A Doll's House: Themes (OCR A Level English Literature)
Revision Note
Themes
Exam responses that are led by ideas are more likely to reach the highest levels of the mark scheme. Exploring the ideas of the text, specifically in relation to the question being asked, will help to increase your fluency and assurance in writing about the novel.
Below are some of the key themes that could be explored in A Doll’s House. This list is not exhaustive and you are encouraged to explore any other ideas or themes you identify within the novel.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
It is really important that you develop the skills to find your own ideas and arrive at your own meanings and interpretations of the text. Try to take a more exploratory and discursive approach to your reading of the novel, as the examiner will reward you highly for this approach. For instance, you could begin to develop your own interpretations by using sentence starters such as: “Ibsen may have used the character of Nora to highlight ideas about…”
Power and money
Power is a significant theme in A Doll’s House as Ibsen illustrates individuals struggling to survive and thrive within a capitalist society that associates wealth with choice. Personal agency is depicted as dependent on access to money, which is the cause of much conflict and personal hardship. As characters exhibit a strong desire for financial security at all costs, Ibsen illustrates the sacrifices that are made, and the way in which individual choices are limited as a result of their need to support their families. Ibsen raises questions regarding hypocrisies, which become apparent when the wealthy are confronted by those without such security and power.
Knowledge and evidence:
In an increasingly industrialised Europe, power and money shifted to lawyers and bankers such as Torvald
The power of such individuals is depicted in the play when Torvald becomes a bank manager:
Both Nora and Torvald know this increases their social power dramatically
Nora is excited at the thought of her husband’s control over Krogstad
She enthuses about the “pots and pots” of money they will have
Ibsen exposes bourgeoisie attitudes to wealth and security in the play:
While Nora’s large house and staff suggest her comfortable position, she and Torvald discuss the need for frugality
Both she and Torvald discuss how his promotion will end their financial troubles
Kristine, a hard-working and struggling widow, challenges Nora on her privilege
Torvald’s power and money controls Nora’s behaviour:
He suggests he will increase her allowance if she acts in a pleasing way
He criticises her inability to budget, suggesting she is extravagant with his money:
This becomes ironic when Nora reveals to Kristine that she has budgeted so carefully she has been able to meet all her loan payments
Nora’s restricted access to money in a patriarchal society reflects her powerlessness:
She tells Torvald all she wants for Christmas is her own money
She is proud that she acquired a loan and paid for her husband’s convalescence
She suggests this brings her a sense of accomplishment
Ibsen further explores the limitations of money and power through Kristine Linde and Nils Krogstad, both struggling single widowers:
Both lose social power as a result of circumstances beyond their control
With limited choices they make personal sacrifices in order to support themselves and their families
Krogstad’s threat to Nora is a result of his own powerlessness and a need for social mobility
What is Ibsen’s intention?
The play explores the relationship between individuals’ access to money and social power, in particular related to gender and marital status
Ibsen considers the nature of wealth, power and individual choice
A Doll’s House challenges patriarchal restrictions on women’s financial agency
Ibsen challenges the social constructs that lead to crime and personal sacrifice
The play exposes hypocrisies and weaknesses amongst those with more power than others
Ibsen comments on 19th-century social and financial hierarchies
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Consider how other 19th-century dramas explore the connection between power, control and money, such as the realist plays by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, which explore societal ideals regarding family, society and morality. Victorian writers such as Jane Austen focus their attention on the nature of power and wealth within rigid class systems.
Gender
The theme of gender in A Doll’s House is closely linked to both power and money. The play explores the way in which restrictions placed on female characters lead to unsettling results as Ibsen portrays the shocking and sudden mental decline of the protagonist as a result of her limited personal agency. Ibsen explores gender imbalances under a strictly traditional and patriarchal society wherein females are limited to domestic and subordinate roles. The title of the play alludes to imaginary roles that are played out within the Helmer house; Ibsen portrays a wife who is perceived as her husband’s child-like possession or plaything. However, Ibsen presents single women as equally victimised by societal constructs and inequitable laws. Male attitudes towards female characters in the play raise further questions about the way the traditional roles of males and females may diminish identity.
Knowledge and evidence:
Ibsen depicts the traditional and stereotypical role of husband and wife in 19th-century Europe through Nora and Torvald:
Torvald’s control over his wife is exemplified in his dialogue
He repeatedly uses pet names to symbolise her powerless status in the marriage
He admonishes her for her stupidity and impulsiveness, suggesting these are female traits
Torvald’s traditional perspectives on women are presented unsympathetically as he is portrayed as an ignorant and superficial man:
Not only is he cruel and dismissive to Nora and his children, but he behaves similarly to his male colleagues and friends
In the resolution, he is left alone, abandoned and confused
Nora’s subordinate role as his wife is presented as equally superficial and resulting in secrecy and falseness:
She repeatedly hides her true nature from him, keeping secrets and behaving differently when with him:
Her feminine subservience is portrayed hyperbolically
She reveals her desire for autonomy to her friends:
Nora tells Kristine that working and arranging the loan was “almost like being a man
Nora’s dissatisfaction with her status as a woman intensifies as her independent single friend challenges her on her insincerity and lack of independence
At the time of the play, women were prohibited from conducting business or handling their own money:
Approval was required from a father or husband for any financial arrangements
This system, under the Napoleonic Code of law, is the reason for Nora’s secret loan and forgery
In contrast to Nora’s position as wife, which brings some social power, Kristine Linde is portrayed as having greater personal agency as a single woman:
As a widow, she is able to earn her own money
Despite this leading to long hours at menial jobs, she describes this as her “greatest and only joy” and a necessity if she is to “endure this life”
Certainly, Ibsen emphasises the necessity of work in order for females to gain autonomy:
Nora works at night and spends nothing on herself to pay for the loan which saved Torvald’s life
Anne Marie gives up her own child to support herself in working for Nora
When Dr Rank suggests Kristine rest, her caustic response highlights his ignorance to her circumstances
The play’s female characters endure personal and silent sacrifice to earn money:
Torvald’s criticism of Nora as a mother is ultimately the final straw for her:
Ibsen suggests her identity is tied up in her status as a mother and wife
However, her motive for leaving changes within a short time:
Ibsen depicts her awakening to the true nature of her madness: her repression
This is presented through the climactic tarantella dance
In the final scene, a calm and collected Nora refuses Torvald’s forgiveness and expresses her desire for independence from his control:
She specifically articulates the pressures she feels as his “responsibility”
What is Ibsen’s intention?
A Doll’s House challenges the restricted role of women in 19th-century Europe by illustrating the problems arising from power imbalances between man and wife
Ibsen’s play depicts the damaging consequences of, and hypocrisies within, strict patriarchal standards
Ibsen wrote A Doll’s House at a time when male dominance in the workforce afforded powerful men almost autonomous control to limit and restrict others’ lives
Ibsen challenges traditional roles within marriage by showing communication breakdowns as a result of gender stereotypes
Marriage and Identity
A Doll’s House depicts Nora’s transformation from obedience and insincere subservience in her role as wife, to an independent and honest woman. Her repressed identity within her marriage is portrayed through her exaggerated characterisation, which steadily progresses into extreme mental decline. Ibsen’s presentation of Nora’s inner turmoil exposes the sinister façade of their traditional marriage. However, Ibsen’s play argues that marriage can be a beneficial institution to both parties if it is honest and built on equality.
Knowledge and evidence:
The play focuses on the marriage between Nora and Torvald, a young bourgeoisie couple:
Initially, their relationship is portrayed as happy and intimate
In the exposition it seems that Nora and Torvald both enjoy playing the roles of husband and wife in a way that is considered respectable:
They perform perfect role plays within the ‘doll’s house’
Nora’s need for perfection as a mistress and wife is depicted by her constant busyness with domestic chores and her costume
She takes great pride in presenting Torvald with a perfect home
Nora stresses her happiness to Kristine, yet her remarks revolve around Torvald’s position at the bank rather than any personal bond
However, Torvald’s increasingly dismissive and insulting remarks signal tension in their relationship:
It is made clear that Nora is expected to obey Torvald and behave in a way that he deems suitable
Nora has to hide her desires and thoughts from Torvald
Torvald’s love for Nora is presented as predominantly based on her appearance:
She says to Kristine she will tell her husband the truth when she is older and he no longer finds her attractive
His evident physical desire for her after the frenzied dance is shown as callous and crass as he misconstrues Nora’s despair as seduction
Torvald’s love for Nora is portrayed as superficial:
He asks her to stay for the “eyes of the world” despite her unhappiness
He cares more for his reputation than his wife
He perceives that a successful marriage is based upon Nora being dutiful
He sees their marriage as a sign of success and respectability:
Nora’s love for Torvald, however, is presented as genuine:
She defies him and the law in order to save his life
She is so horrified he will be disappointed in her for considering suicide
Nora’s disillusionment with marriage is foreshadowed in the rising action:
She asks Kristine if it is possible for a wife not to love her husband
She compares Torvald to her father: he is controlling
Both Dr Rank and Krogstad represent two men who are unhappy in love
Dr Rank’s long-term unrequited love for Nora is voiced once he knows his death is imminent:
He laments his solitude and believes his life is fruitless
Krogstad and Kristine’s love is thwarted by her need to marry a wealthier man to support her sick mother and brothers
The happy and hopeful resolution for Krogstad and Kristine Linde implies a balanced marriage can benefit both men and women:
Kristine refuses to give up her new position for Krogstad and offers instead to support him in their marriage
What is Ibsen’s intention?
Ibsen’s play expresses his concerns with the imbalance of power within patriarchal constructs, especially related to financial security
Ibsen explores how patriarchal legal systems can lead to unhappy relationships that are not based on love
A Doll’s House depicts the breakdown of a marriage due to stereotypes that demean and disrespect personal identity
Ibsen demonstrates how traditional marital constructs that limit female agency can lead to hardship and suffering
The play advocates for honesty and equality in relationships that defy traditional systems of marriage
Appearance and reality
The play focuses predominantly on a bourgeoisie woman’s rather extreme behaviour within her role as wife. The protagonist, Nora, hides her repressed identity beneath a façade, behaving as an overly-excitable young wife. Her inner turmoil eventually manifests in a wild dance and unsettling bouts of paranoia as her position in society is threatened. Her husband’s apparent power, self-control and perfect moral superiority is undermined as Ibsen exposes him as superficial and weak, while Nora, perceived by all the other characters as impulsive and silly, is revealed to be resourceful and capable. Additionally, Ibsen presents the way in which reputation and appearance can negatively impact individuals and hide their true nature.
Knowledge and evidence:
At the beginning of the play, Nora appears blissful in her role as obedient wife, however it is quickly revealed that she hides things from her husband
When Nora is exposed for committing a similar crime to Krogstad, audiences witness double standards at play:
Nora’s justification to Krogstad, that her motives for forgery were noble, show the bourgeoisie's hypocritical attitudes to criminals
Ibsen presents the disparity between Krogstad’s reputation as immoral and his genuinely merciful and tolerant nature:
Dr Rank and Torvald’s gossip about Krogstad as dangerously corrupt turns out to be untrue as Krogstad is revealed as a noble character
Krogstad’s bad reputation (which has diminished his status and social power) is exposed as unjust
The play advocates, particularly though the character of Kristine Linde, honesty and sincerity:
She repeatedly encourages Nora and Krogstad to let the truth emerge
Both Nora and Krogstad pay severely for their deceitful deeds:
Krogstad’s reputation is ruined, and Nora is placed in what she sees as an impossible dilemma
However, Ibsen explores the complexities of sustaining honesty in restrictive circumstances:
Both Nora’s and Krogstad’s lies are shown as acts of love
Their crimes are due to their powerlessness in society
Torvald’s pontifications about his strict principles regarding lies and deceit are exposed:
His position as a man of principle is undermined:
He reveals his main concern with Krogstad is not his lies, but his “inappropriate” familiarity and lack of respect towards him as his boss
Torvald lectures Nora for being a woman with “no religion, no morals, no sense of duty”:
Ibsen mocks his lack of integrity when he reveals his main concern is that people will think poorly of him
His relief at Krogstad’s withdrawn threat is evidently related to his own reputation: “I am saved, Nora! I am saved!”
What is Ibsen’s intention?
Ibsen comments on how traditional, bourgeoisie society relies on a façade of decorum and strict conduct
His play highlights how strict codes of conduct can be counter-intuitive and hypocritical
Ibsen explores the pressures of maintaining respectable appearances in 19th-century European society
A Doll’s House exposes the impossibility of perfection by mocking those who believe they are capable of it
The title of the play implies imaginary roles and pretence are required to sustain traditional marital constructs
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Ultimately, all of the themes in A Doll’s House are linked to each other: power, identity and autonomy are linked to gender, marriage and societal preconceptions. Arguably, all of the themes in the play revolve around individual agency, so this is the most useful lens through which to consider any critical interpretation of the text.
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