‘Ibsen Shows the Home in a Doll's House as Both a Sanctuary and a Prison.’ Discuss in an Essay of Not More Than 1,500 Words.

The first indication that the home in ‘A Doll’s House’ could be shown as being either a sanctuary or a prison is in the title. When we think of a doll’s house, we think of a model house which has been reproduced in minute detail which is very realistic almost to the point of perfection. With this in mind, the title immediately conjures up the image of a perfect home which could be seen as a sanctuary to its inhabitants. The reader may also reflect on the scaled down proportions of doll’s houses and the feeling of claustrophobia and entrapment inhabitants might feel being in one therefore it could be a type of prison. As ‘plays are conceived with a particular space in mind’ (Brooks et al p. 18) A Doll’s house evokes a type of space where all the characters will play roles as they might in child’s play. We are constantly reminded how important the title is, Ibsen constantly uses the theme of play throughout as Torvald treats Nora as a plaything, and treat’s her like a child. The doll metaphor is specifically referred to on more than one occasion in Act I, ‘no, dogs don’t bite nice little dolly children.’ (Act I, p.33) and in Act III ‘I was papa’s doll-child; and here the children have been my dolls’ (Act III, p. 112). This repetition underlines the importance of the play’s title; Richard Allen states that it ‘has become a kind of icon summing up women’s situation in society and the family and focusing our attention on Nora’ (Goodman et al, p. 208).

Initially it would seem that the home is portrayed more of a sanctuary than a prison, Ibsen starts by setting the scene at length. The description is certainly that of a wealthy household ‘a room furnished comfortably and tastefully, but not extravagantly....a small book-case with well bound books’ (Act I, p.5) A porter and a maid are mentioned in the opening lines so the audience is aware that the family are affluent. As the setting remains mostly unchanged throughout the play, the emphasis would be put on the actors to develop the plot and make use of the props around them. Indeed Ibsen gives specific stage directions in his writing, the stage directions at the very beginning are very evocative, Nora’s constant humming and ‘laughing to herself’ (Act I, p.5) set her up as being a nervous almost neurotic character, this could be seen as already contradicting the sentiment that the home is a sanctuary as she appears to be restless and busies herself with numerous tasks she could be portrayed as being very uneasy. If her home was one where she would truly feel safe, she probably wouldn’t act in this way.

From the start we know that there is a patriarchal hierarchy in the relationship between Nora and Torvald which is shown through the condescending language he uses when he speaks to her referring to her as his ‘little lark twittering’ (Act I, p 6) in his opening line. The simile of a bird is used throughout the first scene which ties in with the idea of the home as a prison; Nora could be portrayed as a caged bird. She even uses the simile referring to herself, ‘you haven’t any idea how many expenses we skylarks and squirrels have’ (Act I, p. 9). This statement alone reveals that Nora plays the part of a featherhead to her advantage. The simile is used again in the last Act when Nora states ‘I was your little skylark, your doll’ (Act III, p. 118), she will be no more, even after Torvald states ‘I have broad wings to shelter you under’ (Act III, p.109) As the play is predominantly dialogue between two or three people, the language Ibsen uses is important to build up the characters. The tone of the conversation between Nora and Torvald is light-hearted and not very serious in the first Act in stark contrast to the final act when Nora reveals her true feelings.

In the second half of the first Act, the home in A Doll’s House is exposed as being more of a prison as it is revealed that particular rules have been imposed on the house by Torvald and Nora must act in a particular fashion. Earlier on in the scene, the fact that Nora hides the evidence that she has been eating macaroons from her husband could be seen as a precursor for the larger deception which is to be revealed. However, Dr. Rank shows that the rule is known by others too ‘What, macaroons? I thought they were forbidden here’ (Act I, p 29), this revelation is quickly followed by Nora wishing she could say something to Torvald ‘I should just love to say—Well, I’m damned’ (Act I, p. 30) She is comfortable enough to speak freely before her friend and her husband’s friend but she reverts to type as soon her husband comes, once again Ibsen uses the stage direction to emphasize the secrecy which is needed ‘Nora_(hiding the packet) Hush! Hush! Hush!’ (Act I, p. 30) this episode says a great deal of Nora’s moral fibre.

At the beginning of Act II, the room is depicted as being a sanctuary once again, having just been threatened by Krogstad, Nora paces the room, nervous that he should come again but she is safe inside. Ibsen’s stage direction here illustrates this as Nora (_goes to the door and listens._) (Act II, p. 51) followed by looking out of the door. The home being a safe shelter is emphasized by Torvald in the last act, he wants to

An important image throughout the play is the fire and heat. The fire, stove, cloaks, hat and scarves are mentioned so frequently that warmth/heat could be used to mirror the feeling within the home and the changes which take place-it’s changing from a sanctuary into a prison. At the very beginning we are told that the ‘fire burns in the stove’ (Act I, p. 5), immediately giving us the impression of warmth and a cosy place. Once again when Dr. Rank arrives, Nora tends to the fire wanting stressing to her friends that it is relaxed and happy place to be ‘there now, it is burning up. (shuts the door of the stove)’ (Act I, p 26). The atmosphere in the room changes when Krogstad has visited, what was previously a comfortable environment becomes stifling ‘How hot it is in here’ (Act I, p. 48), this could be seen as the pivotal moment in the play in terms of the atmosphere in the room and indeed it seems to coincide with Nora’s decision to take on a new life. At the very end of the play Torvald reminds her ‘how warm and cosy our home is’ (Act III, p.109) but despite this she puts on her cloak, her hat and her shawl and leaves. In performing the play, the fire could be focused on to draw the audience’s attention to the changing atmosphere.

It seems that the home in A Doll’s House was shown to be both a sanctuary and a prison right the way through the play. The emphasis at the beginning was that it should have been a sanctuary but this was only on the surface, from the outside, everything looked perfect, always warm and cosy. As the plot and characters developed we saw that the home was more like a prison for its protagonist Nora who had effectively had her wings clipped by her husband and by society throughout her life, first by her father and then by her husband. She was forced to behave in a prescribed fashion in a false, arttificial world. At the end of the play, she liberates herself from the constraints imposed on her. At the very end, we are aware that the home was always a prison for her, one which she needed to escape from.

(1,328 words)

Bibliography

Ibsen, Henrik (2006) A Dolls house, Filiquarian Publishing
Allen, Richard (2006) ‘New women in theatre’, in Goodman, L (eds) Literature and Gender. London, the Open University
Brooks, M. Davies, J & Pedlar, S. (2001) Approaching Plays, London, the Open University

Bibliography: Ibsen, Henrik (2006) A Dolls house, Filiquarian Publishing Allen, Richard (2006) ‘New women in theatre’, in Goodman, L (eds) Literature and Gender. London, the Open University Brooks, M. Davies, J & Pedlar, S. (2001) Approaching Plays, London, the Open University