Digital Essay
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House explores deep rooted themes about society vs. morality. He makes the case about the role of morality in each of our lives. He poses the question: is it wrong to be immoral in a rigidly immoral society? Ibsen makes the case that immorality is a forgivable offense goes along with life. Much like speeding goes along with driving. It doesn't mean you’re a bad driver, it just means that you don’t like to drive slowly. Most people don’t like the expectation of being perfect every minute of their lives while the society they live in is, itself, corrupt. Ibsen puts forth characters that are flawed but are caught up in a flawed world.
Henrik Ibsen writes a wonderfully flawed individual in Torvald from A Doll’s House. Torvald Helmer is a banker who has just received a big promotion to the head of his bank. The narrative mainly focuses on his wife Nora; however, he is also a big focus in the story. Early in the story he is portrayed as almost an angelic figure who can do no wrong. Much like Atticus Finch was portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird. But unlike Atticus, Torvald – like the society he is born into – is not what he first appears as. He is a deeply flawed individual. But is it wrong that he is an immoral figure? The society – as with every society – is corrupt. Gender roles and stereotypes play a huge part in their everyday life. The man is supposed to support the family while the woman plays the part of a perfect wife. This is evident in Torvald and Nora’s relationship when she begs him for money and thanks profusely him saying “Thank you, thank you, Torvald; that will keep me going for a long time” (Ibsen, 5). He is obviously in control in their relationship. This is a product of their society. The society is broken. After all, a broken oven is going to produce a flawed batch of cookies. Ibsen argues that Torvald – while deeply flawed – is the product of a patriarchal society. It is the same as racism: no one is born racist but rather they are raised to be that way. Torvald was not born sexist or misogynistic; he was raised that way. He accepted and conformed to the corrupt society’s hypocrisy and rose to be “the manager of the Bank” (Ibsen, 10).
Henrik Ibsen writes a wonderfully flawed individual in Torvald from A Doll’s House. Torvald Helmer is a banker who has just received a big promotion to the head of his bank. The narrative mainly focuses on his wife Nora; however, he is also a big focus in the story. Early in the story he is portrayed as almost an angelic figure who can do no wrong. Much like Atticus Finch was portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird. But unlike Atticus, Torvald – like the society he is born into – is not what he first appears as. He is a deeply flawed individual. But is it wrong that he is an immoral figure? The society – as with every society – is corrupt. Gender roles and stereotypes play a huge part in their everyday life. The man is supposed to support the family while the woman plays the part of a perfect wife. This is evident in Torvald and Nora’s relationship when she begs him for money and thanks profusely him saying “Thank you, thank you, Torvald; that will keep me going for a long time” (Ibsen, 5). He is obviously in control in their relationship. This is a product of their society. The society is broken. After all, a broken oven is going to produce a flawed batch of cookies. Ibsen argues that Torvald – while deeply flawed – is the product of a patriarchal society. It is the same as racism: no one is born racist but rather they are raised to be that way. Torvald was not born sexist or misogynistic; he was raised that way. He accepted and conformed to the corrupt society’s hypocrisy and rose to be “the manager of the Bank” (Ibsen, 10).
No one in this story is perfect. Every single person has made an egregious moral error. Torvald’s wife – Nora – “wrote papa’s name” to go on vacation claiming it was to saver her “husband’s life” (Ibsen, 28). This gets her into debt with another flawed character: Krogstead. He claims in the novel to be a victim of Torvald and his new position. His course of action is to blackmail Nora and later demand “a higher position” (Ibsen, 50). None of these characters are morally righteous. They all made mistakes. In this regard, Ibsen writes a wonderful display of society affecting characters. He shows that the late 19th century society – which the play is set in – is it’s profoundly hypocritical. This is evident in Nora’s struggle to live up to the doll-wife expectation that is placed upon her. That is her central struggle throughout the play. She cannot deal with the gender role she was placed in and ended up walking out of her life. She turns her back on conforming to the corruptness of society. Ibsen shows that if a person is constantly surrounded by unethical situations, ideals, or people, -- for example a society – they will eventually behave in the same way. This is evident in all the character in A Doll’s House from Krogstad’s blackmail to Nora’s signature forging.
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Nora is also not what you consider a moral person but that doesn't mean she is a bad character either. An accurate claim can be made that she is money driven, status hungry and materialistic but she is not a bad character. Society – especially nineteenth century society – dictated that she had to be a “doll-wife” (Ibsen, 74). Society told her she had to be that way: she listened. Trying to live up to this doll house picture, she did everything in her power to try to make that a reality. In her efforts she made a moral judgment error. This does not make her bad a bad character but rather a product of her society. It is easy, as the reader, to discern between right and wrong as an objective third person; however, it isn't as easy in the real world. Ibsen argues that society has a big dictation on our morality. Each character – but especially Nora – has a choice between what society says and what is considered “moral”.
Ibsen shows through his character's how society effects morals and judgment. The characters in A Doll’s House serve as examples of characters that are flawed. They are flawed in flawed societies which results in a neutral characterization. This narrative that Ibsen displays shows us how dangerous society can be. It permeates into the most intimate moments of our lives: our moral decisions. Society can have a profound effect how what we decide. However, Ibsen also shows us how we shouldn't fault these characters. It happens to everyone. It is all of our struggle.
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Works Sited
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
"Henrik Ibsen." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. Hazleton, PA: Electronic Classics Series Publication, 2001. Print.
"Jane Austen: Gender and Morality." YouTube. YouTube, 9 June 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
KLEIN, PAUL. "Does the “Greed Is Good” Mantra Make for a Better World? New Business Metrics Are Coming." Ecoopportunity. Toronto Sustainability, 04 July 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
"Henrik Ibsen." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. Hazleton, PA: Electronic Classics Series Publication, 2001. Print.
"Jane Austen: Gender and Morality." YouTube. YouTube, 9 June 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
KLEIN, PAUL. "Does the “Greed Is Good” Mantra Make for a Better World? New Business Metrics Are Coming." Ecoopportunity. Toronto Sustainability, 04 July 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.