Jenny Wang

How does Ibsen emphasize the need for change in Act 1 of “A Doll’s House”?

In the play “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen, set in the 19th century, characters are
presented as those who strictly obey by the Victorian societal expectations, placing
condemnation on those who fail to follow the conventional ideas regarding marriage and gender
roles. In Act 1 of the play, Ibsen explores these central themes through interactions between the
characters.

The emphasis on the need for change can be first observed within the aspects of marriage,
which is seen through the traditionally unorthodox characterization of Nora. In the beginning of
Act 1, Nora is treated by her husband Torvald as an innocent and clueless child, establishing her
isolation from reality. She defines “free. To be free, absolutely free” as spending time “playing
with the children. To have a clean, beautiful house, the way Torvald likes it.” This reveals that
nurturing and looking after the family is the society’s norms of women in the 19th century yet to
be degrading and dehumanizing from a 21st century viewpoint. The traditional view of women’s
role in marriage as nurturing mothers and caring wives places high restrictions on women’s
mindsets, causing detrimental consequences to the healthy and balanced roles in marriages. The
repetition of “free”, consecutively, accentuates the extent of freedom Nora experiences from this
seemingly idealistic notion. Although, Nora’s obedience and seeming vulnerability is only
perceived to be by the patriarchal society, it is notable that Ibsen eventually gives Nora the
realization that the only way to achieve freedom was to escape overly restrictive societal
conformity but in Act 1, her ignorance, disobedient consumption of “macaroons”, and cautious
“tiptoes” shows Ibsen’s criticism to the adherence to the 19th century public opinion that a wife’s
life should evolve around the husband.

Gender roles are also challenged within Act 1. Although the portrayal of Nora is as a
housewife who conforms to her feminine role as the caretaker, her actions of taking the loan
without the recognition of Torvald shows not only her deceit but also an elevated financial
independence, in contrast to other married women in the 19th century. However, in the presence
of Torvald and society, Nora maintains an image of the accepted social norm for a woman. The
juxtaposition between Nora and Mrs. Linde on their perspective on deceit for wife demonstrates
that a shift in viewpoint began to occur. Nora believes she is justified for her decision while Mrs.
Linde believes that within a marriage, no deceit should be condoned. Nora’s opinion may seem
immoral to the Victorian times audience, but marks a significant progression towards greater
equality. In addition, Nora herself, holds the same Victorian beliefs in rigid gender roles. This
can be seen when she says “But it was tremendous fun all the same, sitting there working and
earning money like that. Almost like being a man”. By referencing the act of herself ‘earning
money’ as something that is embodied by the role of a ‘man’, it shows a sense of complacency.
Within this phrase, Nora’s immaturity can also be reflected from saying that “it was tremendous
fun” which compares her attitude towards working with playing a game, showing that the notion
of responsibility does not cross her mind but only the naïve amusement gained from breaking her
gender role.