Ethan Pupkin

Prompt 2

Ibsen uses the idea of familial roles in a dolls house to explore the complex and often ridiculous
cultultural customs of Norway during his time period. Through a satirical point of view ibsen discusses
freedom, both physically and mentally, and explores it through the context of family education and law.
In essence Ibsen explores the importance of barriers, rules, and cultural norms. In other words Ibsen
asks to what extent it is ok to either break or set rules. For example, the familial roles of Norway shown
through the relationships between Nora, the children, and Torvald, consider the extent to which
following cultural norms is healthy, as the exaggerated manner in which Nora and Torvald follow these
rules cause them to act in a contrived almost robotic manner. I read these characters as though they
don’t know how to act like themselves, and only know how to treat each other the way their society
tells them is correct. But Ibsen also explores the breaking of these boundries, and the other extreme of
following these cultural norms. Noras constant lying and breaking Torvalds rules challenge the audience
to consider the other perspective, in other words the freedom to act how one would like, rather than
how they are told. In many ways Ibsen explores free will, in a particularly unique perspective, one in
which free will is not deprived forcefully but rather through the manipulation of the thoughts and
feelings of the characters. A good example of this is at the end of the book when upon feeling upset
about nora leaving Torvald seeks to win her back, but by not knowing how to act in an alternative
manner he fights between comforting and trying to win back nora, and acting how society believes he
should treat his wife. But Ibsen does not approach the freedom from cultural norms in a bias manner
instead he also shows potential negatives that can result from such behavior. When Nora frees herself
from cultural norms she leaves casual reckage in her path, Torvals, and the children being deprived of a
caring mother figure in the home being such damage. This conflict also arises in the audience, as they
don’t know whether to be happy for nora because she has freed herself from cultural oppression or be
mad at her for leaving her family behind. An interesting concept to consider for this dilemma is our own
culture because as time progresses, our perspectives change. Where a contemporary audience would
have sided with Torvald, because of more traditional views on society and following cultural norms,
people today are more likely to side with nora, for sticking to her beliefs and doing what she believes to
be right. But we see this dilemma represented through law too, when Ibsen essentially asks to what
degree law should rule our daily lives. Although both today and then Law is believed to be a rigid
inflexible unforgivable thing it is never as simple as we imagine it. Noras descion to comit fraud when
borrowing money in order to save her husband, is a reasonable dilemma when consididered in the right
perspective. Although today debt is more reasonable culturally, and this particular situation has changed
over time, the dilemma remains, to what extent is it ok to break laws when you believe it is for the
greater good. Take a more extreme example, murder. Murder or killing someone in general is illegal, but
when you know that person intends to cause harm to others, even when they have not yet begun, is it
ok to act upon it, to prevent a disaster minutes away from occurring. Ibsen similarly to familial roles
explores the flexibility of laws, and ethical behavior. To what extent is it ok to do something we are told
is bad, when it can have positive effects. Although the debt proceeds to cause drama in the home ibsen
makes sure to emphasize more than once that it has saved Torvalds life. The burden which they carry
with them seems just it noras perspective despite that she knows that she has commited a crime. What
Ibsen does through the exploration of culture and law, and what is essentially societal law is not only
explore the characters presented to the audience, but explore our culture, and asks us to reflect on our
own lives. Although now it carries a much lighter load, with more freedom among most developed
societies, then it carried a much heavier significance. Ibsen essentially criticized the lives of his audience
and told them to break boundries and be themselves, be different, something which people don’t
particularly tend to like. People like boundries, groups, following the herd, its our nature, but ibsen tells
us that to succeed sometimes we have to defy the boundries set upon us. A couple more examples of
the cultural boundries are the dress and the tarantella, she dances the tarantella differently, and takes
of the dress to free herself. Noras father imposing his values upon Torvald, and Nora essentially
marrying a copy of her father. The bellitiling nicknames that establish a structure in the home especially
between Torvald and Nora. Mrs. Linde being a widow/ free.