Drama: themes, history, and literary analysis

Gender and Marxist Criticisms of "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen

In the play "A Doll's House," writer Henrik Ibsen centered on the development of protagonist Nora Helmer's character, as she shifted from being a materialistic, self-centered, and submissive wife to being a willful and independent woman. This shift in character that Nora went through in the play can be interpreted through various perspectives. Among the popular and well-discussed perspectives and theories in literary analysis, Gender and Marxist perspectives have dominated and allowed writers of discourses in literature to evaluate the social meaning of each text written by an author or writer.

Both gender and Marxist analyses can be applied as literary theories in discussing Ibsen's play because both centers on two important themes in the literary work: power play between the male and female sexes, not to mention the socio-economic control that males seemed to have over females, particularly in Nora's case.

In this paper, discussion of Nora's character development is based on a two-fold analysis. The first part involved the use of gender criticism in understanding how Nora had developed a submissive character who clung to her beliefs about being the stereotypical wife and mother to her family. Through gender criticism, Nora is identified as a woman who had cultivated her personality through society's standards -- that is, what is expected from her as a wife, mother, and woman in the society.

Gender criticism's focus is identifying the kind of interaction that characters had with each other as illustrated in the literary text. Most often, gender criticism is associated with feminist studies, which is an appropriate form of analysis for Nora's case. In the play, a critical analysis of Nora's interaction among the male characters showed that she was seen as a frivolous, whimsical, and submissive kind of woman, primarily because she had no sole source of income and was dependent on her husband Torvald for economic and even emotional strength.

Nora's submissiveness and evident dominance of Torvald, Dr. Rank, and Krogstad was shown in Acts I and II. In the first act, Torvald showed his low regard for his wife Nora when he referred to her as his "my little skylark" and "my little squirrel" when they were discussing issues about money. The playful manner he regarded his wife while questioning her about money matters made Nora look like a child who had committed offense against Torvald, giving the reader the impression that their marital relationship was not based on mutualism and equality, but was rather dependent upon Torvald's implicit dominance and Nora's willingness to become submissive for the sake of being given the money that she needed.

Another notable power play that occurred between Nora and Torvald was when he reprimanded Nora for not being able to control herself to indulge herself in Christmas treats such as macaroons. Torvald's reprimand, "[h]asn't Miss Sweet Tooth been breaking rules in town today?" signified the unequal and dominant-submissive nature of his relationship with Nora. Reprimanding Nora, even teasingly, for a simple illustration of her over-indulgence in macaroons was one way in which Torvald reinforced his control over her. By restraining her from indulging herself with food, he was also giving Nora the message that she must not commit actions that would cause a detriment in the family's -- or more specifically, Torvald's -- economic resources. Thus, Nora was controlled by Torvald in even her most mundane actions and behavior.

Nora was also economically indebted to Dr. Rank and Krogstad, immediately explicating why she was willing to be controlled by these men. Her fear of being discovered by Torvald that she had borrowed money from Krogstad made her submissive to Krogstad's demand that Nora influence her husband to allow Krogstad to keep his job ("Do as you please. But let me tell you this -- if I lose my position a second time, you shall lose yours with me"). Dr. Rank's lack of respect for Nora's position as wife, mother, and most importantly, woman, showed how Nora's preoccupation with money and material wealth made her look an "easy prey" or shallow in thought by men such as the doctor.

Nora's relations with the male characters in the play demonstrated how her belief in materialism and money made her susceptible to being victimized as a woman motivated by wealth alone. Though this perception was negated in Act II, when she expressed her liberal beliefs on motherhood and parenting to Nurse Anne, the image of Nora as a whimsical and money-motivated female became strong that she continued to be 'oppressed' by her husband, Krogstad, and Dr. Rank.

Marxist criticism, the second part of this paper's analysis, gives meaningful analysis to the power play between Nora and the male characters in the play as she continually experienced submissiveness and oppression because of her inability to become economically sufficient for herself and her family.

Not able to provide for her family, Nora succumbed to Torvald's authority and control, going so far to become totally dependent on him when it came to making decisions for the family. The fear she felt from Act II to Act III was caused by her economic dependency on Torvald and Krogstad, men in her life who were aware that they can manipulate Nora so long as she is indebted to them financially.