Dolls Within the Patriarchal Society

Dolls

Within the patriarchal society that Ibsen portrays in A Doll's House it is necessary that the roles of femininity, as defined by the context of this society, be played in order to keep its structure from disintegrating. Essentially, the family life that is depicted in the play has been constructed around the psychological needs of Torvald -- the father, husband, and head of the household. This patriarchal structure is fundamentally based upon the notion that the man is the intellectual and monetary proprietor of the home: the individuals within the home are merely reflections of his status -- by these measurements -- and objects for his personal gratification. The roles that femininity demanded, from this perspective, are certainly more complex than those demanded of children, but no-less superficial. To Torvald, Nora is like a child intellectually, but exists also as a trophy; she is something desirable that he has managed to capture and situate within his home. In this way, she is similar to the mounted head of a prized wild animal; put in the house, in a particular place, for decoration, and also to reflect the qualities of the one who caught it -- nothing more. Such an understanding of women in this society demands that they be dependent upon the patriarchal leader for money, for direction, and for happiness. In short, in A Doll's House, patriarchal femininity is shown to be an inaccurate reflection of humanity. Nora gradually comes to recognize that her apparent happiness is false; initially she believes she should be happy because she has nearly fit her role perfectly. Ultimately, however, the roles of femininity fall short of promising happiness to anyone other than the patriarchal leader, and then only if he is deluded enough to believe that they are real.

The roles that are demanded of the feminine characters in A Doll's House are immediately alluded to at the opening of the play. The first theme that appears is the significance of money within this system. When the porter tells Nora that the price of his service is sixpence she tells him, "There is a shilling. No, keep the change." (Ibsen, 1). Torvald's reaction to her behavior is a lighthearted chastising: "Bought, did you say? All these things? Has my little spendthrift been waiting money again?" (Ibsen, 2). This is a telling exchange because it characterizes Nora as something like a child with reference to monetary issues, and emphasizes the fact that her husband finds it somewhat amusing that, to his mind, she cannot fully grasp the scope of their financial situation. Although it certainly might be troubling to Torvald that Nora is buying things he may not be able to afford yet, he is simultaneously pleased that his "little squirrel" is behaving as the empty-headed facet of his life that he wants her to be: "like a woman." (Ibsen, 2). This pattern of life reinforces the notion that the male should be the member of the household in charge of earning and doling out money. Since her role is played perfectly, Torvald is contented and Nora believes that things are going well.

As the play moves on, however, the audience begins to learn that Nora's role as Torvald's "sweet little skylark" is not entirely accurate (Ibsen, 4). Torvald recalls Christmas from a year ago when things were not as easy financially: "For a full three weeks beforehand you shut yourself up every evening till long after midnight, making ornaments for the Christmas tree and all the other fine things that were to surprise us. I was the dullest three weeks I ever spent!" (Ibsen, 5). Nora responds that she did not find it dull. At this point in the play this event seems fairly insignificant: it seems to reveal only the Helmers' improving social status and Nora's devotion to the family in shallow, womanly ways. Yet, this presents one of the facades that Nora has placed between herself and her husband, to allow him the belief that she is truly in need of his guidance. The truth is that Nora was working those three weeks to pay off the secret loan she took from Krogstad, which she forged in her father's name. So, Nora's cover-up story becomes simply a part of the role that she plays for his benefit.

The feminine role continues during Nora's first conversation with Mrs. Linde. She perpetuates her characterization as a self-centered and impetuous little girl by revealing that she knew of Mrs. Linde's widowing, but sent no letter of grievance; also, by bringing up the fact that Mrs. Linde has no children. Nora also repeatedly returns the conversation to her "successes": her children, husband, and financial security. However, this self-centeredness emerges as Nora's attempt to reassure herself that she has achieved exactly what she wants, when genuinely she is jealous of Mrs. Linde's hardships. They argue:

Mrs. L: My dear! Small household cares and that sort of thing! You are a child, Nora!

Nora: You ought not to be so superior.

Mrs. L: No?

Nora: Your are just like the others. They all think that I am incapable of anything serious -- (Ibsen, 10).

This is what prompts Nora to begin to divulge her secret dealings: she is affronted that another woman would look at her and be fooled by her role as Torvald's "little featherhead." (Ibsen, 2). The fact that she tells Mrs. Linde about the loan after this, reveals that she believes her experience in the real, troubling world to be more valuable than the sheltered scope of her life's apparent accomplishments -- husband, children, and money. This is how the feminine role begins to crack for Nora: she encounters a woman whom, according to the patriarchal rule of society, she should pity; but instead, she is somehow envious of Mrs. Linde's experience, as well as defensive of her own.

Both women, however, entered their marriages in an act of sacrifice. Nora and Mrs. Linde gave themselves to men in exchange for financial security. Nora is forced to become her husband's beautiful plaything in every overt aspect of her life, and in return she gets to enjoy the comforts that he can provide for her. Mrs. Lind, on the other hand, marries so that she can support her dying mother and younger siblings: "My mother was alive then and was bedridden and helpless, and I had to provide for my two younger brothers; so I did not think I was justified in refusing his offer." (Ibsen, 8). The Nanny, as well, sacrifices her own happiness for the sake of her own children; she is forced to abandon her own children so that she can provide for them by taking care of Nora's children. This, again, is a decision based upon monetary difficulties, and the woman is the one who makes the sacrifice. So, in contrast to the manly belief that women lack the wit to understand money, Mrs. Linde, the Nanny and Nora admit that they entered marriage almost solely for the benefits that money could supply.

Centrally, not only is Nora put in a position where she is unable to behave as herself for her husband's benefit, but she must also immerse herself deeper into her role as a childlike sex object in order to reach any of her most immediate desires. For her to wield any sort of influence over Torvald she needs to refer to herself as his little skylark, or little squirrel to assure him that she is precisely what he wants her to be. When she attempt to save Krogstad's job at the bank she finds herself saying, "Yes, Torvald, I can't get along a bit without your help." (Ibsen, 26). In other words, Nora needs to completely reassure Torvald that he is the leader of the household in every meaningful way, if she is to gain any favor from him that falls outside of the "feminine realm." Otherwise, Nora's interest in who is employed at the bank -- Krogstad or Mrs. Lind -- would wholly ruin Torvald's carefully constructed social reality. This, essentially, is the only way in which a woman playing the feminine role is able to bend the rules; Nora can exert her influence, but only by emphasizing her helplessness.