Where do You Fit?
Peyton Lepper
Mrs. Rutan
AP Literature and Composition
10 December 2015
When it comes to relationships, we’ve all been played with before. Part of that being, the relationship is missing communication somewhere, and relationships need to be 50/50. Being put into certain roles within society is a common reality we’ve learned to face, and have all experienced before as well, whether it’s being biased because of your gender or your race. Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House hits home on all of these points. Ibsen argues that these roles and stereotypes are capable of change, but only if both parties are willing to make the change.
Mrs. Rutan
AP Literature and Composition
10 December 2015
When it comes to relationships, we’ve all been played with before. Part of that being, the relationship is missing communication somewhere, and relationships need to be 50/50. Being put into certain roles within society is a common reality we’ve learned to face, and have all experienced before as well, whether it’s being biased because of your gender or your race. Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House hits home on all of these points. Ibsen argues that these roles and stereotypes are capable of change, but only if both parties are willing to make the change.
Housewife, or working woman? According to Ibsen’s play, society says you can’t be both. Once married, you belong to your husband and kids, whether you like it or not. Not only that, but you become unable to make your own decisions as a housewife, and need to rely on your husband for support constantly. The relationship between our protagonist, Nora Helmer, and her husband (who just so happens to also be the antagonist), Torvald, is a bit iffy to the reader right off the bat. All three acts of the play are riddled with Torvald calling Nora different bird names such as a “little lark” (Ibsen 1093) or even a “wastrel” (Ibsen 1093) (which is a wasteful bird, good for nothing person, or a neglected child, all three fit). The name calling is ironic symbolism, as Nora is very much like a pet bird to Torvald who wishes to be free, yet she doesn’t realize it until the end of the play, when she puts Torvald in his place, because she is sick of being treated like a “doll child” (Ibsen 1149). The argument leads to the separation of the couple. This further solidifies the damage that gender roles play on couples, and on society as a whole. People have free will, but the assignment of gender roles is what dehumanizes us most.
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Ibsen pushes that communication is ideal in any sort of relationship, and that marriage shouldn’t be a power struggle. This is shown in the first act, when we learn that Nora forged her dead father’s signature; she “wrote Daddy’s name” (Ibsen 1112) in order to get money to “save my[her] husband’s life” (Ibsen 1112). Throughout the play, Nora keeps this a secret from Torvald, which later backfires on her in the end. When Torvald finds out, he states that she has “ruined all my[of his] happiness” because she is an “irresponsible woman” (Ibsen 1146) even though it was to save his life.The lack in communication is another nail in the coffin of their marriage, and is discussed when they are about to separate.
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Are you a leader, or a follower? A shepherd or a sheep? We (the readers) learn that Nora and Torvald haven’t had a non-flirtatious or silly conversation, and have never “talked seriously to each other about a single serious thing” (Ibsen 1148) throughout their eight years of marriage. Not only does this show the power struggle between Nora and Torvald, but it goes back to the marriage roles with the husband making the decisions, and the wife simply agreeing with them. In other words, Nora is the sheep, and Torvald is her shepherd whether she likes it or not. It’s as if Torvald feels he must keep her safe from the “wolves” of society, and she is but a sheep who cannot make educated decisions. We see it all the time, the lack in communication and the one-sided power struggle in marriages is a common cause for divorce. One spouse becomes overprotective,not allowing the other to necessarily do as they please, which results in the downfall of the relationship. You’d think social media would be a quick fix for a lack of communication and power struggles, but in a majority of cases you’d be dead wrong. In fact, social media often manages to find a way to complicate things even further, by allowing more people to jump into the cluster of miscommunication.
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Throughout A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen presented many topics that would’ve been extremely controversial in his era, but he surely drives the points home. Not only did his points apply to his own time period, but they can still be applied today. It really brings light the gender roles that are assigned to husbands and wives, and that communication is essential for any sort of relationship to truly flourish.
Citations:
Images:
Gender Sterotypes: We Can Do Better. Digital image. Juniaproject.com. N.p., 22 Nov. 2013. Web. <http://juniaproject.com/gender-stereotypes-we-can-do-better/>.
King, Becki. Tug of War Power Struggle. Digital image. The Motherhood. N.p., 15 Mar. 2012. Web. <http://www.themotherhood.com/blog/parenting-without-power-struggles/>.
Joker Yelling at Harley. Digital image. Batman the Animated Series Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://batmananimatedseries.wikia.com/wiki/File:Joker_Yelling_at_Harley.jpg>.
Real Housewives of the Cold War. Digital image. Real Housewives of the Cold War. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://envisioningtheamericandream.com/2013/03/07/the-real-housewives-of-the-cold-war/>.
Two Rocks Balancing. Digital image. Balance- Boulder Bridge. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://boulderbridgehouse.org/featured/balance>.
Literature:
Ibsen, Henrik. "A Doll's House." Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound & Sense. 11th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2012. 1092-154. Print.
Images:
Gender Sterotypes: We Can Do Better. Digital image. Juniaproject.com. N.p., 22 Nov. 2013. Web. <http://juniaproject.com/gender-stereotypes-we-can-do-better/>.
King, Becki. Tug of War Power Struggle. Digital image. The Motherhood. N.p., 15 Mar. 2012. Web. <http://www.themotherhood.com/blog/parenting-without-power-struggles/>.
Joker Yelling at Harley. Digital image. Batman the Animated Series Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://batmananimatedseries.wikia.com/wiki/File:Joker_Yelling_at_Harley.jpg>.
Real Housewives of the Cold War. Digital image. Real Housewives of the Cold War. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://envisioningtheamericandream.com/2013/03/07/the-real-housewives-of-the-cold-war/>.
Two Rocks Balancing. Digital image. Balance- Boulder Bridge. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://boulderbridgehouse.org/featured/balance>.
Literature:
Ibsen, Henrik. "A Doll's House." Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound & Sense. 11th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2012. 1092-154. Print.