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The title of the play itself is reminiscent of Shakespeare who wrote; ‘All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players.’.1 This sentiment is echoed throughout Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. The protagonist Nora is herself a doll in a doll house, trapped in several ways constrained by her peers. She is confined by the conventions of her society, her background, and by forging her father’s signature in the latter half of the play. While it is indisputable that Nora herself is incarcerated, this essay will argue that she is not the only victim and indeed in many ways all the characters are trapped. This essay will examine specifically both Torvald and Krogstad through the lens that both characters are incarcerated similarly to Nora.
We will first examine Torvald, Nora’s husband, and his imprisonment. Torvald's relationship with Nora is a peculiar one, reminiscently paternal rather than a standard marriage, Torvald takes pleasure in the notion that Nora needs him for guidance. Throughout the play, he instructs her with moralistic proverbs such as; “A home that is founded on debts and borrowing can never be a place of freedom and beauty”.2 Torvald sees himself as just as Torvald likes to envision himself; as Nora’s savior. Indeed, he expresses this to Nora after the party; “Do you know that I’ve often wished you were facing some terrible dangers so that I could risk life and limb, risk everything, for your sake?”.3
Despite his obvious acquisition of power in the play Torwald appears to be the weaker and more childlike character beside Nora, and this is the root of his incarceration. Dr. Rank’s reasoning for not allowing Torvald to enter his practice grants a valuable summary of his character; ”Torvald is so fastidious, he cannot face up to anything ugly”.4 Dr. Rank reinforces the idea that Torwald lacks maturity as he feels Torvald must be sheltered like a child from the realities of the world. Furthermore, Torvald’s petty nature is childlike at times. He should have no qualms working with Krogstad and his real objection is due to Krogstad’s overly friendly and welcoming behavior. Torvald’s final decision to fire Krogstad stems ultimately from the fact that he feels threatened and takes offense to Krogstad’s failure to pay him respect.
Torvald showcases a very self-conscious nature throughout the play and places value in other people’s perceptions of him and his standing in the community. His reasoning for getting rid of Krogstad from his practice despite Nora’s wishes otherwise is that retaining Krogstad would make him “a laughing stock before the entire staff”’ showing how Torvald places the opinions of others above that of his wife, who should be his closest advisor and friend.5 Torvald is trapped in his effort to keep up appearances. Torvald goes on to further demonstrate his deep need for societal affirmation when he reacts to Nora’s forgery. Despite saying that Nora has ruined his life and prohibiting her from raising his children he still insists that she remain in the house because his childish nature is more concerned with how the neighbors will perceive them. Torwald’s chains are the opinions of those around him and are catalyzed by his nature.
Krogstad while possessing an antagonistic role in A Doll’s House, is not necessarily a villain. Whilst he does stand idly and allow Nora’s tormented domestic life to continue, he does express sympathy for her, stating; “Even duns and hack journalists, like me, can have a little of what you call feeling, you know.”.6 Krogstad frequently visits Nora to check on her throughout the play and dissuades her from committing suicide. Krogstad's motivations for behaving in this manner are reasonable, he values keeping his job at the bank in a similar manner to Torwald as doing so will stop his children from being subjected to the hardships that come with a spoiled reputation. However, unlike Torvald, Krogstad's motivations are altruistic.
Krogstad and Nora share a similar trait as both have committed a similar crime (forgery) and both are victims of the society to which they inhabit. While forgery is not a crime in this sense, Krogstad is still labeled a criminal in the eyes of those around him and he is imprisoned by his past actions. One could argue that societal pressure forced Mrs. Linde away from Krogstad and thus prompted his crime This allows the audience to sympathize with the character, and while Krogstad’s treatment by his peers prompted his crime, this still does not justify it. How Krogstad is treated draws parallels with Nora and once again shows how the characters in A Doll’s House are all imprisoned in their unique circumstances.
Whether intentional or not, Ibsen expresses to the audience his longing for true equality and freedom in A Doll’s House. Whereby neither men nor women abuse the power that society gives them and in turn are not the victims of that same society from which the power originated. When Nora flees at the end of Act Three, she sheds her metaphorical doll's dress and steps forth into the world, she opens a new realm of possibilities for not only all women, but all those suffering under the yoke of oppression, with Torvald and Krogstad included. Translator and literary critic Michael Myers noted that A Doll’s House’s theme ‘’is not women's rights, but rather 'the need of every individual to find out the kind of person he or she is and to strive to become that person’’, reflecting how the play’s characters are helpless to their imprisonment and are unable to break the shackles of their assigned societal role except Nora.
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