Yet as Goldman notes, Nora "worships her husband, believes in him implicitly, and is sure that if ever her safety should be menaced, Torvald, her idol, her god, would perform the miracle" that would set her free. It turned out that Mrs. Linde would set in motion the miracle that would set Nora free. A woman was required to help another woman escape the dolls' house, an incredible affirmation of women's need to take control not only of their own lives but of the future lives of all women. As Goldman puts it, "Down deep in the consciousness of Nora there evidently slumbers personality and character, which could come into full bloom only through a great miracle -- not the kind Nora hopes for, but a miracle just the same."
The miracle is self-awareness, which can generate transformations in women's ability to life independently of patriarchy. "We have been married now eight years. Does it not occur to you that this is the first time we two, you and I, husband and wife, have had a serious conversation?" (Act II). Self-awareness can also lead to the total transformation of a society. In "Has the Future of Marriage Arrived?" Kristi Williams points out that empirical research reveals that men need the stability of marriage even more so than women. These research findings highlight the issues that Ibsen addresses in a Doll's House. In the end, it is Torvald who practically begs for his doll to remain intact, for his fantasy world to remain stable and calm. Torvald needs Nora more than Nora needs him, which is the underlying message Ibsen is trying to make. Ibsen critiques patriarchy from the standpoint that patriarchy damages not only women, but also men. Patriarchy is detrimental to social stability and personal happiness. Williams also notes that while marriage, as a social institution, is more important for men's mental health than for women, women require "marital equality" more than men do (470). Men gain from marriage the
Torvald indeed depends on Nora's submission for the same reason he needs Krogstad's.
Research shows that both men and women suffer from being in unsatisfying marriages (Williams). Ibsen, writing in 1879, presaged a revolution in terms of gender roles and norms. The revolution is still taking place, as women like Nora are coming to realize that their identities and roles are not subsumed by marriage and motherhood. When Nora walks out at the end of the play, she takes an important step forward for the future of humanity. She affirms the ability of a person to extricate herself, or himself, from a situation that reflects poorly on their own self-esteem and that also reflects poorly on humanity. In this sense, the critics may be correct in reading a universalist message into Ibsen's feminist play.
Works Cited
Goldman, Emma. "The Social Significance of the Modern Drama." Boston: Richard G. Badger, 1914.
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. Online version: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2542/2542-h/2542-h.htm
Kelly, Katherine E. "Pandemic and Performance: Ibsen and the Outbreak of Modernism." South Central Review. Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 12-35.
Templeton, Joan. "The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen." PMLA. Vol. 104, No. 1, Jan 1989.
Williams, Kristi. "Has the Future of Marriage Arrived?" Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Vol. 44, No. 4 (Dec., 2003), pp. 470-487
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