Doll\'s House by Henrik Ibsen

¶ … Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Specifically, it will discuss moral and social consciousness in service to others in the two stories. Both of these stories raise issues of moral and social consciousness, and make the reader more aware of how society viewed and treated women during the Victorian Age. Each of these characters must conquer obstacles fight for what they believe is right, even if it goes against the culture and belief systems of the time.

In "A Doll's House," Nora is pampered and childlike in her existence with Torvald. She lies to her husband instead of being honest with him. Thus, she creates tension in their marriage, which Torvald only adds to by treating her like a child. In fact, he calls her a "silly girl," and one of her choice activities is eating macaroons to spite him. Early in the play, Torvald refers to his wife as a "lark," a "squirrel," and "the little sweet-tooth." She certainly is not a complete or feminist woman, and yet, she ultimately chooses what is right for her and, rather than her family. At the end of this play, she does something unimaginable at the time; she stands up to her husband, and leaves him to find herself. As one critic says of her reaction to Torvald's violent outburst, "She, on the other hand, who had believed that he would appreciate the devotion underlying her act and would even be prepared to take the responsibility for it upon himself, feels all the props of her moral existence knocked from under her" (Downs 111). She suddenly knew she had been wronged, and to fight for what was right, she had to desert everything she had ever known and begin again.

Another aspect of "A Doll's House" also leads to the fight for what is right and social responsibility. Krogstad wants to begin his new relationship with Mrs. Linde on the right foot, and so he wants to destroy the devastating letter, and destroys the note for the loan that Nora continues to owe. Another critic notes, "Krogstad's destruction of the incriminating paper proceeds from his wish to begin their new venture on a basis of perfect openness and virtue. (The change of intention has a bearing on what might be called the main moral plot)" (Downs 111). Thus, Krogstad and Nora both find a need for moral and spiritual consciousness. Krogstad does it to begin a new life with no regrets, and Nora does it because she realizes she will never be a whole person if she remains with Torvald. There is another moral obligation she seems to ignore however, and that is her children. Another critic notes, "[H]ow it could ever be possible for any woman with the maternal instinct fully developed to desert her children because her pride was wounded?" (Egan 102). This question goes unanswered in the play, and it colors Nora's reaction and solution to her problem. She ultimately must feel her first obligation is to herself, and it is worth the price she and they will pay.

In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator also pays a heavy price. She escapes her empty and unsatisfying existence by going completely mad. She rationally understands those around her are pushing her toward madness when she says, "John is a physician, and perhaps -- (I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind) -- perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster. You see he does not believe I am sick!" (Gilman).

In fact, there is a question as to whether the narrator drags her husband along with her in her journey into madness. Two feminist writers note, "At the moment when Gilman's narrator completes the identification with her double in the wallpaper, she experiences an epiphany. To John she exclaims, 'I've got out at last... In spite of you and Jane!'" (Delashmit, and Long 33). She has realized her freedom, but at a very heavy cost. Like Nora, she leaves behind a child and a husband in order to live in her private "mad" world. Some critics believe she is the result of a "sick" society that treats women so inhumanely they have few options but to desert their families or go mad (Herndl 114). Obviously, the cost to the women and the family is extremely high, and the obstacles they face after they fight for their right are extremely high as well. The narrator will probably never regain full sanity, and even if she does, her husband will never believe she is "cured" or capable. Nora may never return to the family, and she will face many obstacles attempting to make a living on her own at a time when few middle- or upper-class women worked outside the home.

Both women fought for what they knew was right at a time when women were literally kept behind closed doors for most of the time. Both women could see the wrongs and injustices in society, and both knew there had to be more for them somewhere else. The narrator pays the highest cost because she gives up her sanity and her family, and she faces the greatest obstacles to a normal life. It is interesting that the male author (Ibsen) creates a character that seems irrational in her decision to leave, while the female author creates a character that is quite sympathetic even as madness creeps up on her. This indicates just how different male and female views were at the time. Both women fought and spoke out about wrongs, but they were viewed differently even by their own authors.