Sexuality and Disguise in Ibsens a Dolls House - Essay Example

SEXUALITY AND DISGUISE IN IBSEN’S A DOLL’S HOUSE A BRIEF SYNOPSIS A Doll’s House is a story of Nora Helmer’s struggle for self-identity and on how she has taken steps to perform her duty to herself. Nora Helmer has hidden a secret from her husband Torvald Helmer. She has borrowed some money from Krogstad which she used during the time that her husband was gravely ill. She intends to bring the secret with her to the grave. However, fate has a different plan. Torvald has been appointed bank director and one of the first things that he has done even before he assumes office is to fire Krogstad. Krogstad, sensing his impending dismissal, tried to blackmail Nora. He has revealed to Nora that he knew that she forged her father’s signature and that if he will be fired he will definitely tell Torvald about Nora’s lies, forgery and loan. In the process, Torvald learned about the loan and the forgery. He is ready to disclaim her because of that. But because of a changed in Krogstad, everything was settled but not for Nora. She has seen Torvald no longer as the man she has married but a stranger, a man not worthy of her love and thus, she leaves him. SEXUALITY ANS DISGUISE The character of Nora Helmer shows us how women during the 18th century have been characterised and treated. She has vividly shown the truism that women are never seen as capable of becoming their own person. And that their entire personhood, sexuality is dependent on how the men in their lives see them. The general conception of sexuality is that it refers on how a human person’s sexually defines herself or himself. It goes beyond the reproductive sex organs but it lodges on the sexual identity that goes with the organ of reproduction. In the play, Nora has clearly presented the fact that women are not given the chance to explore their own sexuality rather they are made to lived up on how men in particular and society in general have defined their own sexuality. Nora claims, “When I was at home with papa, he told me his opinion about everything and so I had the same opinions and if I differed form him I concealed the fact, because he would have not liked it.…I was simply transferred form papa’s hands to yours. You arranged everything according to your taste, and so I got the same tastes…” (Ibsen, 77) And this is made more concrete when she said that “…our home is nothing but a playroom. I have been your doll wife, just as at home I was papa’s doll child…” (77) Moreover, the play depicts female sexuality as weak and dumb when Nora claims “I can’t hit upon anything that will do; everything that I think of seems so silly and insignificant.” (31) And when Nora is practising for the tarantella Torvald has kept on correcting and directing Nora’s movements that she herself said “…you must coach me up to the last minute.” (57 -58) At the same time, the play has also depicted that women cannot live on their own “…lean only on me; I will advise you and direct you…” (75) But it is not only that. In the play, Ibsen has clearly shown that up until 18th century which is supposed to be modern already they were still holding to the idea that whatever is bad in the human person, the person gets it from the mother implying the notion that nothing good can come from the mother herself. This is made explicit when Torvald himself said “…almost everyone who has gone to the bad early in life has had a deceitful mother [sic].” (33) In the same light, female sexuality has been defined as frivolous, whimsical, spendthrift, and most of all unable to think for one’s self, “…only you had not sufficient knowledge to judge of the means you used.”(74) and the moment that women start thinking for themselves, they are deemed as crazy as Torvald claims when Nora was speaking her mind “You are ill, Nora, you are delirious; I almost think that you are out of your mind.” (80) But is this really female sexuality? In the midst of this structured understanding of what female sexuality is, disguise is utilised by Ibsen, again in Nora’s character, as it shows that behind the façade lies the true self, behind the lies is the authentic person. And I think this disguise, although clearly perceptible in Nora is also perceptible in Krogstad In Nora’s case, her image of female sexuality as weak, dumb, dishonest, incapable of judgement, carefree, worry free is a disguise on her true self. She is a very tough person in spite of her being “brittle and fragile.” (79) She carries for eight years a secret that would make others break down – the secret of the borrowed money. Nora has shown us the great strength that she has when she took care of everything - she cared for her ailing husband while she was about to give birth to their first son Ivar, and during that same time her father was also dying. She has carried all the concerns all by herself. She is tough. In fact, she has borrowed the money not because she was whimsical but she was trying to save her husband. She was willing to stake everything not because she is stupid but because she loves him, to the point that she is more than willing to sacrifice her honour for him for;” It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done.” (81) Besides that, her desire to fulfil her “duty to herself” (79), to hold on to the notion that “…before all else I am a reasonable human being.” (79), to embark on a quest that will enable her to “think over things for myself and get to understand them.” (79) and finally to make a judgment “I am going to see if I can make out who is right, the world or I.” (79) is a very clear manifestation of a person who is driven, intelligent, purposive and centred. Yet she hides it under her doll like, child like appearance. But it is not only Nora who is in disguise. Krogstad is also disguising. In his macho image of being tough and ready to take the world at whatever cost is a weakness – Mrs. Linde. When Mrs. Linde, a former girlfriend, told him that she is more than willing to start all over again with him and that her bleak life will become meaningful if they be together, all of his toughness vanished… RELATION OF SEXUALITY AND DISGUISE The relation of sexuality and disguise in the play is apprehended the moment that we look into Nora’s quest for self – identity. As such, I think the following: 1. Sexuality disguises true identity. As our understanding of sexuality is largely influenced by the society, it fails to present what the person may really be. In the case of Nora, She has been treated as a child-woman “…I have been your doll wife, just as at home I was papa’s doll child…” (77) when in fact she is a woman of substance, of courage and strength “I must think over things for myself and get to understand them… I am going to see if I can make it out who is right, the world or I.” (79) 2. Sexuality disguises authentic potentials of persons for it fails to recognise persons as they are. Torvald sees Nora as a property “…at all the beauty that is mine, all my very own?” (67) When in fact Nora is a person, a subject “…I believe that before all else I am a reasonable being.” (79) Moreover, it treats motherhood and being a wife as the “ most sacred duties” (79) of a woman failing to recognise that of the same significance is a woman’s “duty to herself” (79) 3. Sexuality and disguise perpetuate patriarchal conception of how women should look at themselves – child woman. 4. As sexuality disguises authentic persons, the inability of human beings to create a real bond together is solidified. As Nora herself claimed “…I only know that you and I look at it from different light….” (79) And she continued “…As soon as your fear was over…not fear for what threatened me but for what may happen to you… as if nothing happened. Exactly as before, I was your little skylark, which you would in future treat with doubly gentle care, because it [sic] was so brittle and fragile….I had been living with a strange man….”(81) 5. Both sexuality and disguise human relations that are life affirming for only in “perfect freedom on both sides…” (82) will “life together would be a real wedlock.” (83) Finally, let us be reminded “…complete understanding …is impossible with all this concealment and falsehood going on.” (63) BIBLIOGRAPHY Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. 15 October 2008 Read More