The play A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, offers a critique of the superficial marriage between Nora and Torvald Helmer. Written in 1879, the play describes the problems that arise after Nora secretly and illegally takes out a loan from a local bank to save Torvald's life. Over the course of the show, the delicate relationship between Nora and Torvald is largely based on the enactment of conventional gender roles. For example, Torvald plays the part of the male hero, vowing to always protect his defenseless wife from harm, while Nora plays the submissive wife who relies on her husband's opinions as if they were her own. Through the performance of these roles, A Doll's House challenges the traditional notion of gender, implying that gender is not the result of biology but is instead a part played to meet the demands of society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the time A Doll's House was written, nineteenth-century patriarchal society dictated social standards for both men and women. Men were seen as leaders; they ran businesses and governments, made important decisions, and served as protectors of the weakest members of society, women and children. Over the course of the show, Torvald appears to take on the characteristics of traditional masculinity. He is proud to have been promoted to head of the bank and finds satisfaction in playing the part of the protective husband, telling Nora: “When the real crisis comes, you will not find me without strength or courage. I am man enough to bear the burden for both of us” (565). However, upon closer examination, one can see that Torvald's masculine identity is not intrinsic, but rather a role he plays to meet society's expectations. Instead, his sense of masculinity comes primarily from maintaining certain social hierarchies, which place him in a position of power. This quest for power can be seen in Torvald's work at the bank. He confesses to Nora that he is firing Krogstad mainly because Krogstad refuses to address him with respect. Torvald says, “We… well, we use Christian name terms. And the tactless idiot makes no attempt to hide it when other people are present. On the contrary, he thinks this gives him the right to know me. He shows off all the time, with "Torvald this" and "Torvald that". . . If he remained, he would make my position intolerable” (564). As Langas explains, Torvald refuses to hire Krogstad again “because he needs to confirm his authority as a man” (Langas 159). Society's notion of masculinity requires one to be successful in business, and Torvald must maintain control over the bank to maintain his masculinity. Krogstad loses his job because he represents a threat to the traditional power structure of the bank and therefore a threat to Torvald's sense of power and virility. Torvald's masculinity is also inexorably linked to his role as patriarch of the Helmer family. In the first half of the play, Torvald continually exerts his power over Nora, forbidding her from eating macaroons and belittling her with nicknames such as "squirrel" and "my little songbird." He even refers to Nora as his pet, saying, “The squandering bird is a cute creature, but he manages to earn a lot of money. It is amazing how expensive it is for a man to keep” (561). While one might characterize Torvald simply as a domineering chauvinist, another view is that his apparent misogyny reflects his desire to fit into the social construct of masculinity. Nora's behavior supports theTorvald's virile power. Moi writes, “Helmer's sense of masculinity depends on Nora's performances of helpless, childlike femininity” (Moi 264). That is, the more submissive Nora acts, the stronger Torvald feels. For example, when Nora confesses to Torvald that she is in trouble with Krogstad, he responds: “Lean on me. I will advise you. I will guide you. I wouldn't be a real man if your female impotence didn't make you doubly attractive to me” (576). The fragile relationship between Nora and Torvald is built largely on the perpetuation of Torvald's feelings of power and masculinity, and Nora is aware of this as well. When explaining to Mrs Linde why she could never tell Torvald that she had asked for the loan, Nora says: "And besides - he is so proud of being a man - it would be so painful and humiliating for him to know that he owed me something. It would completely destroy our relationship” (565). Langas comments: “Nora's recognition shows that she realizes that marriage is based on a gender hierarchy that she, for the moment, accepts” (Langasa 157). It is clear that Torvald's ability to feel in a position of power determines his interpretation of masculinity dictated by Nora's nineteenth-century society current society was the “cult of true femininity,” as Welter calls it. The “cult” prescribed certain standards for acceptable female behavior: “The attributes of true femininity, by which a woman judged herself and was judged by her husband. , by neighbors and society, could be divided into four cardinal virtues: piety, purity, submission, and domesticity. Put them all together and it was spelled mother, daughter, sister, wife, woman” (Welter 152). Throughout the show, Nora continually changes her identity to please whoever she is with at the time, flirting with Dr. Rank or strong women when she is with Krogstad. However, the easiest role for her to play is that of the "real" woman, the submissive woman, which is most explicitly seen in her relationship with Torvald. Some critics believe that Nora has a miraculous awakening in the final act and suddenly realizes that her marriage has been “a masquerade in which neither partner is honest to the other” (Orjasaeter 33). However, it is my belief that from the beginning Nora recognizes the “performative structure of identity” (Langas 165) and attempts to use her femininity to exercise her own form of power in patriarchal society. At the beginning of the play, Nora admits to Mrs. Linde that she behaves a certain way because Torvald enjoys seeing her "dancing, dressing up, and being silly" (555). This purposeful decision can be seen in the way Nora often uses her subordinate position to increase Torvald's sense of power, which in turn allows her to manipulate or distract him from the situation at hand. For example, when he tries to convince Torvald to hire Mrs. Linde at the bank, he takes advantage of her masculine pride, saying, "You see, Christine is terribly good at office work, and she's crazy to come across a really smart man who can teach her even more than I already know” (557). Later, when she tries to dissuade Torvald from criticizing Krogstad's forgery, she transforms into the vulnerable wife again and implores, “You know that I trust your taste more than anyone's. other. I'm so anxious to look really beautiful at the masquerade ball, can't you help me decide how I'll dress and what kind of costume I should wear (561). Nora uses the tarantella dance to manipulate her husband.He appeals to his male ego, saying, “I can't get anywhere without your help. I completely forgot everything. . . Help me, Torvald. Promise me you will?" (569). However, while Nora believes she gains power from these interactions with Torvald, continually placing herself in an inferior position allows him to maintain his feelings of masculinity and perpetuates the patriarchal culture that originally gave such credence to female subordination. The play progresses, Nora becomes more and more involved in the theatrical roles she is forced to play. This can be seen in her close relationship with Dr. Rank Rank, is able to shed the allusion to the submissive wife. However, he is still playing a role; he takes advantage of his affection for her; he actively challenges the standards of true femininity and uses his shyness to get what he wants to ask Dr. Rank for the money to repay Krogstad, shows him her silk stockings and says: “Aren't they beautiful? Of course it's very dark here, but tomorrow...! No, no, no, just the soles. Oh well, I suppose you can look a little higher if you want” (566). In this scene, the room is dark, Nora shows off her legs and plays the role of the seductress beautifully: the audience is sure that Dr. Rank will say yes to Nora's request. Langas says: “The scene is a kind of striptease, in which the woman attracts the man's desire. . . The female body as an object takes part in a gendered negotiation for power” (Langas 162-163). However, Nora's sense of control is shattered when the doctor confesses his love for her. She never expected Dr. Rank to cross the boundaries established by respectable masculinity, but once he does, Nora no longer feels comfortable with the role of temptress. After asking for a lamp, she returns to the role of faithful wife, saying, “Well, upon my word, you are a good gentleman, Dr. Rank. Aren't you ashamed of yourself, now that the lamp has been lit?" (567). With the room once again illuminated and the correctness of the situation restored, Nora and Dr. Rank are then able to function within the confines of traditional gender relations. In the final act of the play, Nora becomes increasingly frustrated with social constructs related to gender. After Torvald reads Krogstad's letter detailing Nora's loan from the bank, he immediately forgets his promise. to save Nora from danger. Although Nora believed that Torvald would forgive her because she asked for the loan to save him, he instead becomes angry, threatening to cut off his contact with the children and saying: “Now you have destroyed all my happiness Hai ruined my entire future. Oh, it's too terrible to contemplate!” (575) For the first time in the play, and apparently for the first time in their marriage, the couple is able to interact entirely without artifice, and the result is a heated argument, however ; ends after the second letter from Krogstad arrives and Nora is freed from her debts. Here Torvald attempts to re-establish conventional gender roles and reclaim his position of power. He tells Nora that things will soon return to the way they were before: “C 'it is something indescribably wonderful and satisfying for a husband to know that he has forgiven his wife, forgiving her unreservedly from the bottom of his heart. It means that she has become his property in a double sense; world again; now she is not only his wife but also his daughter. From now on you will be this to me, my poor, helpless and lost creature (576).” During much of the speechby Torvald, Nora has remained off stage, changing her clothes, and at this point she returns. He now wears everyday clothes and tells Torvald, "I have changed" (577). But the change is much more than taking off the elegant clothes of the masquerade ball. By taking off her physical costume, Nora now finds that she is unable and unwilling to return to the characters she once played. Having finally freed herself from the restrictions of playing a part, Nora is confronted with the extent of her own theatricality. Although he actively participated in the charades, he was unaware of the lasting consequences. After playing so many roles throughout her life, she finds herself unable to formulate her own sense of identity, apart from the men for whom she has performed. She has become “a person who exists only according to the roles dictated by society” (Tam 190). Nora's lack of identity can be seen through her interactions with men, including her father, who the audience never sees but hears a lot about. Nora says: “When I lived with Dad, he told me what he thought about everything, so I never had any opinions other than his. And if I had any of my own, I kept them hidden, because he wouldn't like them. She called me her little doll and played with me just like I played with my dolls” (577). He also continues to criticize Torvald for his lack of opinion, saying: “You arranged everything as you wanted, so that I simply assumed your taste in everything, or pretended to do so. . . I was your doll-wife, just as I was Daddy's little girl-doll” (577). Nora's continued use of the doll image is not simply an allusion to the work's title, but an important means of understanding the scope of Nora's doll image. roles. By allowing her father and husband to manipulate her as if she were a toy, Nora has in fact assumed the identity of a doll. It moves and gives the impression of being alive but ultimately lacks the qualities that allow one to feel human (Moi 266). When Nora finally understands that her identity has been permanently tied to other people, she makes the difficult decision to leave her family and embark on “a journey of self-searching and self-creation” (Tam 189); he leaves to establish an authentic sense of identity. She tells Torvald: “I have to stand on my own two feet if I want to discover the truth about myself and life. So I can no longer continue to live here with you” (577). To this, Torvald responds that he must stay because of his duties to him and the children. She says, “First and foremost you are a wife and mother” (578). Nora replies: “I don't believe it anymore. I believe that I am first and foremost a human being, like you, or at least I must try to become one” (578). This exchange is significant as it shows Torvald's desperate attempt to force Nora back into the roles she played, those of wife and mother. It also illustrates Nora's adamant rejection of these roles and her desire to break free from culturally constructed gender norms. As Nora continues to tell Torvald of her need to leave, he makes one last effort to convince her to stay. He says: “Do you need to ask yourself where your duty lies in your home? Have you no infallible guide in these matters: your religion?” (578). However, Nora's newfound sense of agency also allows her to critique her own religious experience. Piety was one of the requirements for the cult of true femininity and, as Torvald demonstrates, was often used by patriarchal societies to validate the idea of ​​gender hierarchies. Langas quotes the 19th-century theologian Marcus Jacon Monrad, who believed that any criticism of the patriarchal system was “an irrational search for equality, a demolition of the order of nature and of the ultimate commandment of 18.2 (1966): 151-174.