She’s back !!! And not because parting was such sweet sorrow! Nora Helmer returns to her marital home 15 years later in Lucas Hnath’s brilliant sequel to Henrick Ibsen’s classic nineteenth-century tale about the breakdown of the Cult of Domesticity. Although the play is set in the late nineteenth century, Hnath modernized the language to a more contemporary jargon, which works well in this mirthful update to the story. Keeping the story set in the nineteenth century also helped to facilitate the continuation of Ibsen’s attack on the disadvantages for women living in a man-centered society. A Doll’s House, Part 2 reveals the issues facing a society where a marriage breaks down and fails, and subsequently showcases the variety of ways that separation and divorce can affect individual lives.
In A Doll’s House, Part 2 Nora, played by Grace Gonglewski, returns as a successful and bourgeois writer of women’s right’s literature. Her success, however, got her into a little bit of trouble with the law, when her words inspired a particular judge’s wife to up-and-leave him. When the judge discovers that Nora wrote the book, which gave his wife the bravado to break up their marriage, he begins to search for this devil with a pen. Upon digging into her character, this judge reveals that Nora is indeed still legally married to Torvald. Since the enraged judge wishes Nora to retract all her writings, she returns to Torvald seeking help to expedite the divorce. The irony of the situation is that she still needs a man to save her. This concept of a man saving a woman is the brilliance of Hnath’s sequel, insomuch as it presents a problem that women still face today—that there’s an imbalance of gender rights in society.
In A Doll’s House, Part 2 Nora, played by Grace Gonglewski, returns as a successful and bourgeois writer of women’s right’s literature. Her success, however, got her into a little bit of trouble with the law, when her words inspired a particular judge’s wife to up-and-leave him. When the judge discovers that Nora wrote the book, which gave his wife the bravado to break up their marriage, he begins to search for this devil with a pen. Upon digging into her character, this judge reveals that Nora is indeed still legally married to Torvald. Since the enraged judge wishes Nora to retract all her writings, she returns to Torvald seeking help to expedite the divorce. The irony of the situation is that she still needs a man to save her. This concept of a man saving a woman is the brilliance of Hnath’s sequel, insomuch as it presents a problem that women still face today—that there’s an imbalance of gender rights in society.
The most dynamic aspect of this play is how the story is told to us. Rather than present a structured plot with acts and scenes, the play is set in an empty drawing in the old house. As one who saw Arden’s production of A Doll’s House last spring, I was happy to see that the set was the same, minus all the trinkets and bric-a-brac that Nora kept in the house. The emptiness of the house really indicates the emptiness that divorce can have for family. Since the bifurcation of Torvald and Nora’s marriage affected more than the two of them, Hnath’s update provides a series of dialogues all surrounding the play’s heroine, Nora Helmer. Much like the dialogue of the original play, Nora is at the center of all these separate dialogues, but it is one continuous scene that unfolds. The retrospective technique of using flashbacks to reveal the problem in the play is still utilized, however, the epiphany is not singular but rather plural, as both Nora and Torvald discover something in the final dialogue.
Hnath has Nora knocking on the same door she slammed at the end of the first part, and she enters with just as much gusto as she fled all those years ago. As soon as she opens the door, we all wonder what has brought her back. While she begins to tell Anne-Marie (Joilet Harris) the dilemma of the judge, the audience soon discovers how much Nora has changed into this dominant independent woman. In her discussion with Anne-Marie does one see how Nora grew into this character after realizing how much a sham her marriage was with Torvald. To Nora society was deeply flawed because we lie to ourselves and pretend to be happy because we care too much about what other people think. This important stance clearly continues in the first discussion with Torvald (Steven Rishard), where Torvald discusses the not filing for divorce. In his eyes, she left him, so why would he go through with the divorce, if she was never to return. It was as if she died, and so Torvald simply carried on like a widower. Moreover, he refuses to file now because again he reaffirms that he did not wish to break up the marriage.
Hnath has Nora knocking on the same door she slammed at the end of the first part, and she enters with just as much gusto as she fled all those years ago. As soon as she opens the door, we all wonder what has brought her back. While she begins to tell Anne-Marie (Joilet Harris) the dilemma of the judge, the audience soon discovers how much Nora has changed into this dominant independent woman. In her discussion with Anne-Marie does one see how Nora grew into this character after realizing how much a sham her marriage was with Torvald. To Nora society was deeply flawed because we lie to ourselves and pretend to be happy because we care too much about what other people think. This important stance clearly continues in the first discussion with Torvald (Steven Rishard), where Torvald discusses the not filing for divorce. In his eyes, she left him, so why would he go through with the divorce, if she was never to return. It was as if she died, and so Torvald simply carried on like a widower. Moreover, he refuses to file now because again he reaffirms that he did not wish to break up the marriage.
The most telling scene of women’s rights occurs when Nora finally faces her daughter, Emmy (Grace Tarves). Although Emmy was too young to remember her mother, she appears to be chip of the old block. Cunning, resourceful, and easily able to manipulate father, Nora is hoping that Emmy will help change Torvald’s mind about filing for a divorce. The issue is that in the nineteenth century, a woman could only file for divorce if a man had committed some egregious act. Clearly Torvald did no such thing, so Nora needs him to file, as a man can leave his wife for any reason. This unbalanced law is not only the problem of the play, but also indicates the gender imbalance in society. That notwithstanding, while Emmy shares many of Nora’s traits, she does not view marriage in the same light. Emmy stands up for herself, claiming another eye-opening fact—that all women do not want the same thing. What was good for Nora was simply good for Nora, and Emmy is quite content with marrying Jorgen. To Emmy it was the absence of her mother that really gave her a sense of longing for completion. It is at this point in the play that we begin to understand that is not so much about what we think, but what we feel. Not only should we listen to other’s feelings, but we should also validate how they feel. It does not mean that we have to always agree, but in listening to we really begin to see the human and not simply a man or a woman.
The end of the play is a second dialogue between Torvald and Nora. Torvald enters bloody and beaten up, and he reveals it was because he asked the clerk for a divorce contract, which led to a series of unfortunate events. In Nora’s former discussion with her daughter, it was revealed that since Torvald was embarrassed about Nora leaving him, he never told anyone what happened. When town scuttlebutt emerged, that Nora was committed to an insane asylum and subsequently died, once again Torvald did not deny it. To that end, the Clerk was confused and, in a disagreement, Torvald was struck. He was, however, successful in procuring the divorce papers. In the most hilarious part of the play something truly “miraculous” happens. Nora tells Torvald that she doesn’t want the divorce papers, and he dumbfounded states: “I don’t know what you want? I don’t know how to talk to you!” Torvald tries to identify with Nora’s needs but fails to really listen to her. Nora can only see things from her perspective because she was caged for so long by society, and once she flew out of the nest, she began to see the joy of living alone.
The end of the play is a second dialogue between Torvald and Nora. Torvald enters bloody and beaten up, and he reveals it was because he asked the clerk for a divorce contract, which led to a series of unfortunate events. In Nora’s former discussion with her daughter, it was revealed that since Torvald was embarrassed about Nora leaving him, he never told anyone what happened. When town scuttlebutt emerged, that Nora was committed to an insane asylum and subsequently died, once again Torvald did not deny it. To that end, the Clerk was confused and, in a disagreement, Torvald was struck. He was, however, successful in procuring the divorce papers. In the most hilarious part of the play something truly “miraculous” happens. Nora tells Torvald that she doesn’t want the divorce papers, and he dumbfounded states: “I don’t know what you want? I don’t know how to talk to you!” Torvald tries to identify with Nora’s needs but fails to really listen to her. Nora can only see things from her perspective because she was caged for so long by society, and once she flew out of the nest, she began to see the joy of living alone.
The beauty of this updated sequel is that holds on to the moral of the original tale that men and women should be seen and treated as equals. It should not be a custom of society that indicates what men and women should do, but rather the individual. It’s remarkable at the of the play to watch Torvald and Nora for the first time have an actual discussion. After they exchange some heated and colorful pleasantries, they emerge as a man and woman on the floor completely listening and responding to each other. Therefore, Nora’s return is not for the reconciliation of the marriage, but for the reconciliation of character. When Nora can accept Torvald for who he is, and Torvald accepts Nora for who she is, the real “miracle” happens—acceptance. The Norwegians called this feeling “hygge” or the acceptance of one’s position as comfy and cozy. This feeling can mean myriad things, but the simplest idea is that of acceptance. Nora walks out of the house this time not slamming the door, but rather feeling comfortable in her acceptance as an independent woman. More importantly the warm and cozy feeling is transferred to the audience as we begin to empathize with the characters of a broken home. When the play ends we do not see these characters as doll’s playing a part, but rather as human beings who feel and live in the real world, just as we do.
Bravo to the cast and crew of A Doll’s House, Part 2 at the Arden Theatre. Everyone in the show did an amazing job and I was quite impressed by the whole production. Thank you especially to Steven Rishard, who played Torvald, for the brief discussion at the end of the show and for signing my playbill.
Bravo to the cast and crew of A Doll’s House, Part 2 at the Arden Theatre. Everyone in the show did an amazing job and I was quite impressed by the whole production. Thank you especially to Steven Rishard, who played Torvald, for the brief discussion at the end of the show and for signing my playbill.