware about the sense of the
true nature of her marriage. Nora already knows that she is not important in Torvald’s life and
it is one of the reasons Torvald treated her as a doll only for the purposes of amusement to him.
Nora also tell Mrs. Linde that she is both wife and child for her husband. This reveal that Nora
is not as naïve as she pretends to be but the circumstances and the fact that she is Torvald’s
wife makes her behave like that. This also shows how she is being socially marginalized by her
own husband as she knows it is the way she try to accept the fate of her life even thought she
is not being treated well in Torvald’ life.

Torvald is shown to be a workaholic husband. He spends most of his time in the public
sphere. Even when he is back at home he usually spends his time alone working in study.
Throughout this play it seems like he rarely spent time with his family. For examples, there is
no interaction between he and his three children in this play. There is also a scene when their
children are back at home with their nurse but Torvald said that their house is only bearable
with mother now. At the beginning scene of Act 1, Torvald has already shows that he works is
more important than his wife. He told her to not disturb him and decided to finish his work at

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the study first before comes out to see his wife when she called him. This attitude of Torvald
literally appears to be the proves on how he thinks money is more important than family. It
also shows how Nora is not an important person in his life as it literally shows that he chooses
his work over his own wife.

Next, Torvald is a man that feels that he is the important person in Nora’s life. There is
a scene where he mentions that he wished Nora to be threatened by some great danger. He then
said that he will make sure that he can save Nora by risking his own blood and everything to
save Nora’s life. He also said that he will protect her from dangers. This shows how Torvald
feels about himself towards Nora. He assumes Nora as a helpless woman that always need him
as a protector. However, his action does not support his saying because he just let Nora carry
all the blame of the fraud she had done and put all the blame to his wife. It turns out that he is
a selfish man and only cared about his reputation only. He is not the husband who will sacrifices
himself for his wife and family. This is how Nora is being socially marginalize by her husband
with the promises that is not even sincere and true.

Nora play a role of a doll to her husband but nevertheless it turns out that she is also
being a plaything to her children than being a mother. For example, she suggests playing hide
and seek with the children. Then, she is the one who is hiding to makes the children find her
and they are having fun looking for her. While playing the games, she crawls forward and
pretends to frighten them. It is apparently showing how the children views on Nora. They are
basically thinking Nora as an interactive toy rather than their mother. However, it is basically
how their family works because the person who is always in charge of taking care of the
children is Anne Marie. Nora is also aware about the sense of the true nature of her marriage.
Torvald also does not playing a role of a loving father that plays and interact with them.
However, this scene shows how Nora is literally socially marginalized herself by not being a
true mother for her children and choose to be a doll to her children also.

Ibsen also portrays how women need to marry a well-off man to make sure their life is
more stable financially. For example, Mrs Linde had to get married to the other man that she
does not love even thought she loves someone else which is Krogstad. She had to marry a well-
off man and have a loveless marriage. Krogstad was too poor to support Mrs. Linde family,
and this is the reason Mrs. Linde must make such decision that she know will not make her
happy. This is known on how Mrs. Linde is being socially marginalized herself to make sure
her family is happy rather than make her own self happy.

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 There is also a part when we can see that Anne Marie is being socially marginalized by
her husband. For example, she said that “because that slippery fish, he didn’t do a thing for me,
you know”. This is when we know that he poor life has led her to be little Nora’s nurse and
make her had to leave her daughter to some strangers.

In conclusion, at the end of the play we can assume that Krogstad and Mrs. Linde
decided to continue their relationship together after all the hardship they have been going
through. However, Torvald and Nora’s marriage has been shattered into pieces when Nora
decided to leave Torvald and their children to find herself and her own identity because all this
while, she had sacrificed all her life to her family. This is also showing on how Ibsen used two
different couple that is based on equality of both spouse and the dominance of husband and the
suppression of wife in the marriage. Lack of communication and understanding plays the major
role of Nora’s and Tovald’s failure in their marriage.

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Bibliography
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll House. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.
Raghubir Chand, Etienne Nel, Stanko Pelc. Societies, Social Inequalities and
Marginalization. Switzerland: Springer Nature, 2017.

Saman Salah Hassan Balaky, Nafser Abdul Mosawir Sulaiman. "A Feminist Analysis of
Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House." Beytulhikme An International Journal of Philosophy
(2016): 32-42. Journal.