"The Dollhouse" Review

Jessica Gerlemann
Barbara Harrell
EN 1333
28 October 2010
Both Spouses Are Slightly Immature in “The Dollhouse” and Gender Roles Along with Parental Obligations Come Into Consideration
“The Dollhouse” is full of situations of difficulty. In each predicament, gender roles come into consideration and how the sacrificial roles of women were different then from what they are now. Parental obligations and surfaces of a situation aren’t always as they seem and people can’t make decisions based on a black and white analysis because usually things are more complex. In “The Dollhouse” Torvald makes a black and white decision not realizing that him and Nora have a more complex situation of difficulty. Both Spouses Are Slightly Immature in “The Dollhouse” and Gender Roles Along with Parental Obligations Come Into Consideration.
Nora felt like she was just a doll in a dollhouse to Torvald. This is where Ibsen brings in realism. Nora actually says, “For that a most wonderful miracle of all would have to happen. We’d both have to change so much that—Oh, Torvald, I ‘ve stopped believing in miracles. That our life together would be a true marriage. Goodbye.” (Act III. Last Scene. 30, pg 953) This quote shows that Nora had enough of sacrificing and decided that she needed to start a life where she could learn about the world on her own and not be spoon-fed everything. Nora was always overprotected from her Dad and her husband which left her wondering what else there was to learn about that she needed to know before she helped raise her own children. She agreed with Torvald when he said she was unfit and in the play; (book) she packs her suitcase and leaves.
Sometimes problems like the situation of realism in the Dollhouse appear in the lives of individuals. In the Divorce Magazine.com in 2005 there were approximately 2,230,000 marriages in the United States. The divorce rate per 1000 people actually was down and was the lowest rate since 1970 of 3.6%. (Magazine) Today gender roles vary in a marriage and both a husband and wife might work or go to school for a career. In the Victorian Age when this play takes place it was actually considered wrong and selfish to forget the duties that a woman had to her husband and children. Most of the time roles of women included caring for the children, house-keeping, and teaching them proper manners. Today, both the mother and father take quite a leading role in the lives of their children and their family. Roles now are mixed and combined so that there isn’t quite as much of a defined atmosphere for the lives of women, men and children. It seems that every family varies now in picking their own roles and do not have a set example of rules that they have to stick to like in the Victorian Age.
Parental obligations come into consideration when Nora decides to leave Torvald. During the Victorian Age the queen set the example of how a family life should be. In this ideal family life the queen included that it was the role of the women who should take care of the children, care for the house and teach them manners. Nora had a nanny to help her and did just so until she decided to leave Torvald. That’s when Torvald says, “But to desert your home, your husband, and your children! And aren’t you concerned about what people will say?” (Act 3. Last Scene. 15-16, 950) This truly shows that Torvald was a strong believer in morals and the way of the Victorian Age. He believed that the Queen was right in setting her example and the duties of a women should be remembered first and foremost. That is taking care of one’s family.
The sacrificial roles of women were clearly defined during the Victorian Age but surprisingly would change quickly. Eventually through Ibsen’s play of realism, another example is set. This example is the fact that women have just as sacred duties that they owe to themselves besides their duties to their husband and children. For instance, the discussion between Torvald and Nora continues and Torvald says, “This is outrageous! You’re just going to walk away from your most sacred duties? “ ( Act III. Last scene. 19-20. 950) Of course Nora replies and says, “I have other duties just as sacred. (Act III. Last scene. 24. 950) Explaining that she had “Duties to herself” as well. (Act III. Last Scene. 26. 950) Nora eventually asks Torvald to sacrifice his honor for her and when he wouldn’t do it she brings out a realistic point that thousands of women have. Then she brings up the question of why Torvald can’t do so.
In order to make a marriage work there has to be enough maturity from both spouses to work through situations of difficulty. There was a lack of sympathy from Torvald and he was too one-sighted for Nora. Nora was immature in her decision-making and made a bad choice by not consulting Torvald before borrowing money. Torvald reminded her all too much of her father. Although Torvald was a very smart lawyer and had very good ethics there was some immaturity when he sought that anybody who made a mistake was unfit and had to take the punishment awaiting them. He lacked a sense of human understanding that things weren’t always perfect even though he was a perfectionist. At first, Nora started out responsibly when she borrowed money when they went to Italy to cure Torvald. Things went tragically wrong though when the mishap happened and Krogstad was going to be fired and tried to blackmail Nora and her family. She couldn’t hardly bear the sight of disappointing Torvald and showed small signs of child-like immaturity. Her personality was young though, which is ok and sometimes good for a marriage. Eventually, Nora leaves afraid of her own fate and deciding she has to become more mature herself. In each predicament gender roles come into consideration and how the sacrificial roles of women were different then from what they are now. Parental obligations and surfaces of a situation aren’t always as they seem and people can’t make decisions based on a black and white analysis because usually things are more complex.