The theme of marriage has often been a subject of many plays, novels, essays, and poems. It is a transcendent topic that is relevant at any time in the history of human development. While gender norms and expectations change, the desires of partners to have a strong, lasting, and loving relationship never vanish. This paper aims to explore the theme of marriage using two couples from notable plays, Nora and Torvald from A Doll’s House (1879) and Rose and Troy from Fences (1985). The couples are similar because both of them are heterosexual, have one or more children, and follow traditional gender roles. While marriages start well at first, acts of betrayal, although of different types, contribute to spouses’ disillusionment and their ultimate breakup.
A Doll’s House explores love and marriage in great detail by illustrating the relationship between Nora and Torvald. Notably, the play aims to discover whether there can be love in marriage, which lasts a long time. At the beginning of the play, the two spouses appear to be in a happy relationship; Nora speaks lovingly of her husband, while Torvald affectionately uses pet names to refer to his wife. While their marriage has been built on love, it is still ruled by social norms and expectations, with Nora having to obey her husband and allow him to make decisions on behalf of their couple. Torvald must present to his peers as an individual who has a successful marriage with a beautiful and dutiful spouse.
Thus, as Nora goes behind her husband’s back to borrow money from Krogstad, she seemingly breaks his trust in Torvald. The family needed money for Torvald’s treatment as his doctor underlined the importance for him to be in a different place to survive. Thus, the wife decides to borrow some money to fund a year that her husband can spend in Italy. She even forges her late father’s signature for the loan because, at that time, money could only be borrowed by a man, and the whole process was socially condemned. Keeping this secret is crucial to Nora because she is sure that if it is revealed, her husband will sacrifice his reputation by taking the blame for the loan, ruining himself. Even though her husband has played the role of a reputable man who values his place in society, Nora believes that Torvald’s love for her is much stronger and more profound.
However, as everything comes to light, the wife discovers that her husband has not been playing a role but instead cares about his reputation more than anything, and he will never risk it to protect his wife. Torvald says, “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” (Ibsen 84). To this, Nora replies, “It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done” (Ibsen 84). The revelation of her husband’s true character and perspective on life causes Nora’s disillusionment with her relationship and the institution of marriage in general. The woman understands that not only does her husband not love her, but the entire structure of marriage, which is being practiced and supported by society, makes love irrelevant and sometimes impossible.
In Fences, the themes of love and marriage are illustrated in the example of Troy’s and Rose’s couple. They are married and have two sons, with the wife being ten years younger than her husband. Because of this, the younger woman sees it as her duty to obey her spouse, and most probably not only because of love but also due to the recognition that she would be nowhere without him given the position of woman in society (Rosenberger). Rose considers that it is wise to forgive her husband for his past indiscretions and faults; after all, she does love him. However, Troy ruins the marriage with his wife as he cheats with Alberta. Besides, he does not understand Rose’s desire to keep the family together because he never had a close family himself.
Although, being submissive to a powerful male character does take a toll on Rose because, as a woman, she is not expected to have any hopes and dreams. She says, “I been standing with you? I have been right here with you, Troy. I have eighteen years of my life to stand in the same spot as you. Don’t you think I ever wanted other things? Don’t you think I had dreams and hopes? What about my life?” (Wilson 165). Troy does not seem to understand the fact that being a woman and abiding by the gender norms and expectations often means swallowing her pride and living her life as her husband creates it: “But I held on to you, Troy. I took all my feelings, my wants, and needs, my dreams… and I buried them inside you” (Wilson 166). Such a gesture is seen by Troy as a given as being a wife for a woman often means not being true to who she is or wants to do in life.
The theme of disillusionment with marriage unites the relationships in both plays, and it must be the wives who are the first to understand their “mistakes.” Both Rose and Nora have played by the rules of society and acted as obedient wives who will push their desires and dreams aside for the sake of their husbands. Relying economically and socially on their husbands, Rose and Nora put their families’ needs above their own, believing that their husbands love them, explaining their negative behaviors with their male nature. Inevitably, women’s suppression of their individuality for the sake of others turned out tragically because their sacrifices were perceived as a given and were not valued.
Sadly, there are still married couples in which women’s individuality is being suppressed and overlooked. Confined to their homes, relying on their husbands, and restricted by social expectations, Rose and Nora kept their opinions to themselves without realizing that marriage is never about the oppression of one’s individuality and desires. Different situations, such as Torvald’s betrayal and Nora’s lending money, shed light on the nature of the couples’ relationship, giving wives the push to understand their values, dreams, and desires. Therefore, the relationships of both couples illustrate the need for communication, the setting of boundaries, and agreement regarding spouses’ responsibilities. Thus, a man’s role is not only to provide for his family and have a reliable reputation in society but also to value his wife’s contribution.
Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House: And Two Other Plays. Penguin Classics, 2016.
Rosenberger, Leah. “A Close Reading of Fences: Rose and the Cult of Domesticity.” Sites UTexas, 2021, Web.
Wilson, August. Three Plays. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1991.