Equilibrium In A Doll's House

The Delicate Equilibrium of societal acceptance and an individual’s right to flourish in A Doll’s House. ‘I have duties just as sacred. Duties to myself’
Henrik Ibsen is one of the celebrated neo-classical writer of all times. He is responsible for divulging the conditions of each and every household prevailing in the Victorian era. By having written this play he not only exposed ‘the delicate equilibrium of societal acceptance but also how much freedom an individual has to flourish in his/her society’. This is the most dominant theme of the play as it has perfectly reflected the norms and traditions that existed in the 18th century. There are six major characters in the play that demonstrate various aspects

His each and action is guided by the motive to abide by the superficial guidelines set by society. Throughout the play we can notice that Torvald calls Nora by name like ‘Spendthrift’, ‘Little lark’, ‘Little squirrel’. The contemporary readers might consider these as the names called with a feeling of love, but when analyzed we’ll realize that in a way Torvald was insulting and humiliating Nora by addressing her as ‘little’ and ‘Spendthrift’. It also gives us the reflection of Torvald’s psyche as it tells us that he considers Nora inferior to him and a being who doesn’t value money. He is a soul who firmly believes that a person has a reputation to hold and that is a reason he doesn’t give Krogstad a job in the bank. When Nora asks him to show mercy on Krogstad, he sternly asks her-‘Nora, Nora, and you would be a party to that sort of thing? To have any talk with a man like that, and give him any sort of promise?’ (Act 2, Page-40)This again depicts that Torvald was a man with high ideals and promises. It can be suggested that by following a path constructed by society, Torvald loses a sense of singularity. When the letter is introduced in the play in act 3 the behavior of Torvald towards Nora changes notably. From pampering her it goes to ridiculing her- ‘she who was my joy and pride--a hypocrite, a liar--worse, worse--a criminal! (Act 3, Page-86) This is stimuli to the thought of getting his image destroyed just because his

These two were shunned by the society for various reasons. Christine was a widow and such women were looked with sympathetic eyes by every person, but Christine was a women who valued pragmatism over idealism. She approaches Nora in a hope to get a job in the bank and successfully procures it. During the exchange of dialogues between Nora and Christine it is revealed that Christine did awful jobs in order to survive- ‘Well, I had to turn my hand to anything I could find- -first a small shop, then a small school, and so on’ (Act 1, Page-14) through this Ibsen portrays that even though society pushed every individual back, there were a few who managed to overcome the difficulties and flourish. Krogstad was a man whose name was associated with a scam which weakens his image in front of everyone’s eye, but he is not traumatized to express his emotions. He gently tells Christine ‘When I lost you, it was as if all the solid ground went from under my feet’ (Act 3, Page-73)In the beginning of act 3 Ibsen creates an atmosphere which is full of love and affection. Christine convinces Krogstad that they are perfect for each other ‘I want to be a mother to someone, and your children need a mother. We two need each other’ (Act 3, Page-75). Ibsen might have used this to foreshadow the time when Torvald finally realizes what deed he has committed and tells Nora of how much he