Comment on the introduction and development of various themes in Act 1 of the novel, A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen
In the drama A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen, the opening act stands as a tool to expose the events that are to follow in the play. In this realistic drama Ibsen uses the characters of Nora and Torvald to criticise the norms of Victorian society. The nineteenth century was an extremely patriarchal and male dominated one. It was the duty of a woman to serve her husband and children. Her wants and desires are in significant in front of those of her families. The author has taken themes from this data and has been able to remain true to the sort of society and the kind of people that existed at that point of time bringing out the conditions and type of the life the upper - middle class suffered. The first theme that we will find about is that of appearances and reality, we get an idea about it from the first word from the first piece of dialogue of the play i.e. hide.
In lieu of these social conditions Nora and Torvalds relationship emerged like that of a father and daughters. Very cheerful, the pretty and girlish Nora Helmer enters from the outdoors, humming a tune while she deposits her parcels on the hall table. Is that my little lark twittering out there? calls her husband, Torvald, from the study, and he emerges to greet her. They talk about their improved income because Torvald has just been appointed as bank manager, and Nora chatters about Christmas presents she has just purchased for the children. Torvald suspects that his Miss Sweet Tooth has been breaking rules by indulging herself in prohibited confection. Nora denies the accusation, but the audience has seen her pop macaroons in her mouth as she came in, again we get a hint of the theme of deception. Deftly, Nora changes the subject and talks about decorating the tree.
As the story proceeds it is exposed that Nora had borrowed money from Krogstad, an employee of the bank with a shady reputation. It was, in those times against the law for a woman to borrow money. It was also against her husbands wishes. She borrowed the money to pay for her husbands recovery treatment.
A major theme of the play - deception, or the gap between appearance and reality - is introduced in the very first word, "Hide". Nora wants to hide the Christmas tree so that the children don't see it before it is decorated. The theme is developed throughout the play until we realize that Nora's entire relationship with her husband is based on many layers of deception, albeit benign deception.
The theme is developed by Nora's lie to Torvald about having bought macaroons, and by their tiresome role-play whereby he calls her pet names such as "little squirrel" and "little spendthrift" and she acts like a spoilt, silly, and irresponsible child. It becomes obvious later in the scene that she is a much more responsible, thoughtful and complex person than he could ever conceive of. But she puts on an act for him, because at some level she knows that a wife-as-plaything is the only kind of wife he can cope with. They undoubtedly love each other, but it is a love founded on a lie that both have created. Nora's pretence to Torvald of childish helplessness - "Yes, Torvald, I can't get along a bit without your help" - acquires heavy dramatic irony, as we know at this point that she has achieved the extraordinary feat of saving her husband's life. What is more, she has done so without his knowledge in order to preserve that delicate pride which demands that she appear to be utterly dependent upon him.
Torvald's dependence on this dishonesty would take on more of our sympathy were he not so damning of Krogstad's need "to wear a mask in the presence of those near and dear to him." He sees Krogstad as an embodiment of congenital moral corruption. But Krogstad committed his moral 'crime' many years ago and has since led a respectable life. Though he looks set to slip back by blackmailing Nora, by the end of the play, he repents and redeems himself - throwing doubt on Torvald's uncompromisingly black picture of him.
The deceptive relationship between Torvald and Nora is contrasted with that between Dr Rank and Nora. With Dr Rank, Nora is able to be more truthful and drops the childish-flirtatious act she employs with Torvald, though she still lies to Rank about the macaroons. Dr Rank knows that Torvald cannot bear very much reality: when Nora says she wants to tell Torvald something shocking, Dr Rank advises her not to say it, adding, "with us you might." But Dr Rank too has his secrets, as we shall discover.
In A Doll's House, Ibsen explores his interest in the role of women in society. He raises questions about how much a woman has to compromise her own wishes and aims in order to fit into society. Mrs Linde has had to give up her true love, Krogstad, and marry a man she did not love in order to gain the financial security she needed to look after her mother and brothers. Hers has been a life of self-sacrifice rather than self-fulfilment.
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