Nora's character is A Doll's House is
a very interesting one for several reasons. (Note that this was an extremely
controversial play for its time, the late 1800s.)
First,
Nora is—to a point—a reflection of women during the time in which Ibsen wrote his play:
they were generally submissive and obedient. Second, Nora goes through a transformation
that makes her more believable to us today; the transformation is brought on by
extenuating circumstances: she must save her husband's life at any cost. Last, Nora
leaves at the end, something else extremely unusual for a woman of that time: she leaves
her children behind (not well-received by some theater-goers), and departs toward an
uncertain future .
The "little-girl/obedient role" Nora
plays throughout the play and the way she almost always acts—as
everyone expects her to without question, is what makes Nora oppressed. She is not
expected to think for herself, and when she steps "out of line," Torvald brings her back
as he would a child: with admonishments and gentle
scoldings.
Nora is willing in that she adheres to the
social restrictions placed upon women at the time (to the public eye). She dresses up
for Torvald, as he requests, for the masquerade party. She "wheedles" money from Torvald
for Christmas presents by begging and "pouting," and sneaks candy and lies about it to
Torvald, both as if she were a little girl.
Nora is
willingly oppressed in that sometimes this behavior helps her to achieve her own ends,
but I don't think she sees it as manipulation. She is willingly oppressed by Krogstad's
extortion, but she would do anything to save Torvald's life. In many ways, in acting
like a child, she really doesn't know better; and by doing what Torvald asks, she is
comfortable and cared for.
The social mores of the time
require Nora to step into the role of the oppressed woman, but necessity requires that
she take adult and independent steps to save her husband's life and deal with the
frightening consequences until the end. It is only then that she finally sees the truth
of what true love can do (with Krogstad and Kristine Linde), and discover that Torvald
cares more for himself than for her, even after all she has done for him. At this point
she defies social expectations, refuses to be a willing victim any longer, and
leaves.
For Minnie Wright in "Trifles," (written by Susan
Glaspell, at the turn of the century, based on a true story), we also "see' an oppressed
woman (though the picture we get of her comes from the sympathetic eyes of women in her
community—as Minnie is already in jail when the play
begins).
Minnie lives with a man (Richard) who has a decent
reputation in a man's world, but is hard and uncaring when studied
through the eyes of Minnie's neighbor, Mrs. Hale. Subtle hints in the conversation of
the men give insights to what kind of man Wright was (uncommunicative, demanding,
harsh), and yet by listening to the men in general, we can see that society has little
time for, or understanding of, the hard life of a woman and the responsibilities that
fill her days.
Minnie is oppressed, and if it is willingly,
it is because it is expected as her only means of survival. She works hard; her husband
provides little, if any, kindness toward her. She has no children. Neighbors don't visit
because her house is such an unhappy place, and we get the sense that Mr. Wright has
killed not only the canary, but the joy in Minnie (as was once seen in her singing as a
young woman).
In both stories, the women are oppressed,
expected by husband and a male-dominated society to conform. Both women do so for a
period of time, each in her own way. However, by the end of each story, we discover that
Nora and Minnie both come to a breaking point: Nora leaves her husband, and Minnie—it
would seem—kills her husband.
Both women are willing
victims to a point. They cannot survive easily without their husbands, and for a long
period of time, they both allow society and their spouse to dictate the quality of their
existence. Nora seems to do so unknowingly and perhaps this is why her awakening is less
volatile than Minnie's. Minnie conforms until the death of the canary at her husband's
hands: at this point she seems to have snapped. She does not kill him in a heated rage,
however, but with premeditation.
So while both women are
oppressed and willing victims for a time, eventually each arrives at a point where she
can no longer survive under these circumstances.
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