Ibsen's A Doll House

• historic considerations
• Ibsen- Norway's foremost dramatist
• based this play off of real life events: the role of Men vs. Women

1. Tuberculosis of the spine in 19th C code for syphilis.
2. 19th C law treated women only slightly better than children- unable to vote, considered not able to handle their own financial affairs.
3. Women could not borrow money on her own name
4. When she married her husband was placed in control of her money.
5. working outside of the home was out of the question for middle class women- if a woman were to leave her husband she had no means of support.
6. Ibsen was ridiculed for suggesting women could leave their husbands in search of themselves.

 

CHARACTERS:

Torvald Helmer: He treats Nora as a doll not as a human being. throughout the text he calls all these names to call Nora (my little lark twittering, squirrel, spendthrift, skylark, miss sweet tooth, etc.) He enjoys the feeling of "taking care of and protecting his wife and children" though, he is the childish one. Torvald is very conscious about his and reputation over his wife and where he stands in the community.

Nora, his wife: Nora is very happy in the beginning as she heard that Torvald is getting extra money for new job at the bank. she doesn't mind at all or she doesn't realized she was treated as a doll not a human being. Nora also is proud of herself for borrowing money with forging her father's signature to save Torvald.

Doctor Rank: Nora's only friend who likes to have a talk with Nora without Torvald's presence.

Mrs. Linde (Christine): Nora's friend who is widow with no children and looking for a job. when she was getting married, she was in love with Krogstad. going towards the end of the story, Christine wants Krogstad back and convince him to not to blackmail Nora.

Nils Krogstad: He is antagonist in this story though he is not villain. He is very nice to Nora for the sake of keeping his job at the bank and to provide his children's needs. He also committed a crime like Nora, forgery of signature, his crime is minor to the society. Christine had left him for another man with money to help her family makes us to realize that he was hurt and has feelings.

Helmer's three young children

Anne, their nurse

Q. Do you believe that Nora's forgery of her father's signature to save Torvald's health was a justified crime?

-if you were to ask me if i would do the same thing what Nora did for her husband, yes i would. i couldn't loose both father and a husband. i will do anything to get Torvald health back. though, this doesn't mean that my crime is not bad. crime is crime no matter what the intention was.

Q.Ending, satisfying? believable? contrived?

-i didn't like the ending of this story. to find the true Nora-self is good but to leave all her children motherless is not right. i do not like how Torvald treated her at the end. he completely mistreated Nora for misunderstanding that he has debts to pay though he quickly turn sweet when he finds out he doesn't have to pay for anything. i don't even understnad how Nora could stand the situation. i am, slightly, glad that she discovered the hidden personality of Torvald and how miserable her life had been.

Q.Theme?

-i think the theme would be Women vs. Society. the sacrificial role of women in the society is normal at that time. the society's role of men in the house is the marriage's dominant partner. Torvald would never except the fact that Nora loaned some money to help save his life. (also Christine and the Nanny could be examples)