Character of Torvald in A Doll's House

A Doll House, written in 1879, belongs to Ibsen's cycle of twelve naturalistic plays that started with Pillars of Society in 1877 and ended with When We Dead Awaken in 1900 (Johnston 47, 50). Johnston sees Hegel's philosophical system as elaborated in Phenomenology of Mind [Spirit], "which describes the emergence of Spirit from the sub-ethical `community of animals' and its ascent through various phases, manifested in History, up to the final phase of Spirit adequately positing itself" (Johnston 49). Johnston characterizes Ibsen's narrative design as dialectical, noting that in Hegel's dialectical account, Spirit "advances by a series of dramatic negations--by negating inadequate prior selves. Each of these negations is a spiritual `death,' but a death which is positive, which `converts the negative into being'" (49). A Doll House is connected to Hegel's discussion of the notion of "Reason as Lawgiver" and "Reason as a Test of Love" (Johnston 50). Thus A Doll House is a negation of the "prior self" of Pillars of Society, which is connected to Hegel's treatment of "Society as a Community of Animals." In turn, the thesis of A Doll House

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ad. In the movement toward crisis and catastrophe, Torvald's internalized psychology becomes increasingly more manifest. Torvald retains something of a playful demeanor toward Nora in the early scene, but his subtext of reason becomes increasingly more manifest as she calls attention to how cleverly she enacts her child-woman role: HELMER: Wasn't that a bright idea I had? NORA: Brilliant! But then wasn't I good as well to give in to you? HELMER: Good--because you give in to your husband's judgment? All right, you little goose, I know you didn't mean it like that (I:577). What Torvald does not realize is that of course Nora does mean it precisely like that and that as a matter of fact her reason is working overtime to excite Torvald's emotion. In any case, as the scene unfolds he is increasingly obliged to explain himself. What Torvald thinks in this scene is that Nora is being uncharacteristically unreasonable and that he needs to explain himself and his principles more clearly. What he feels is confidence in his own judgment about Krogstad, together with a bit of confusion at Nora's stubbornness in pleading for Krogstad. Although he is hurt that her simple-minded pleading should require him to justify himself, he feels tender pat
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Approximate Word count = 4318
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)

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