A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen was a play with a familiar theme that we have encountered before in previous stories such as "A Rose For Emily", "Chrysanthemums", and "The Yellow Wallpaper", where the men had a very dominating personality and had control over women. "A Doll's House" was refreshing because the wife Nora didn't end up going crazy, or killed her husband she just realized that she couldn't live with her controlling husband anymore and left him to start a new life. I really liked the ending of this story more than the others because Nora didn't allow something like that break her down she simply changed what was making her unhappy or disappointed her(her husband). This story seems to empower women more than the other stories giving women of that time a voice that they don't have to stay in a situation where they feel stuck or unappreciated. Nora's husband never really abused her or was mean to her he just seemed to always worry more about himself even when he claimed that he would do anything for her or put her first above all else. He seemed to be very similar to the husband in the story "The Yellow Wallpaper" where they love their wives but in a way don't really acknowledge them or treat them like their wives more like children. "A Doll's House" put the women in more power than the men even though the man thought he had more power but it is evident that Nora was more in charge throughout the story when she forges her husbands signature to get the loan and tries really hard to keep everything in control. Even the title "A Doll's House" sounds like it is stating that women run the house and it belongs to her with the way that the title is worded because doll was a common term to call women back in the day.
I feel like this theme works better in longer stories or plays because you see the full development of the wife character and how slowly through many situations she comes to her final conclusion rather than just one main situation all of a sudden driving the women to the edge. It really expresses the strength in the character to be able to try to make the best of things that might bother them until finally they have had enough. In the short stories it was usually only one situation that broke the characters for instance in "Chrysanthemums" when the sneaky tinker finally got business from Elisa she felt dirty and horrible about herself and it was only that scenario that broke her spirit. In "A Rose For Emily" the audience only got to hear that Emily's father never let her have a boyfriend, they story never gives any other examples on how controlling he was. And in "A Doll's House" the audience is able to follow the lives of the characters, see how everything develops, understands the scenarios and goes through them with the characters so when Nora said that she finally had enough the audience understands and agrees with her.
I agree. This dramatic play gives more of an empowerment due to the fact that Nora realizes the downfall her husband is bringing, thus removes herself from it and looks for her own character. It is helpful to see longer plays because, like you mentioned, you get to see the slow progression of their changing character. What other themes could you think of when reading the Doll's House?
ReplyDeleteNora from "A Dolls House" is very similar to the narrator from "A Yellow Wallpaper" and Emily from "A Rose for Emily" in the way they're trapped in their own house. Nora never questions her husband and does everything to please him. No say of her own.
ReplyDelete