Will There Be a Leap of Hope?

A concept I learned in my philosophy class called Know Thy Chair is, “You can’t see the chair you are sitting on unless you move to another chair.” There’s only so little you can know about the chair from the perspective you’re sitting on, but if you move to another chair, you can have more knowledge and a better understanding of what that chair looked like from another perspective. I relate this concept of Know Thy Chair to Nora’s next steps in the play; I think she will realize the size of the cage she lived in for seven years, as she states, “I have to try to educate myself. You can’t help me with that. I’ve got to do it alone. And that’s why I am leaving you now” (Ibsen 146). In parallel, Nora could not see her cage size unless she moved out of it. Torvald will remain in his manhood bubble because of his patriarchal lens. In his selfish ways, he could not relinquish what was politically correct in his time, which was that men ruled. Mrs. Linde and Nils Krogstad will enjoy life together and unfortunately Dr. Rank will have his death wishes. 

 

Outline- Act IV: A Doll House

 

Torvald will become Frail: After she told him she was leaving, he showed a weaker side of himself, not one of a patriarch with a strict rule, but one who perhaps realized he was about to lose the only love he ever had. For instance, Torvald showed signs of weakness when he said, “[b]ut to part! To part from you! No, Nora, no -- I can’t imagine it” (Ibsen 148). While he may not have an emotional attachment, perhaps image-wise, he felt he still needed her there. I think his pride was at stake; how would the fellow patriarch look at him? From my point of view, he did not love her in the sense of what true love means. When there is true love, a husband typically will not debase his wife. For instance, Torvald tells Nora, “I gladly work for you day and night, Nora – and take on pain and deprivation. But there is no one who gives up love for honor” (Ibsen 147). He was doing what he felt was his right, part of which was saying anything to Nora, regardless of how humiliating it was. 

 

Torvald will understand Nora's decision if he transforms himself into true love instead of the need for or necessity of having a woman. Torvald could also find clarity in Nora's decision if he had not focused on the patriarchal and being over-conscientious about the perceptions of others and his status in the community. After all, he was a bank manager, which made him visible to many upstanding people. Moreover, he will come to understand Nora's decision when it is too late after having a revelation of what she meant by "[t]hat our living together could be a true marriage" (Ibsen 149). I guess it comes back to the old saying, "You never realize what you have until it's gone." As the play ends, a sudden hope leaps in him about the greatest miracle, leading to my conclusion that he could recognize her decision and why she chose it.

 

One of the biggest struggles the play tells us of individual men under patriarchy is that men or husbands want to keep a good profile by not showing vulnerabilities and weaknesses at home and in society, but rather embracing and maintaining their reputation, and their masculine pride. The following quotes among many others are examples of struggles:

-       “[…]  when it really counts, I have strength and courage enough as a man to take on the whole weight myself” (Ibsen 124).

-       “I’ll fight for my little job in the bank as if it were life itself” (Ibsen 114).

-       “[…] I’ll have to win back as much respect as possible here in town” (Ibsen 114). 

 

In reviewing my essay's feedback, I intend to improve my clarity in the points I introduce to the essay.