“individual Choice And Desire Is Usually In Conflict With Societal Values.” State Whether You Agree Or Disagree.

Ibsen s A Doll s House explore the social issues that persisted during the 19^th century. Through the complex protagonists of the play, Ibsen is able to portray individual choice and desire to be impossible to pursue due to societal values of the 19^th century. Ibsen presents fear of a tarnished reputation and society s opinions of individuals as means to limit people s free will. Fear is presented as the main driving force behind the limited freedom of individual choice and desire. A Doll s House presents the different variations in how much freedom women and men have, yet ultimately, both genders are restricted from being truly liberal. The passage chosen highlights how both Nora and Krogstad are prevented from being free. Therefore, individual choice and desire is presented as being in conflict with societal values.

Ibsen explores the theme of societal pressures on the individual through Torvald s reaction to Nora s loan. Torvald s reaction to Nora s debt and the possible consequences for his reputation see him become willing to pacify Krogstad, cost what may , in order to prevent his isolation from society. Through this rapid change in character, Ibsen is highlighting the way societal values control individual s free will in more ways than one Torvald is morally corrupting himself to prevent a tarnished reputation- his free will is taken from him to ensure he still appears as the man society would be willing to accept. Ironically, his attempts to appear as the ideal family man according to 19^th century expectations, in reality, become even more removed from what society values (morality and honesty). Furthermore, Ibsen s use of repetitive imperatives during Torvald s monologue towards Nora of how she should Take that shawl off, take it off creates a harsh tone which is a stark contrast to the pacifying and pleading tone he adopts when Nora tells him of her plans to leave. For Torvald to transition from commands to desperate pleading implies that he does not actually believe he possess superior power over Nora but acts like he does because he feels obliged to do so due to society s expectations of a man. During the 19^th century it was believed that women were delicate creatures who could not be exposed to important matters such as political debate and a workers life instead, men had to assume the role of protector, even education for boys and girls differed with women mainly being taught French and how to assume a feminine role in society. There is also the aspect that Torvald would be willing to break away from conventional social roles in the household (so long as it was away from prying eyes) in order to save his reputation by preventing the scandal that would surely arise from his wife s departure. Once again it is society that is governing Torvald s actions, even in his household (a place that is meant to be private). However, despite the sense of claustrophobic imprisonment that plagues the character of Torvald, Ibsen does offer a sense of hope to regain freedom through the character of Nora.

Ibsen explores the theme of reverting society s expectations through Nora s decision to end her marriage and leave her children at the play s conclusion. In 2010 an unnamed critic claimed that society had programmed both [Nora and Torvald] into their prescribed roles: dominant husband and submissive home-making wife. This suggests that both genders are indoctrinated by the religious undertones designed by their patriarchal society. Indeed, Torvald describes Nora s role to dance and dress up for her family as her sacred duties - the adjective sacred having connotations of religion as holy duties. For a middle class couple living in the late 19^th century these values are typical as both individuals were expected to occupy different sectors- the wife was to have responsibility over the private sector (family life) whilst the husband was responsible for the public sector (working and building his family s reputation), something that was not possible for women to partake in until the 1888 Property Act which gave the women the right to own property. In the final scene Ibsen challenges these religious and societal values when the reverberation of a heavy door closing can be heard and Nora leaves as it is an inversion of the public and private spheres of society that encouraged the gender roles as mentioned above. This is because the husband is trapped in the home and thus the private sphere whilst the wife escapes it to explore society and the public sphere. Moreover, Ibsen has Nora adopt a cold and detached demeanour as she tells Torvald she shall often think of [him], and the children- and this house . By referring to her children as the children Nora removes all maternal responsibility from herself which was often expected of the father in the household. Likewise, Nora s words to Torvald are not overflowing with sentiment which contradicts her earlier characterisation in the play which saw her range from extremely emotional to extremely hysterical through this Ibsen shows how when one breaks away from society s conventions (Nora breaks away from her former role as the dutiful housewife) they can form an identity that is not attached to the stigma of their gender, class or race. In addition, Ibsen s use of listing makes it appear as though Nora has been overwhelmed by her household responsibilities and leaving home provides a sense of freedom for her. Whilst Nora s departure at the play s conclusion offers a sense of hope it comes after she is objectified and belittled by society s conception of what a women should be.

Ibsen explores one s loss of identity when they conform to society s expectations through Nora s realisation that she has simply been Torvald s doll throughout her marriage. During Nora and Krogstad s conversation of her plans to commit suicide, Krogstad attempts to dissuade her from her plans by painting a bleak picture of her emerging from the waters... ugly, hairless, unrecognisable . Ibsen s deliberate use of this bleak imagery removes all that makes Nora a doll through his descri ption of her dead corpse Ibsen is highlighting how insignificant society s expectations of women s physical appearance are- after they die it all disappears. Also, the fact that death is the only time Nora is stripped of all the characteristics society imposes on women her age suggests Ibsen is commenting on how individual choice and desire only exists in death this was a rather controversial indication to make at the time of the play s publication as Norway was an extremely religious country at the time. However, Ibsen did state his intention to write a naturalist play that tackled important social issues, therefore, instead of berating those who consider suicide and those who act progressive Ibsen encourages audiences to view things from different perspectives. Ibsen also uses a semantic field of words that connote the theme of concealment- under the ice , down in cold black water , unrecognizable . The fact that Krogstad believes Nora will be disillusioned with the idea of suicide simply because she will no longer be seen suggests that society believe a woman s job is to look appealing enough to be seen by everyone else. Ibsen made a point of not having Krogstad mention anything of substance to Nora- he does not allude to her family missing her or her how her dying suddenly would be a premature death through this Ibsen once again highlights the low expectations society had of women- believing them to only be concerned of superficial aspects in life. Similarly to Torvald, Krogstad wishes to be a prominent member in society, to be seen and respected by many and expects Nora to desire the same. Krogstad also states that Nora will never be free of her past actions even in death as her reputation remains in [his] hands . Ibsen s use of alliteration foregrounds the noun reputation and represents how once again individuals are overly concerned with how they are perceived by others. Also, given the seriousness of the conversation Krogstad and Nora were having prior to his threat, Ibsen s decision to drop in a callous remark from Krogstad effectively emphasises the undignified manner in which society choose to focus on trivial things (one s reputation) even after someone s death. Here Ibsen exposes the dangers of society s careless generalisation of people.

To conclude, Ibsen explores the restrictions society imposes on different social groups. Through the characters of Nora and Torvald Ibsen highlights how the conservative 19^th century would restrict individuals from fulfilling what they truly wanted. Yet despite all this Ibsen does have one character conquer the expectations of society and fulfil their desire to seek satisfaction in life suggesting that societal values are not necessarily the main obstacle to one fulfilling their desires but rather people s fear of being orchestrated from society. Torvald could reveal the truth behind the loan rather than turn to desperate measures but his fear of losing his good reputation tempts him to immorality and possible crime meanwhile, Nora, completely aware of the judgement she will receive for abandoning her marriage and children does so regardless for the sake of her personal desires. Therefore, individual choice and desire is impossible, not necessarily because of its conflict with societal values but because society has made people live in fear to keep them disciplined. Ultimately, fear is presented as the main driving force behind the limited freedom of individual choice and desire.