A Doll’s House is a striking example of the genre of analytical drama created by Ibsen himself. The genre’s name is because of the fact that all stage events result from what happened to the characters before the action begins. Therefore, it requires a reflective analysis to comprehend everything that follows. Each such play becomes a kind of investigation into the mysteries of the past and the skeletons in the closet. The prototype of the main character was Laura Keeler, the writer whose fate is reflected in work. The primary issues at the center of attention are the choice of life’s path and external and internal beauty. However, the ideological meaning of the drama goes far beyond the family and psychological issues. The author eclipsed the prominent theme of the bourgeois family and the position of women in society.
The central characters in the drama are Thorwald Helmer and his wife, Nora. The impression is that the audience is faced with a happy family where love and joy reign. The man calls his beloved a lark, and the woman takes care of him and the children (Ibsen and Rudall). However, suddenly, in the first act, there is a small episode that makes one wonder if all is well in this relationship. Helmer forbids his wife to chew almond cookies: he fears that Nora will ruin her teeth and thus lose some of her beauty. In all life situations, he prefers outward beauty and “decorum” to what is going on (Ibsen and Rudall).
The mistress of this nest, Nora, seems to be a shallow, spoiled doll. However, some years ago, for the sake of rescue of her husband, Nora borrowed a large sum of money, having forged the signature on the bill of exchange and now, hiding it, gradually paying off the debt (Ibsen and Rudall). The essences of all the characters are put to the test of truth, and the uncovering of secrets permeates the entire work.
The almond cookie becomes a symbol that reveals the essence of Helmer’s family life. They indicate the personal independence of the heroine and her inner autonomy from her husband, which grows as the action progresses. In the scene where Nora feels on the brink of death, she shouts after the maid: “And some almonds, Helene… No, more! Once is all right”(Ibsen and Rudall). The heroine has her own secret life: in the evenings, locking herself in her room on various pretexts, she earns by rewriting papers to pay off her debt gradually. She notes, “I felt almost like a man” while talking to a friend (Ibsen and Rudall). That phrase is the key to what is happening in their life. Nora has no right to borrow money without a man’s guarantee. She feels the injustice of laws invented by men: “So that a wife has no right to save her husband’s life?” (Ibsen and Rudall). The conflicts of life in Ibsen’s plays are not self-valuable; they are like cocoons that conceal ideas.
The quarrels in the Helmers’ house allow the author to speak of problems important to society. The clash of parties in the drama conflict turns into a clash of ideas about the position of a woman in a world created by men and about what her place in society should be. The drama of arguments suggests that the clash of different ideas about life is the essence of the conflict in the play. Therefore, this event does not bring about the finale when Krogstad repays her debt (Ibsen and Rudall). On the contrary, it is the beginning of the most critical moments.
The cocoon gradually unwinds, and it becomes clear that the play confronts the woman’s view as a helpless, confused creature whose purpose is to decorate a man’s life. A discussion replaces the outcome as in the finale, “there is a crashing sound of slamming gates”(Ibsen and Rudall). The ambiguity of the ending not only forces the viewer to consider which end makes more sense, but it also engages the audience in a discussion of Nora’s rightness. Ibsen’s theater reflects everyday life in its familiar, recognizable forms. In reality, the reflection of life in Ibsen’s plays is not self-valuable; it is only a reason to make the viewer think.
Thus, the conflict is man’s confrontation with a hostile reality that suppresses or cripples his spirit. Ibsen abandoned the elevated theatrical speech, traditional monologues, and conditional remarks to the side addressed directly to the audience (Ibsen and Rudall). He replaced all of this with lively, expressive conversational speech. The author achieves naturalness and relaxed behavior of the characters, forced to abandon the external effects, replacing them with graphic details. These details became poetic images, which helped to reveal the main idea of the drama. Creating a new drama, Ibsen subjected it to a precise composition.
The drama’s underlying theme is that life cannot be glued together like a broken cup. Therefore, the outcome – Nora’s departure from her husband does not seem like a happy ending. Ibsen’s drama was not just a call for women’s independence and self-reliance; it defended human rights, a protest against society’s false and hypocritical laws. It was a significant step forward in creating a new drama, reflecting not only his era but also the thoughts and feelings of subsequent generations.
Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik, and Nicholas Rudall. A Doll’s House. I. R. Dee, 1999.