The famous play, A Doll’s House, penned by the stalwart playwright, Henrik Isben, is a scathing picture of the society and the societal institutions that come into play in the lives of people. The play portrays the journey of Nora, the female protagonist of the play, from being just a plaything and trophy to a matured lady who is self-dependent and self-willed. Her experiences of life are vividly documented, so as to give a clear picture of her being to the audience. Her life and perspective as a woman leave the audience and readers stirred by the end of the literary work. The literary work delves deep into the world indoors, and brings out the inherent oppression of marriages. Marriage as an institution is critiqued as it leaves the woman living an unfulfilled life with the burden of responsibilities that are attributed to her.
Feminist criticism is one of the most intriguing ways of interpreting a text. The critical approach to the literary work makes one understand the intricacies of content, and the issues that are portrayed. “Isben in A Doll’s House, has dealt with a universal and eternal theme- the conflict between individual and society, between reality and illusion, between true and false idealism and between innocence and excellence.” (Bhatnagar p.189)
Nora is an archetypal character who represents the emotions and desire of the gazillion women all over the society. She stands out as a character, and impresses with her transformation in the course of life. The situations in which she gets entangled in the play are quite same of many females. The author voices his concern regarding the society’s perspective of women, and finally voices his support in favor of equal status and independence.
Nora plays the role of a woman, wife and mother, and finally finds her true self in the journey of life. Although she enjoys the luxuries and grandeurs of life, she is treated like a doll by her spouse. He takes her to be a trophy or priced possession. However, Nora has a mind of her own. She wishes to do things that please her.
Nora refuses to give in to the wishes and suggestions of her husband even when she chooses to live as a trophy wife in the household. She has the intelligence and manipulative power to conceal from her husband about the debt that she has run into for treating him. Nevertheless, this is all done to keep him happy with her beauty and charm.
She believes that a few things can be left untold to have a nice nuptial life. However, she comes across as someone who is dependent on her husband for his opinion. She lives a passive life within the four walls of the house, and is not independent in the beginning of the play.
Her husband sees her as a trophy wife. For him, the charm and beauty of his wife are possessions to keep in the house. Nora knows this very well that Torvald does not respect her as a human being. Initially, she seems to be fine with the way things are, enjoying the pompous ambiance. Her husband does not respect her at all as a person. He calls her by names of several birds and animals that are not affectionate calls in any way. Calling her by such names shows how her husband thinks of her to be a subordinate, passive female.
Torvald goes on to call her a “song bird.” He says that a “song-bird must have a clean beak to chirp with—no false notes!” (Isben Act 2) The audience can very well understand that he does not treat her as an equal in the marriage. He strips her of her basic human right of equality. As Simone de Beauvoir writes in her seminal feminist work, Nora is also treated as “the Other” by her husband. It shows the innate patriarchy of the male member of the family. Nor never receives the honor and respect as a wife, woman or a human being from the male counterpart.
Even as a mother, Nora comes across as a plaything, more than being a guardian. Her children treat her as an interactive toy. They never see her as someone who is equal to their father in stature and respect. Nora plays with her kids to keep them occupied. Isben talks about the games they play, and how they spend their time. The children see her as an equal with whom they can play. Although, at an apparent level this might come across to be a healthy mother-children relationship, in reality this attitude reflects the fact that she is given the place of a subordinate in the family.
Although she lives in the realm of boredom and drudgery for some time, she finally decides to leave the household to live a life of her own. She abandons the life that never gave her honor or respect in any way. This decision on her part to leave behind her domestic life cannot be criticized in any way. She is, indeed, not selfish in any way in taking this decision. In a close introspection, the audience understands that this is the biggest step taken by Nora in all her life.
She now seeks emancipation from the clutches of patriarchy, and she defies the discriminatory societal institution of marriage and family. She embarks upon a journey to live an independent life, sans the shackles of family and the claustrophobic walls of the household. She becomes the intrepid character who shatters the societal model of a female’s passivity, and shows the strength of character to live her own life with respect. She is the prototypical character in this stirring literary work that represents the stories of innumerable women who are contained by the onus of their responsibilities toward their husband and family, but lose out on their own wishes and identity in the course of time. “Her only practical option is to leave her home, husband, and three children and go in search of herself.” (Tancred-Sheriff p.219)
Beauvoir goes on to argue in her book, The Second Sex (1949), that women are given an inferior position in the world society. This literary work talks of the same claim with all its vehemence. The feminist criticism delves deep into the ways in which the female character is portrayed in the literary work. The patriarchal ideology of the society is exposed and critiqued in this literary work that stirs the audience to the very core. The masculine dominance that casts its curse on the women folk of the society is severely criticized through the final stance of Nora, the female protagonist.
The critical approach in viewing the literary work brings out the discriminatory practices of the society. The audience can very well comprehend the amount of dishonor and humiliation that Nora faces in the household. Her economic dependence on her husband is another major cause why her husband thought of her to be a subordinate. She is left inside the walls as a possession.
It is only when she shows the courage to leave all her baggage behind that she transforms into a complete woman. She now comes to understand her true worth as an individual. She decides to live life as an independent lady. Her departure from the familial life represents her emancipation from the clutches of patriarchy. She shatters the patriarchal influences that have loomed over her life for so many years. The play lives on in the memories of the gazillion readers and audience owing to its moving content and aesthetic expressions. The playwright explores the psyche of the woman kind through the character of the female protagonist. A Doll’s House is a social commentary on the situation of ladies in the society.
Works Cited
Bhatnagar, Manmohan Krishna, ed. Feminist English Literature. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers
& Distributors, 2002. Print.
Blumenfeld, Robert. Tools and Techniques for Character Interpretation: A Handbook of
Psychology for Actors, Writers, and Directors. New Jersey: Limelight Editions, 2006. Print.
“Critical Approaches.” bcs.bedfordstmartins.com. virtuaLit Interactive Poetry Tutorial, n.d.
Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
“Literature Resources: Critical Approaches.” cla.purdue.edu. n.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Tancred-Sheriff, Peta. Feminist Research: Prospect and Retrospect. Canada: Données de
catalogage avant publication, 1988. Print.
