Book Reports /
Essay on A Doll's House and the impact of the past. [2]
The play A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen is greatly influenced by past events, past friends, and most importantly past mistakes. Each character in the play has actions that have happened in the past that haunt them in the present. For example, Dr. Rank's dying over the mistakes of his excessive father, and the shared past between Torvald and Krogstad; which ultimately leads to Krogstad's termination. The most significant return of past events occurs to the doll like Nora who has deceived her husband for years, but is now on the brink of being revealed.
In an exchange between Torvald and Dr. Rank, Dr. Rank comments on enjoying himself at the party and Torvald responds with " I think so too, so long as you don't have to pay for it in the morning." It is Torvald's belief to not have negative consequences for ones own actions. Dr. Rank then responds with, "Oh well, one can't have anything in this life without paying for it." Dr. Rank knows paying for the consequences of past actions better then any other character in the play due to the severity of his illness. His fathers over indulgent nature has left Dr. Rank forever scarred, and in the end it will cause his death. Similarly, Dr. Rank's comment applies to Nora. Nora believed that she could borrow money, forge a signature, and still come out unscathed. These past actions are what cause Nora so much trouble. She lied to Torvald and for years hid how she spent her money and time. The central conflict for Nora is trying not to allow Torvald to unearth her secret, but at the same time she thinks that Torvald and the law would forgive her crimes. During the events of the play, Nora's present is consumed with hiding her past decisions. Torvald's response to enjoying oneself is a form of irony for Nora because Nora did enjoy herself, but now she has to face the consequences. However, Nora is not ready to let go of her past, and does everything in her power to keep her past a secret.
Next, Krogstad is also seriously affected by the consequences of his deceitful actions. Krogstad forged a signature onto certain documents, was caught, but never admitted to his crime. The professional world saw this as an act of cowardice and Krogstad has had to fight and work tirelessly in order to regain any ounce of respect that he had lost. The rigid society in which Krogstad lives has made it nearly impossible to move beyond his minor past crimes. These circumstances force Krogstad into loaning Nora money, and they are the driving factor behind why he blackmails Nora. Krogstad will do anything to keep his job in order to slowly improve his reputation for his sons. He says, "My sons are growing up; for their sake I must try and win back as much respect as I can in the town. This post in the Bank was the first step up for me - and now your husband is going to kick me downstairs again into the mud." The main reason Krogstad will not keep his job is because of his crimes, and also because of the shared past between himself and Torvald. Torvald and Krogstad knew each other growing up, which causes Krogstad to be informal with Torvald. Torvald despises Krogstad's familiarity with him because it associates Torvald with the stigma of Krogstad's crime. The most important thing to Torvald is having an honorable and respected reputation. Not only does Krogstad's past illegal acts hurt him, it is the familiarity with Torvald that ultimately leads to his termination at the bank.
Finally, Nora is a character who has not been able to move beyond her past. As a child she was raised by a protective, overbearing father who treated her like a plaything. Nora has never learned anything for herself, nor has she been able to form her own opinions. Rather, she has shared the beliefs of the older men in her life, like her church's reverend. After being treated like a doll by her father, Nora went to live with Torvald. Torvald was no different from Nora's father; he treated her like a toy calling her his little squirrel, or a "spendthrift." Nora even admits to Torvald that she doesn't know what her tastes are because when she lived at home her tastes were her fathers, then when she moved on to Torvald her tastes adapted. In the eight-year history of Nora's and Torvald's marriage, Nora claims that they have never had a serious conversation. However, Nora never paid any attention to this because she was so used to being treated superficially by the men in her life. Nora even says, "Our home has been nothing but a playroom. I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was papa's doll-child." The consistent treatment of Nora as a plaything in her past is what pushes her to leave Torvald and her family. It may have taken years for the past to affect Nora, but once then did she drastically changed the way she lived her life.
In Henrik Ibsen's timeless play A Doll's House, a crucial theme is how the past is interwoven with the present. The past haunts Dr. Rank who ultimately dies due to his father's excessive nature. Furthermore, Krogstad is haunted by his minor crimes and his shared past with Torvald, which ultimately leads to his being fired. Finally, the past comes full circle for Nora after Krogstad loses his job and reveals her secret to Torvald. Try as she might, Nora cannot hide from her past crimes of deception and forgery. Nora has come to the realization that she has been treated all her life as a toy and now has a duty to put herself first.
