Review: A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, is a story of a superficial marriage in which the husband and wife do not really know one another. A possible theme of this play is that in order for a marriage to be successful, the people involved should know and trust each other and view one another as equals.

Torvald and Nora Helmer are two of the main characters in this modern realistic prose drama. The husband and wife live in a fantasy-like world where they act like children and reveal that they do not know each other on a deep level as they should. The opening scene begins with Nora returning from a shopping trip; Helmer is inquiring what she did while she was away. He asks his wife: "My sweet tooth really didn't make a little detour through the confectioner's?" Nora replies: "No, I assure you, Torvald..." (972) Nora already revealed that she had infact purchased some coconut macaroons and had been secretly munching on them. A simple matter of deliberately lying over a matter so trivial as eating cookies, indicates a much deeper problem: an element of not truly understanding and knowing one another.

The second aspect of this theme is that Torvald does not in reality trust his wife. He first exposes this attitude in the opening of the first act when he tells Nora that he does not trust his "little spendthrift" with money. He also tells her later in the play that: "... you can't be allowed to bring up the children; I don't dare trust you with them..." (1013) Torvald's mistrust in Nora reflects upon her very existence. He wants to control every component of her life, even the clothes she wears. Without trust in a marriage, a strong foundation cannot be established and the base will surely crumble.

The final fundamental that lacks in Nora and Torvald's relationship is that they do not view each other as equals. Torvald treats Nora like a child or doll and calls her pet names such as: "squirrel" and "little lark". Torvald does not allow his wife to think for herself and she lives her life just to please him. Their marriage is based on Torvalds superiority to Nora and her every move trying to please him. This unstable relationship eventually comes crashing down at the conclusion of the play; bricks of a building will not stand for long if not repaired or built upon a firm foundation.

Henrik Ibsen's, A Doll House, is a story of a depthless marriage in which the husband and wife do not know one another. The theme of this play is that in order for a marriage to be successful, the people involved should know and trust each other, and view one another as equals.