Original language: Norwegian, Danish
Author: Henrik Ibsen (Norwegian, 1828-1906)
Originally published: 1879
Page count: 72
Dates read: 3/20/22-3/21/22
2023 book goal progress: 7 out of 23
A play that happens to be around Christmas time.
Read my other book reviews for my 2023 goals HERE.
Note inside the book:
One of the most enduringly popular dramas of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House was in its day a startlingly bold exposition of the hypocrisy and concealed struggle within a seemingly happy marriage. Ibsen's characterization of Nora scandalized 19th-century audiences, for it suggested that the naivete and childlike impulsiveness of a middle-class housewife were in fact part of a willful facade erected to achieve a slight autonomy in a society in which women were virtually powerless. Although social and artistic developments have lessened the shock of the play, it still retains its power in its depiction of material dependency in affairs of the 'heart' and that human relationships can stifle an individual's inner reality.
First line:
NORA: Hide the Christmas tree, Helen. Be sure the children do not see it till this evening, when it is dressed.
Favorite quotes:
MRS. LINDE: I have come to look for work
Note inside the book:
One of the most enduringly popular dramas of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House was in its day a startlingly bold exposition of the hypocrisy and concealed struggle within a seemingly happy marriage. Ibsen's characterization of Nora scandalized 19th-century audiences, for it suggested that the naivete and childlike impulsiveness of a middle-class housewife were in fact part of a willful facade erected to achieve a slight autonomy in a society in which women were virtually powerless. Although social and artistic developments have lessened the shock of the play, it still retains its power in its depiction of material dependency in affairs of the 'heart' and that human relationships can stifle an individual's inner reality.
First line:
NORA: Hide the Christmas tree, Helen. Be sure the children do not see it till this evening, when it is dressed.
Favorite quotes:
MRS. LINDE: I have come to look for work
DR. RANK: Is that a good cure for overwork?
L: One must live, doctor.
R: Yes, the general opinion seems to be that it is necessary.
MRS. LINDE: I have learned to act prudently. Life and hard, bitter necessity have taught me that.
NILS KROGSTAD: And life has taught me not to believe in fine speeches.
L: Then life has taught you something very reasonable. But deeds you must believe in.
TORVALD HELMER (Nora's husband): I would gladly work night and day for you, Nora - bear sorrow and want for your sake. But no man would sacrifice his honor for the one he loves.
NORA: It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done.
CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 5.9/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters - 5
Atmosphere - 5
Writing Style - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 7
Logic - 4
Enjoyment - 6
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Review:
CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 5.9/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters - 5
Atmosphere - 5
Writing Style - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 7
Logic - 4
Enjoyment - 6
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Review:
I have VERY mixed views about this play. I found both Nora and her husband quite petty. The way she (pretended?) to spend money and be frivolous was annoying. The way he over-the-top doted on her, yet didn't really listen to anything she had to say was also annoying. Taking out a loan should be a decision of both persons in a relationship and committing fraud is just stupid. I didn't like any of the characters, except possibly Mrs. Linde, and the general situation no longer applies to this generation. If that was all the play was, I'd say it wasn't worth the read.
BUT there's the ending, the last 7 pages or so, when Nora sits her husband down and tells him she's leaving. The dialogue is absolutely beautiful. The last bit is truly wonderful. Unfortunately, much of it won't make sense without the background knowledge given in the rest of the play, which is bleh. I recently was divorced myself and, though he asked for the divorce not me, I related to a lot of what Nora said on a very personal level.
Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Henrik Ibsen have the last words:
TORVALD HELMER: Are not your most sacred duties to your husband and your children?
NORA: I have other duties just as sacred.
T: That you have not. What duties could those be?
N: Duties to myself.
T: Before all else, you are a wife and a mother.
N: I don’t believe that any longer. I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being, just as you are—or, at all events, that I must try and become one. I know quite well, Torvald, that most people would think you right, and that views of that kind are to be found in books; but I can no longer content myself with what most people say, or with what is found in books. I must think over things for myself and get to understand them.
T: Can you not understand your place in your own home? Have you not a reliable guide in such matters as that?—have you no religion?
N: I am afraid, Torvald, I do not exactly know what religion is. I know nothing but what the clergyman said, when I went to be confirmed. He told us that religion was this, and that, and the other. When I am away from all this, and am alone, I will look into that matter too. I will see if what the clergyman said is true, or at all events if it is true for me.
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