Feed the Weak to the Strong

I wanted to discuss the topic of Nora and Torvald. In class we have already discussed how their relationship was false and based on the fantasy of a perfect doll house. But when Nora leaves the doll house, is she ready to take on the challenges of reality, or will she end up alone and helpless? Can she handle the struggles that are certain to come against her? The answer is that, no, Nora cannot handle the struggles that will come her way, and she will end up miserable and helpless, and because of her choice, her children will end up just like her.

Nora has had no personal experience with taking care of herself. She has been handed almost everything in her life. Nora was “simply transferred from papa’s hands into [Torvald’s], who arranged everything for his own taste” (260), not allowing Nora for anytime for herself and her own needs. Nora has proven herself to be manipulative and able to persuade Torvald and those around her with her sexuality. Although she has this indirect power over Torvald, she still cannot use it to sway his opinion on larger scale events. She cannot use this manipulative sexuality in the real world, because, as Krogstad proved, it does not appeal to everyone. Nora has no means of attaining money, because she has never had to work or directly care for herself and her family. Although she did a little sewing on the side, this will not support her financially or for a long span of time. Nora believes that when she walks out of Torvald’s perfect doll house, she will be able to manage like Kristine, but with limited experience in any workforce or any knowledge of what she is capable of, she will not be able to support herself.

                Nora is also leaving her children in an impossible situation, because she thoroughly did not plan out her departure. In this timeframe, it was very rare that a woman left her household and her children. Nora lost her mother when she was very young, and grew up with her father. She does not want to influence her children, and does not want them to end up unhappy like she did. But Nora did not take into account that she was leaving all of her children in the same situation that she had been left in. They will grow up with Torvald, and not get the nurturing that a mother would give them, which is also what Nora lacked. Because Nora wanted what was best for the children, she left them so they would not grow up in the perfect doll house. But in doing so, she has left them in the same situation that she was placed in as a child, and it will be more likely for them to develop into the same individual that Nora was in. Nora is not ready to depart into the real world because she could not even imagine the outcomes and consequences that will occur to the children. She is still in her own childhood state thinking about herself, and with this frame of mind, she will not be able to support herself in the harsh reality of the world outside the doll house.

Past in the Present

This is late, but I think that the entire purpose of Chapter 4 was to relate back to Jack and his life in the present. Cass and all the individuals that surrounded that story can be found translated back to the people in Jack’s own life. In a way, it seems like this is how Jack is trying to learn more about the story. Jack had all the facts, but not the truths, and through this selection of people, he can understand those truths that he left decades before.

                Cass reminded me the most of Willie, in his attitude and the way he went from an uneducated sap to a man that could run his own business.  Like Willie, Cass grew up uneducated and not ready to enter into any political or business management position. But over the course of a few years both “were not hobbledehoy” (245) and had learned how to manage certain aspects of the realm they had not understood earlier. They both had the use of mentors (for Cass it was Gilbert and for Willie it was Jack), that helped them develop into these educated men though. Both grew into men that could organize and successfully run a plantation and an entire government. Both were also interested in politics, although not at first (252). Willie became a good politician because Jack encouraged him and told him what to do at all time. Willie developed into this strong natured individual after this and made his own decisions about the policies that he was enforcing. Cass was forced into politics by Gilbert. Although Cass did not want to enter into this work field, he learned that he could be quite successful at it, yet he did not stay in the political field long.

                Gilbert also reminded me of Jack, in how he developed the Cass/Willie character and also how they continuously would take control of a situation. Jack and Gilbert encouraged and mentored their respected individual and brought them into the political and management positions that they had throughout their lives. Without Gilbert/ Jack, Cass/ Willie would not have been the success that they were. Cass wrote that “Gilbert treats me like a wayward and silly child” (274), just like Jack treats Willie in the beginning. Because both of the characters were so lost in the beginning of their political careers, Jack and Gilbert had to guide them and treat them like young children because they were so ignorant to the important business surrounding them. Jack considered Willie a sap in the beginning of his career and had to direct him in everything that Willie did. Both Gilbert and Jack are also not the forefront of the story. Willie is the Governor, and Cass was the focal point of the history paper, and the two other men were not primary characters. Although they were not the leading roles, they still had such a great influence that they might as well have been the lead character.

                Although chapter 4 seems really random, it does tie back into the life that Jack and Willie are leading during the main course of the story. It was interesting to try and find the links between the characters because there were so many of them throughout the chapter.