43 being freed from the oppression of her husband. She is not little canary any more,
but she is someone else who needs to look for her own existence in order to escape from the feeling of disappointment. To say simply, the world is a stage
where everyone takes the role of her own to understand the true meaning of their own lives.
4.3 Alienation
The meaning of alienation is apart from its everyday meaning; this term has been used to refer to the results of the estrangement effect when the spectator
or receptor detaches himself emotionally from the work better to follow its didactic import. This term has been great issues of philosophy, psychology,
religion and daily living center around this question of the existence and nature of the self. From one point of view it can be argued that we are objects among other
objects located at particular points in time and space aith a dated existence. A man has no prominence above the beasts: for all is vanity. From another point of view,
man seems to rise above all of the objects of his experience and the particular data of consciousness and even above space and time, to quote Titus 1959: 189.
Alienation perspective relates to the search of truth. When the truth is out of hand because of there is no boundary of what or right or wrong, true or
false and beauty and ugly, man has been trapped in absurd situation. Truth, it is said, in the subjective experience of living. We experience the truth within us. The
truth about the nature of man and human destiny is not something to be grasped and stated adequately in abstract concepts in proposition. A purely rational
approach is likely to deal with universal principles which absorb the person in
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44 some all embracing unity or system. Since the sense of alienations stress the
intimate, concrete aspects of man’s experience, or that which is unique and personal, they are likely to turn to literary forms of expression and the other arts
through which man’s feelings and moods may be more vividly portrayed, to quote Titus 1959: 293.
The term man’s experience in the above refers to what Nora has experienced as a wife in the play. She regards the things she dreams of have been
faded away because she meets at a stranger at her own home. The stranger is addressed to Helmer that is Nora’s husband. Why it happens because the family
life situation does not run well. Helmer treats his wife Nora as a small creature whose role is less important than what she should be. What makes the situation
raises harder and harder because Helmer makes himself stronger and more powerful than Nora.
Actually, the hierarchical concept of Helmer derives from patriarchal mind pattern that places man is higher than a woman. The attributes such as little
squirrel, little featherhead, and a doll indicate how small Nora is in her existence. Such a treatment has brought feeling of alienation into frustration. Nora becomes
skeptical to face the future of her family life both as a wife and a mother of her children. The situation can be seen in the following dialogue:
Helmer : Let me help you if you are in want
Nora : No, I can receive nothing from a stranger
Helmer : Nor can I never be anything more than a stranger
to you? A Doll’s House, 1972. Act III : p.68
The gap of point of view between Helmer and Nora has been cut off in the ruin. Nora feels empty during the days of running family life with Helmer.
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45 The bad treatment that makes her less important than what she should be has
resulted deep frustration for Nora. She feels alienated in her own home as a wife and a mother of three children only because of being independent over her
husband. She is not able to live under the shadow of her husband which is strongly very dominant on her. As a matter of fact, the going on life sense seems
to be stale for there is no harmony between the two anymore. Nora’s decision to live in separation with her husband is the final
alternative that she has to take. She cannot bear the suffering to be treated as a doll anymore. She wants to exist for she thinks it is her right to define the meaning of
life for her own. Since life is an abstract concept, everybody is allowed to run what he or she thinks good for her or him, including Nora. Thus, divorce is an
instrument for moment of finding self-identity. Nora does not reject upon her choice for it is good for her to determine her own life sense. Nora than expresses
her feeling: Nora
: How can I tell? I have no idea what is going to become of me.
Helmer : But you are my wife, whatever becomes of you.
Nora : Listen, Torvald. I have heard that when wife
deserts her husband’s house, as I am doing now, he is legally freed from all obligations towards her. In
any case I set you free from all your obligations. You are not to feel yourself bound in the slightest
way, any more than I shall. There must be perfect freedom on both sides. See, here is your ring back.
Give me mine.
A Doll’s House, 1972. Act III.: p. 67 How strong Nora is after experiencing the suffering to live with her
husband. She stands strongly on her own decision to divorce with her husband. The phrase ‘what is going on to become of me’ is a voice of alienation in terms of
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46 unrecognized individual at her own home with her husband. For Nora, Helmer
seems to be a stranger who does not know who and what his wife should be. Thus, the respond of Helmer “wherever becomes of you’ cannot cure the long suffering.
The feeling of being alienated has been too long which results deep frustration for running the life.
Such a conflicting situation has discovered something new to be faced. It is a new starting life both for Nora and Helmer. Nora wants to revolt what
becomes her right as a woman and a wife. She is more than a canary bird which is not only flying but also is free to decide the destiny of the life. Nora breathes a
new life in order to be freed from the sense of alienation. Alienated situation makes Nora lose her own sense of living. She feels alone on her world though she
has the husband and the children to run the life away. Whatever the condition should be the sense of alienated environment
denotes the loneliness of the world. The world is defined more than the place to live, but the values it offers to go on living. Helmer does not provide the values in
cooperative manner. He just thinks the right thing for his own side. He is not able to divide what belongs to man and what belong to a woman. That is why perhaps
there is difference between man and woman. It is said that man is full with logical mind whereas woman is full with feelings to look at the truth. To say simply, the
world we live by is a kind of mystery to all individuals. For better or worse, the sense of alienation suggest the loneliness to find the truth of live.
Nora’s alienation has been long trapped by the ill-treatment done by her husband, she cannot stand facing the life with a stranger who seems to deny her
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47 existence. She wants to feel free for what she has decided to divorce with her
husband is to reach her existence. She wants her existence back so she can see the world transparently and live with all the choices she dreams. She is able to gain
her sense of life within her own perspective without being alienated anymore. Finally, the way she slams the door to leave Helmer is the symbol of woman
emancipation to be freed fro alienation of her own world.
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48
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion
As a genre of literary work, the play A Doll’s House is a domestic play. It is said so because the story covers domestic matter between husband and wife
in terms of family. Torvald Helmer as a husband treats his wife, Nora as a doll which indicates the sense of absurdity. The doll symbolizes a play thing that
underestimates Nora’s existence. The feeling of absurdity results from human mind that tries to discover
the absolute truth of the world he lives by. Because it is in touch with man, the sense of absurdity refers to characters. In literature, characters are supposed to be
living persons who are portrayed imaginatively. They talk and communicate to one another. They have names and social status as common man do in finding
their meaning on the earth. In addition, they have desire to know anything in their own living which never end in full satisfaction.
The sense of absurdity reflects the dissatisfaction of man to find the real truth of his existence. In one way or another, the feeling of confusion is directly
influencing the reasoning of man whether there is justice on earth or not. The search of such truth brings to terrible choices that result absurd situation. To say
shortly, the sense of absurdity is synonymous to disharmony or illogical situation faced by human beings.
In the play A Doll’s House the picture of absurd elements has been materialized in the portrayal of the characters’ desire. The desire is unfulfilled
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