"A Doll's House" - Henrik Ibsen - Critical Analysis

Introduction:

Ibsen is called the father of realistic drama. He perfected the drama of conversation. He was the first man to show that high tragedy could be written about ordinary people and in ordinary everyday prose. His plays deal with the problems of contemporary everyday life situations. “A Doll’s House” is the best known and one of the most popular of Ibsen’s works. It is a play about women’s freedom, which deals with the liberation of the individual from the shackles and restraints of custom and convention.

Problem in Husband-Wife Relationship:

The play deals with the problem of marriage, of husband-wife relationship. It deals with the

condition of a married woman under the excessive control of a husband, and shows the method which the woman employs in order to get out of that predicament. The play’s central idea is that a woman is not given to a man as a commodity but as a human being to be respected and treated affectionately by her husband.

Nora’s wifely Devotion to her Husband:

Nora is full of devotion to her husband. She loves him and is very faithful to him. To save his life she borrows money and has to commit forgery. She hides the act of forgery only because of his love for her. She signed in place of her father as she was compelled by circumstances. Even though she is blackmailed, she tries to keep the secret of helping her husband. She enjoys doing something extraordinary for her husband. And, in return, she expects her husband to love her equally.  But atlast she finds that her husband does not love her as an equalmate, but only as an inferior being. She has made all possible sacrifices for Helmer, but Helmer proves to be selfish.

Nora’s Treatment as a Pet:

When the play opens, we find that Nora has been leading the life of a pet in her husband’s home. There is no doubt that her husband is very fond of her, but the loving expressions that he employs when addressing her clearly shows that he regards her as a kind of pet. He addresses her as “my little squirrel”, “little skylark” etc.

Helmer’s Possessive Attitude towards Nora:

Helmer regards Nora as his property. He has a possessive attitude towards her. He believes that she belongs to him completely. His treating her as a pet only manifests his possessive attitude. In the end, as the danger from Krogstad has been avertd, Torvald compares her to a hunted dove whom he has rescued from a cruel hawk.

Nora’s Desire for Her Own Identity:

Nora thus develops a desire to find her own identity. She decides to leave Helmer and tells him that first her father and then her husband had wronged her. Under the parental roof, she had to adopt the views and opinions of her father; and under her husband’s roof she had to adopt the ideas and the tastes of her husband. Her father treated her as a baby doll, and her husband treats her as a doll-wife. Now, she realizes her duty towards herself. Besides being a wife and a mother, she is an individual. So, she takes back her wedding ring and steps out of the house, slamming the outer door behind her. Thus she becomes a woman who is in search of her own identity.

A Doll’s House – A Feminist Play:

The play thus deals with the problem of feminine liberty. A woman after her marriage does not lose her identity and individuality. She can maintain her freedom as an individual and can refuse to act as a slave to her husband. Ibsen championed for the right of women. Hence, without doubt, “A Doll’s House” can be called a feminist play. It advocates the rights of the women, and especially of wives in relation to their husbands.

Conclusion:

Thus, by the end of the play Nora becomes an independent individual, to discover her own potentialities and achieve self-awareness and self-reliance. Though she will be facing an uncertain future yet she is ready to take the risk. She has now matured. She has achieved self-confidence. Hence, “A Doll’s House” is a suitable title thematically and structurally. The play deals with the making and unmaking of a woman as a doll.

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