Review: A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
Title: A Doll’s House
Author: Ibsen, Henrik
Length: 80 pages
Genre: Fiction, Play
Publisher / Year: Dover Thrift Editions / 1992
Original Published: In 1896 as Et dukkehjem (in Norwegian)
Translated by: Bartholomew House
Source: My shelf (I’ve had it for a few years).
Rating: 4/5
Why I Read It: This is our March selection for the Year of Feminist Classics project.
Date Read: 15/03/11
Emily is leading this month and wrote a fantastic introduction to the discussion earlier this month. From that there has been a lot of discussion generated about the introductions found in the different editions and what different things can be found in them. My own copy has only a half page note, though I did find it helpful. I especially liked the following line:
Although social and artistic developments have lessened the shock value of A Doll’s House, it still retains power in its description of material dependency in affairs of the “heart” and in its forceful demonstration of the ways in which role-playing and expectation in human relationships can stifle an individual’s inner reality.
I thought the quote really highlights how relevant the play is. It reminds us all that we have to be careful ourselves not to become Nora’s and become simply shades of what we could be. We have to strive continually to learn ourselves in the same way that Nora realizes that she does. But I’m getting ahead of myself a bit here.
A Doll’s House is a play about what seems like a very happily married couple. Torvald has just received a fantastic new job, Nora flits around playing with him and the children, and they seem devoted to one another. As the play progresses, however, we realize that Nora isn’t as empty-headed and silly as she seems to be – she is simply playing a role for her husband, acting as he wishes her to. From sneaking chocolates to the bigger revelation that we hear, Nora truly has her own mind under all of the prettiness.
I love how Nora realizes at the end that all has been a sham. Her gradual coming to her senses, Torvald’s sense of unease and incomprehension, it works so well in print, though I’d love to see it performed as well. As Nora realizes she also is a human being worthy of her own attention, I love the following exchange:
Torvald: Before all else you are a wife and mother.
Nora: I don’t believe that any longer. I believe that before else I am a reasonable human being just as you are – or, at all events, that I must try and become one.
In this respect, how Nora feels she has to put herself first and understand herself before she can focus on being a wife and mother, the play would still be shocking today to many. As the introduction points out, still a concern and still shocking, and something we still have to work toward achieving – a place where it isn’t ‘selfish’ for a wife and mother want time to herself.
I had read this play previously but reading it again with the participants of the Year of Feminist Classics project has really made me appreciate it so much more. I’m glad we chose this one. I hope that you’ll join with us and read the play as well. The discussion so far has been fantastic.
I do like that quote from your intro a lot! The discussion has been a lot of fun, and it also helped me consider aspects of the play I had missed. That’s my favourite thing about your project, hands down.
Yes, same here Ana. And our project, not mine
I love that so many people are scattering reviews of this one. This is a play I have loved for a long long time, and I teach it in my writing and lit class.
Students perpetually hate it, yet soooo many of them are writing a research paper on it. I think they are intrigued by it. Their knee-jerk reaction is to revile Nora, but gradually in discussion, I watch as their opinions change ever so slightly.
I think it’s a fantastically-interesting play.I appreciate your comments because they are so true. Why can’t we build in this notion that women don’t necessarily equal children and that once/if a woman has them, she still has a self. If we could create space for that, I think there would be a lot less abandonment, etc etc.
Yes Jenn the first time I read it I didn’t like it nearly as much as I do now. Perhaps it was a knee-jerk reaction, perhaps it is just really easy to miss a lot of it if you don’t pay attention? Either way, definitely a remarkable play. I love your idea of creating space for women to be themselves too, I think you are very right that it would decrease abandonment and more. Also, your lucky students
Sounds like the discussions would be fantastic.
I can’t believe I still haven’t read this, I’ll need to give it a try as soon as I can re-emerge from my 19th century consumer culture paper
Eecks, good luck with the paper Bina, and I do hope that you enjoy this when you read it!
May be I am weird, but I don’t believe that men are responsible for women’s problems. For instance, in this play the woman could in the first place have avoided marriage and be herself. It’s always easier to blame others for your own problem. People would push you down but it is your own fault if you don’t rise up. It applies in other fields why not here? I am slowly getting ‘fed up’ with this thesis. Men did that; men expect this; men that and men this… No one has ever talked about the man who helped his wife climbed the ladder… There are the Marie Curies too, you know. There are the Yaa Asantewaas, who in the midst of all the British invasion, took an army and fought the British for the Ashantis whilst her men folks sat and stared. In fact no one is talking about such women.
I think one issue here Nana is that this play is based in the 1800′s when women were considered the property of their fathers and then their husbands. They really didn’t have a lot of choice. How much freedom you had (like Currie as you say) depended on how open your father and husband would be. It can’t be called their choice when they could be committed to mental asylums for expression their thoughts, when they couldn’t hold jobs on their own, or do any banking without a man’s signature, and etc. And yes, I think we need to talk about the women like Currie and Yaa Asantewaas more.
The unfortunate truth is that still today education, culture, expectations, and family values still teach many many women (not all, you are right that it is much easier now to make your own self and future) that they are inferior. And it’s not men that are to blame, it is culture. Bosses (both men and women) don’t realize they are treating employees differently but the fact remains that there is still a large pay gap between what men and women make in the same jobs, for example. So it’s not that men are keeping women down, for the most part, it is that we have these ingrained prejudices that we don’t even know. Men and women.
I like the comments and discussions going on here….and I love the first quote too. I see where Nora is coming from but a closer look at the response from Nora seems that she used to believed in what is laid down for a wife and a mother up until now that she no longer believes in it but instead putting the self first. This could really be an interesting piece and I see its generating interesting discussions here.
Yes, she was raised a certain way by her father and then he had her married to her husband and so she just thought that this was the way things were and that they loved her and etc. When it comes out that things aren’t quite as she believed she is forced to rethink her past and realize that she may have been wrong, that people may have done her wrong. It was really interesting Geosi.
not read this amy but did see it performed years ago ,a interesting play ,all the best stu
Oh I’m jealous Stu
I’d love to see it.
I have read quite a few reviews on this story, and have been meaning to read it for myself as well. It does sound rather interesting and if it still has the power to shock all these years later, it’s probably really deserving of my attention!
Definitely deserving zibilee
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
It’s such a remarkable work–I studied this in grad school, and it’s still with me today.
Yes it is one that will stay with me for quite awhile as well Niranjana.
I still haven’t gotten to this one! Bad me.
Bad you is right Trisha
blah blah middle aged married lady blah blah
Kiddding. I have this one loaded on my nook, now I just have to remember to read it by the end of the month.
Yay! I hope you read it Cass
I haven’t read this play but I hope to do so one of these days. Interesting discussion here. I’m not even going to touch Nana’s rant. But I will say this, since the issues raised in the play are still quite relevant to women in Ghana. Nana, try taking a good look at our society and its view of women. Take a look at places where what a woman chooses to wear is informed not by her wanting to be herself but by what society dictates that she wears. It’s pretty easy for you was a man to get sick of this thesis. I’m guessing that you’ve never had to interrogate your maleness before. Well, we women do it. In Ghana, some of do it pretty much on a daily basis.
I would love to hear your thoughts on it Kinna, I do hope you give it a read. And yes thank you for your response to Nana as well
I just read this yesterday. It is interesting how the ending is still considered to be controversial today.
Definitely interesting Iris
I read A Doll’s House a long time ago and plan to read it again, soon. It really is so good. I also think it’s still relevant today because there are women who play a role or pretend to be a specific kind of womanin their lives. They think that they have to be a certain way as a daughter and then as a wife and a mother rather than be a complete, fully realized human being in their own right with a working, reasoning, questioning brain. It’s actually very sad. And there are many marriages in which the man determines how they live their life and makes all the important decisions.
Definitely still relevant, sadly, and so still important. I’m so glad we’re reading it again Amy.
It really resonated how relevant the play is even today. I read this for the first time and I thought it was extremely powerful. I was expecting it to be even more tragic so was bowled over by the ending. Even though we are now used to women making difficult decision regarding her life and family, it was still very shocking (but in a good way!) So I can only imagine the consternation when it was first performed.
Yes so powerful and shocking still, I can’t imagine what it was like then Sakura!