Act 1 Doll's House Notes

IB SL English 2 Block 5 February 23, 2010

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen Looking Closely at Act 1

Act 1 1. It is Christmas Eve, Nora Helmer enters, laden with parcels and tells the maid to hide the Christmas tree so that the children won’t see 2. Torvald hears her and comes out to talk to her about what she has bought the children for Christmas. 3. Nora starts to tease Torvald about money and it is explained that Torvald does not like to borrow money for many reasons. It is also discussed that Torvald is getting a raise so they could spend more money but Torvald disagrees as his new salary does not start till May. This means that Nora will not have to stay up late at night making Christmas decorations like she did last year. 4. The maid comes in and announces two visitors, an unknown woman and their old friend doctor Rank. Dr. Rank goes into Torvald’s study while the unknown woman is shown into the living-room. 5. The scene shows Nora going to meet the unknown woman and after a moment of blankness realises that it is her old friend, Christine Linde whom she has not seen for ten years. A conversation reveals that Christine is a widow and was only married to him to provide security for her family. Her husband died three years before ‘now’ leaving her nothing. She has come here now because she has heard of Torvald’s appointment and is hoping for him to find a job for her at the bank. 6. During this conversation it is revealed that a few years ago, Torvald had become ill and the doctor insisted that it was necessary for him to take a holiday and go to a warm country. At the time, they had no money and Torvald would not borrow money. So Nora borrowed money secretly, telling Torvald that it came from her father. She has managed to pay the money back over the years with quarterly instalments and interest. Now Nora thinks that because Torvald is getting a new salary it will be much easier to pay off the debt. She has not told Torvald because it would hurt his pride 7. Krogstad who works at the bank is announced and there is a quiet discussion with him but he is there to talk to Torvald about bank business. 8. After Krogstad is sent on his way, Nora asks Torvald if he can get a job for Christine. He agrees. They invite Christine and Dr. Rank back for dinner. The children enter and Nora plays with them.

9. Krogstad enters unannounced and Nora sends the children into the playroom so that she can talk to him alone. It is revealed that he knows Christine. He tries to blackmail Nora into using her powers as a wife to persuade Torvald into letting him keep his job at the bank. 10. When Torvald asks what Krogstad wanted, Nora asks what Krogstad did to be demerited in such a way. Torvald tells her that not only did he commit forgery but he lied to try and get himself out of it. This is exactly the thing that Nora has done.

Who has the power? The character of Nora and Torvald:

Nora, at the start of the play, is a delicate, carefree and childish housewife regarded by her husband as his “joy and pride.” At the beginning of the play, Nora rebelled against Torvald by eating the "forbidden" macaroons. Then, without Torvald knowing it, Nora had forged her father's signature to borrow money so that she and her husband could spend a year in Italy. This trip to a warm climate was important to preserve her husband's life. Therefore, Nora considered the success as something she could be "proud of". In order to repay Krogstad, Nora worked as a copier. Instead of being tired of it, she thought, "it was really tremendous fun and almost like being a man". Her wishes for money from Torvald to repay Krogstad also reveals that she is not as naive as she seemed to be. There is moreover an implication that she made a point of deceiving people to earn a respect and an image, to get what she wanted out of life. In this period (1879) women were considered to be less intelligent, less career-interested, more appearance conscious and have more emotional insight than men. This is exactly what Nora performed to the audience and therefore any action that appeared disloyal or even illegal was performed in a social bubble, “she never learnt to overtly challenge her environment.” It is only after Mrs Linde comments and recognizes the falseness portrayed by Nora’s family, does the protagonist reveal another side to her, one that can manage things and one that is not as insignificant as she may have seemed. By revealing the secret of debt to Mrs Linde she has opened up a whole new facade. Not only is what Nora being dishonest but also illegal, she essentially took the law into her own hands and behind her husbands back, something not common to an honest and truthful marriage. Thus, it is the attitude of an ignorant and innocent little girl, Nora chooses to portray, that her husband can indulge in and act upon, in turn making him appear to be the dominant head of the family, in control with a firm hand. This was

typical of the Victorian era whereby men were suited to political, economical and intellectual roles. They were expected to be strong, active, and to be a role model to the society. Torvald was trying to play this role. On the surface, Torvald was a stereotyped Victorian man. He was a powerful man and a typical 'master of the house'. He had a secure job and a happy family. He was also a moral, emotionally distant and tasteful person. But how far was this exaggerated by the way Nora acted and the importance she attempted to bring to him? In the Victorian era, women were judged in terms of purity and domesticity. Women should be modest, virtuous and sweet. They should also be weak and be dominated by strong men. Thus, typical housewives obviously had a higher social status than working women like Mrs. Linde, who were considered miserable. Nora was obviously playing the typical housewife role. Although she displayed her discontent by insisting on how happy her married life was, she didn't want to lose her peaceful life because she was not fully aware of what she represented in the upper-class society. Although Nora plays the role of an innocent, naïve and a typical housewife, the audience, by the end of act 1, learns that this, in fact is just a façade or a mask on top of a much more mature and dynamic woman and although she acts like the subordinate to Torvald, she views herself as equal to him.

Relationship between Nora and Torvald: For the larger part of the play, Helmer is portrayed as having the most power in the relationship. He controls all the money, and gives it to Nora as gifts. Nora's statement that she has lived by performing tricks' and by being pretty and charming, makes the audience aware of the demeaning, unethical aspects of inequality, and again questions the validity of this social norm, which, unfortunately, has not been completely eroded even in modern society. Nora seems to fulfill the role of a dutiful wife and mother. She does not work but stays at home and takes care of her children. Ibsen then reveals that, firstly, she is not really fulfilled, or self-actualized, through this role. The role of wife and mother does not bring out all her potential. He shows this through Nora's fond reminiscence about doing a bit of copying' to pay off her debts: It was almost like being a man'. She finds the experience fun' and gratifying, and does it for a good cause. However, she has to work in secret as her role does not permit her to work. The audience is shown the negative effects of confining men and women to stereotypical roles. Nora is just a doll and Torvald is the owner of the doll and he can do anything with her without getting a reaction; but he ,ust be careful not to break the doll as then, it will be of no use.

Animal Imagery In Act 1

In the play Ibsen uses animal imagery to highlight the development of the main character Nora. Torvald asks, "Is it my little lark twittering out there?" referring to Nora (3). A lark is a happy and carefree songbird. In the beginning of the play it is evident that Nora is or appears to be a lively-spirited and carefree woman, just like a lark. She has already made the loan with Krogstad. Torvald refers to Nora early in the play as "my little lark" when she is moving around the room and humming with a carefree spirit that characterizes the lark (3). It seems that whenever Nora is happy, Torvald thinks of her as a bird, specifically a lark. In contrast to Torvald's calling Nora a lark, he immediately refers to her as a squirrel in asking, "Is it my little squirrel bustling about?" (4). I think this is a interesting in the development of both Nora and Torvald's characters because a squirrel is quite different from a lark. A squirrel is a small furry rodent that tends to have negative and sneaky connotations. If someone is to squirrel away something, he/she is hiding or storing it. This is directly related to what Nora is doing; she is hiding or squirreling away the bag of macaroons, and she is hiding the illegal loan. Furthermore, Ibsen raises the question: Is it right to treat women as inferiors?' Through the relationship between Nora and Helmer, Ibsen presents unequal power sharing in a negative light, trying to provoke the audience into questioning what was accepted as the norm in that period. One of the techniques used is Helmer's language and diction. He uses animal terms to refer to her, such as ‘lark' and ‘squirrel'. This suggests that Helmer does not love Nora as an equal, and treats her like a pet'. This use of demeaning animal references highlights the social norm of treating women as inferior, and provokes the audience to question the validity of that norm.

Use of Realistic Dialogues Ibsen, in this play, makes everything looks real and something that normal people can identify with. Because Ibsen wanted to make his plays uncompromisingly realistic, he wrote the dialogue in simple, everday, middle-class language rather than elegant or poetic language characteristic of romantic plays. But in writing in this realistic and simplistic dialogues, he chooses and arranges his words carefully; every word and every sentence counts. Thus, the dialogue in A Doll's House is simplistic but powerful; little by little, it exposes the human psyche. This realism also reflects the truth of Ibsen’s life as he wrote this play based on a real life situation.

Space Awareness in Act &

In this play, the moving around of characters on the stage is very significant. A major theme in this play is honesty and dishonesty. When Nora wants to hide something from Torvald, she moves away from him and then tells a lie. This has two meanings. The first one is that it shows the dominance of men and that women are not able to lie straight in their faces. Also, it shows a rebellious woman in Nora and that something is boiling up in her. Also, it shows that Nora is not as naïve and innocent as she seems to be. ← Also, in this act we see that Nora comes close to Torvald only when she needs something for example; when she needs money, she comes and starts fumbling with his coat buttons. On the other hand; he keeps coming close to her and it shows that Nora is his desire and despite all the dominance, he cant stay away from her.

Objects and Symbols Almost every object in the play–the Christmas tree, the money she gives the porter–has meaning; they are symbols as well as the setting of the play. 1. The Christmas tree, representing Nora as a pretty decoration that brightens the Helmer home. 2. The tip for the porter, representing Nora’s spendthrift ways. 3. Torvald’s study and his pen represents the sanctum sanctorum of male dominance and decision-making. 4. A closed house as a set: represents a cage that Nora is trapped in and wants to escape from: foreshadows that Nora may break free and fly away from this place. 5. The stage directions: represent the realism of life and that there is no space for romanticism (no space for people not obeying the societal rules): foreshadows that romanticism vs. realism will be a theme later on. 6. Light: Light is very Important as represents the coming to life of something.

IMPORTANT and KEY QUOTES: •

Helmer: “Is that my little lark twittering out there” (970)

This quote is said by Torvald to Nora, with Nora's response following. This quote is used in the opening scene where we first learn about Torvald's disrespectful behaviour towards Nora. This quote represents how typical men would treat a typical woman in the Victorian Era. This being said, we see a lot more of this behaviour coming from Torvald later. •

Don’t deny it, my dear little Nora. Spendthrifts are sweet, but they use up a frightful amount of money. It’s

incredible what it costs a man to feed such birds… Everything you can. But that’s nothing at all. (971) This dialogue between Torvald and Nora takes place in the beginning of Act One. It simply shows how again, Torvald has no respect for Nora and he way of living. Yes, she may be irresponsible with money, however, there are far nicer ways to make that point. As we can see, Nora is continuing to let Torvald walk all over her by accepting these demeaning phrases and names. •

Mrs Linde: “Yes so I had to scrape up a living with a little shop and a little teaching and whatever else I could find. The last three years have been like one edless workday without a rest for me. Now it’s over, Nora. My poor dear mother doesn't need me any more, for she passed away. Nor the boys, either; they're working now and can take care of themselves.” (975) This quote is said by Mrs. Linde in Act One. Mrs. Linde sets a clear example from the beginning of the play, that not all woman lived the “perfect” life that Nora did. This brings us to notice how Mrs. Linde completely went against the social norms of a woman, losing all of her family and support, working several jobs, and fending for herself, alone. I believe that this inspired Nora from the start because Nora felt compelled to lie to Mrs. Linde right off the bat, to make herself seem as though she had trauma and drama in her so called perfect life. • Mrs: Linde: Won’t you ever tell him? • Nora: Yes – maybe sometime, years from now, when I’m no longer so attractive. Don’t laugh! I only mean when Torvald loves me less than now, when he stops enjoying my dancing and dressing up and reciting for him. Then it might be wise to have something in reserve. (977) This dialogue is between Nora and Mrs. Linde close after Mrs. Linde finds out about the money Nora “earned” in Act One. Nora is basically showing how she has dedicated her whole life to Torvald, and her sole mission in life is to please him, which falls directly under my thematic statement that Nora is unable to stand up to men until she has a selfrealization that life does not need to be all about pleasing her husband, and that she is allowed to live life for herself as well. Similarities to William’s play Nora is similar to Blanche in two aspects: No matter how much she fights and rebels, she turns out be still the subordinate to Torvald while in Streetcar, no matter how much Blanche fights, she is still the loser of the fight. Also, Blanche is a theatrical lady revealing her dramatic nature by exaggerating things that are not very big while Nora does the same.

Torvald is very much like Stanley as he is the one in power and has dominance over the house. The relationship between Nora and Torvald is similar to Stella and Stanley as it is based on desire, which is mostly sexual and is the electrical bond between the two couples. Similar to Stella, Nora’s dependence on men is huge but it is more financial in Nora in contrast to more sexual in Stella.