Book Review: A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

When it comes to physiology, no wonder, men and women are designed differently, each with their own unique characteristics and features. The true power, however, doesn’t lie in the body, rather in the mind. But it usually takes a brutal awakening to arrive at this conclusion. So was the case with 19th century married Victorian women. These women were considered weaker than men, but were expected to be morally superior, dutiful, and loyal towards men in their families. These women remained reserved to their domestic lives, and had little control over their finances. In such cases, it became difficult for them to leave a marriage in case they felt violated or hurt. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen is one of the most famous playwrights of the 1880s. The play depicts the story of awakening of a 19th century middle-class household woman in Norway. In most schools and colleges around the world, this play is a compulsory part of the educational curriculum, and is required reading by the students.

 

The play is divided into three acts that are enacted by a small set of characters including the housewife named Nora, her husband Torvald, their friends Dr. Rank and Christine Linde, and a man named Krogstad. Although much of the play runs smoothly, without any extreme emotion or aggression, however, it’s in the description of the routine itself that illustrates the restrictive life of a 19th century married woman.

Nora’s husband treats her like his very own priced possession, but the pleasantries last only as long as she behaves in a way that is morally good, loyal, and nice according to him. As soon as she tries to exert her independence, eat the things she desires to eat, and make decisions by herself, her husband’s demeanour takes a shift, and he turns aggressive and entitled.

The story mainly delves into an instance of Nora’s life when she borrowed money from a man to save her husband’s life. She did it all for him, but her husband didn’t see this. Instead, what he saw was her independent decision, her free will, and her doing something without his knowledge. As they come face to face with each other, and things began to unravel, Nora realizes that she was never happy with him. She always felt as if she was living as a doll in her husband’s house, just the same way she used to live in her father’s house, as a doll.

That’s when she experiences this brutal awakening, and sets out to make things right for her, perhaps for the first time in her life. She decides to leave the doll’s house, and embark on a journey of self-discovery. Her husband, though, doesn’t seem to be pleased by her decision. He warns her that leaving him and his children wouldn’t do good to her, because she was running away from her duties. According to him, she needed to be a loyal wife and a dutiful mother. But she didn’t give into his persuasion any longer.

She left, never to return to the doll’s house, again. And that’s the best part of the book, probably that’s why it was so controversial during the time when it first came out. In the end, the main thing is that whether men or women, everyone needs to feel loved and respected, irrespective of their unique personalities. So even though this story is about a woman, the same goes valid for men too. Men can feel restricted, violated, and hurt as well. The crux is to look at the other person, not according to their gender, but simply as another human being. The awakening is not about being a man or a woman, the awakening is about what it means to be a human.

Ultimately, you are only as powerful as you think you are.

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