«GENDER KALEIDOSCOPE» IN A DOLL’S HOUSE

Abstract

The article is a continuation of the study of gender issues in the drama of the outstanding Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House, which we began in a previous work published in the scientific journal «Veresen» («September»). That study clarified the originality of the playwright’s treatment of issues concerning the place and role of women in his contemporary society. This time, we focus on the problem of the «gender kaleidoscope», a term we introduced in our research practice, which refers to the changes that occur in the gender behavior of the characters under the influence of relevant events. We proceed from the assumption that the events and conflicts depicted in the play do not change the characters fundamentally, but only highlight traits inherent in each male and female character that were previously hidden. Unlike the previous investigation, which examined changes in the behavior and worldview of Nora Helmer and Christina Linne, here we explore more complex interactions between characters. We analyze both «intra-gender» interactions — within male and female pairs of characters — and «inter-gender» interactions, focusing on two pairs: Torvald and Nora Helmer, and Christina Linne and Krogstad. We identify the features of «gender behavior» of female and male characters, on the basis of which we determine the «gender changes» within the male-female pairs. It is the noticeable changes in the gender behavior of the characters, considered in a historical context and occurring in both intra-gender and inter-gender pairs through their comparison, that allow us to assert that the drama presents a «gender kaleidoscope», in which seemingly stable «pictures» change depending on the angle from which they are viewed. The article argues not for the randomness of these changes, but for their determination by the characters’ personalities and by the author’s moral and aesthetic position.