The contemporary era was a period of change that discarde societal traditional values. Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House play symbolizes a revolution that is common in the current times. This was an era when the middle class positioned its footsteps ahead and designed the future for postmodern and modern society. Nora depicts a typical modernist by demonstrating her right of free will. Considering the customary values and how they have dwindled in contemporary societies, someone can realize the definition and essence of individuality in the seceding years. Torvalds takes the role of a traditionalist only to see Nora as a doll. He does not perceive Nora as an individual but sees her as his prize (Ibsen 60). Therefore, this paper provides a similar definition of individuality as Ibsen’s, and it discusses how individuality is applied to Nora Helmer in A Doll's House and concludes that Nora is an individual not a conformist.
Individuality is a character or quality of a specific person that distinguishes them from other people. Ibsen defines individuality as a personal trait that distinguishes a particular person from other people (Ibsen 6). Hence, my definition compares to Ibsen's definition of individuality because we realize that as the novel ends Nora makes a bold decision of establishing her identity as an individual, not as someone submissive whose identity lies in her husband’s status. Nora makes a valiant choice of abandoning her children and husband as this play ends, not because she wants to be free from a marriage, but to teach herself so that she could be independent and be able to institute personal individuality as well as developing an individualized sense (Ibsen 15). This shows Ibsen’s application of individuality in the play.
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As the play commences, Nora is depicted as a submissive. Helmer occasionally tries to enforce his authority on Nora, and she has to conduct herself as his husband expects. Nora cannot consume anything she wants as well as use money at her will. She is supposed to behave as per the husband’s instructions (Sturman 19). Moreover, Nora’s husband treats her as a personal possession, therefore, Nora lacks independence. Even afore marriage, Nora is subjected to a husband who is more like a father. Nora is nothing more than a childbearing appliance restrained inside a four-walled house. The status of Nora’s husband is her source of personality (Borchmann, Daniel, and Tom Hanika 20). Nora possesses nothing to make her proud of as a person. The words Helmer uses such as skylark and squirrel while addressing Nora indicates how the husband perceives her (Ibsen 30-45). That shows she is nothing more than an object present exclusively to fulfill the husband's desires. Several things are happening to her, but Nora can do nothing but to submit to the whims and dictates of her authoritarian partner. All these acts depict masculine individuality and dominance, not self-independence.
The loyal and dutiful traits Nora possesses, makes her falsify a signature to acquire cash to treat her husband. Although, she lends money without Helmer's permission which will be unacceptable to the husband, she keeps it as a secret. The greatest turning point here is when Krogstad threatens to reveal the secret to the husband, and she feels uneasy. When Helmer realizes the issue, he does nothing to defend the wife. When Krogstad takes back the note, Trovald is an affectionate companion once again. Nora then recognizes the real traits of his husband and decides to quit the relationship which meant humiliation and suffering only. She then finds no reason in living with a person who continuously positions his status and dignifies himself above his care and love for his wife. Hence, Helmer's pretenses are not hidden anymore from Nora (Ibsen 60-78). This depicts the real turning point to self-individuality where Nora realizes it is time to build her self-identity because the husband is just dignifying himself, yet she remains degraded.
The final and solemn conversation between Helmer and Nora in Act III of A Doll House portrays a reversal of roles and presentation of individuality explicitly. Here, Nora leads by compelling Helmer to see their marriage from an exclusively new angle. Nora’s argument of her stance discloses an instinctive acumen that made her conspire her harassment because this appeared as the simplest means to a relaxed individualized lifestyle. Having encountered the prickliest realities of moral, societal and spiritual puzzles that Helmer epitomizes, Nora’s love for her life and her energy come into the family (Ibsen 85). Thus, Nora decides not to love her husband anymore for he is not the Helmer, she assumed he was. Even though Helmer tries to convince her to stay, Nora does not believe in miracles anymore. She then hands back the wedding ring, their marriage symbol and leaves to go and claim complete independence. As the sound of a banged door vibrates, Nora escapes. She develops a rebellious character as the play ends, and this is precisely what Nora requires to assert her identity as well as be an individual (Ibsen 79-80). Hence, these events clearly clarify the true representation of individuality in the play A Doll House.
Nora is an individual because she walks out of a conformist life when she realizes that she can establish her identity by quitting her marriage. Nora’s choice to quit her partner doesn’t ascend from a requisite to find liberty, but it stems from the prerequisite to instituting her individuality. Because all along Nora was contingent upon the companion because she lacked first-hand awareness of the world and education. Nora then abandons her children and husband due to the feeling her duties are more significant than the mother and wife's duties.
Works cited
- Borchmann, Daniel, and Tom Hanika. 'Individuality in social networks.' Formal Concept Analysis of Social Networks. Springer, Cham, 2017. 19-40.
- Ibsen, Henrik. “A Doll House.” Portable Literature. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 9th ed. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2016. 881-940. Print.
- Ibsen, Henrick. Four Great Plays of Henrik Ibsen: A Doll's House, The Wild Duck, Hedda Gabler, The M. Simon and Schuster, 2016.
- Sturman, Marianne. CliffsNotes on Ibsen's Plays I: A Doll's House & Hedda Gabler. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.
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