Moral Consciousness in "A Doll's House"
Henrik Ibsen's play "A Doll's House" has a theme of moral consciousness that is difficult to ignore. Lies and deceit form the basis for this play, and in the end, they tear this supposedly happy family apart. Nora borrowed money for a noble cause (to restore her husband's health), but she never should have kept it a secret from him. She did nothing to be ashamed of, and she did it out of love. Her only mistake was not sharing that with him, and lying to him. When confronted with the truth, he flies into a rage and says things that can never be forgotten, and she decides to leave him.
Morally, they both seem more like children than adults. They make poor decisions, hurt each other, and cannot forgive and forget and move on with their lives. They seem shallow and insecure, and Nora is especially vulnerable to that because she is a woman at a time when men held the jobs and the power, and women did not. Her decision to leave him is probably the most surprising thing about the play, since most women did not leave their husbands at the time the play takes place. She is striking out on her own in an attempt to make a statement about the way Torvald has treated her, but the reader has to wonder if she will actually have the strength to stay away and not return. The door closes behind her, but the situation is never actually resolved, and it seems Nora may find the outside world too harsh for her to survive, although the play makes it clear she is not afraid to work hard to survive.
The theme of social justice is not as pronounced in this play. Both Nora and Torvald seem like decent people, and so does Mrs. Linde, who wants the family to be honest with each other. Krogstad seems like a shadowy figure that uses his power over Nora to get what he wants, but he reforms in the end. Thus, his consciousness is decent by the end of the play. Social justice does not occur, unless it is toward Torvald, who is so brutal with Nora after he first discovers what she has done. Had he been more understanding and loving, she might have been able to forgive his outrage and stay.
