In Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll House” and James Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” the primary interest lies in the representation of masculinity. Ibsen’s masculinity model appears in characters like Krogstad, Dr Rank and Helmer Torvald. Thurber’s short story centres on Walter Mitty. To adequately investigate masculinity representations in Ibsen’s “A Doll House,” this essay will examine Ibsen’s male characters. Krogstad is a character who suffers under society’s clutches. He is represented as a man who strives for relief from society’s view of him—a fraud.

Dr Rank is a male representation of a shy man who falls deeply in love with Nora (the protagonist in Ibsen’s story). However, he suffers from a spinal injury passed on to him by his father. However, Helmer tends not to suffer from anything except a delusional belief system in class distinction. Torvald believes in a hierarchical system where he can decide who should follow his lead and who should not. Torvald represents a type of masculinity whose primary importance lies in the value of the currency and his responsibilities outside the family domain. As for Thurber’s Mitty, Walter represents a man whose position is non-authoritative. Always taking orders from his wife, Mitty succumbs to daydreaming about expressing his masculine roles. Aside from the plot, the differences in a narrative construct lie in that Ibsen constructs a play, whereas Thurber creates a short story. Although they may differ in that respect, the narratives are similar in their representations of masculinity in which men conquer their foes. This essay will analyze how Ibsen and Thurber explore masculinity as levels of potential male desirable roles, which the men in both stories wish to acquire.

A Doll House

To effectively analyze the idea of conquering their foes, this essay will examine characters separately as different representations of a type of masculinity. Even though the situations differ, the desire to dominate is poignant in both stories. Oddly enough, the title of Thurber’s story, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” engages the reader in assuming that it is a professional masculine figure whom Thurber will discuss. Also, “Secret Life” describes how the male figure dominates the scene. In Mitty’s daydreams, the first character he enacts is a precarious Old Man aboard a ship bombarded by ocean waves. Mitty would “‘get us through” (Thurber 348) and”‘[Mitty] ain’t afraid of Hell!'” (Thurber 348). In Mitty’s second daydream, he enacts the role of a surgeon who saves a patient’s life. His quick orders relieve the situation’s stress. Mitty gives orders, unlike in reality, where he follows orders.

Interestingly, Thurber demonstrates an exciting situation where Mitty overcomes a medical meltdown. “‘The new anesthetizer is giving way!’ Shouted an intern. ‘There is no one in the East who knows how to fix it!’ ‘Quiet, man!’ Mitty responded in a low, cool voice” (Thurber 349). He had to fight against the waves when he imagined he was captain. Thurber depicts a man who daydreams about saving the day and conquering his foes. His foes include the seas, medical problems, and jury convictions. Using Mitty as his framework for representing masculinity, Thurber depicts men constantly working to defeat foes and conquer challenges.

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Walter Mitty

Similarly, in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll House,” this idea of conquering is a primordial representation of masculinity. This prehistoric conquering representation is depicted through historical references when Ibsen’s men dominated the females. Every male character in Ibsen’s play represents a type of masculinity. For instance, Krogstad is a type of masculinity that represents a strong-willed man who would do anything to get what he wants; in this case, he uses his excessive control to dominate Nora by blackmailing her unless she finds him a job at Torvald’s bank. Krogstad displays his cunning when Nora says, “But for heaven’s sake, Mr. Krogstad, it is simply not in my power to help you” (Ibsen 2200), to which Krogstad replies, “That’s because you haven’t the will to—but I have the means to make you” (Ibsen 2200). Rank, on the other hand, implies a weaker version of masculinity. His weakness can be attributed to his constant meanderings. For instance, he comes over to Nora’s house every day like he practically lived there and became very fond of Nora, but in the end, he wishes to take his life because he has nothing left. For example, this is what Dr Rank tells Nora when he engages her in a conversation:

‍NORA: [Putting both hands on his shoulders.] Dear Dr Rank, you will never die for Torvald and me.

Rank: Oh, that loss you will easily get over. Those who go away are

soon forgotten.

NORA: [Looks fearfully at him.] Do you believe that? RANK: One makes new connections, and then—

NORA: Who makes new connections?

RANK: Both you and Torvald will see when I am gone. You are well underway already. What was that Mrs Linde doing here last evening? (Ibsen 2212).

Here, Ibsen creates a masculine figure who has grown old, weak, and insecure. Due to his spinal cord ailment, Dr Rank becomes an inadequate representation of masculinity in that he does not conquer his disorder but succumbs to it. It becomes difficult for Dr Rank to move on with his life beyond Nora and Torvald. Having been a good friend of Krogstad since their youth, Torvald now feels he can easily conquer his foes and challenges with his new position as the Bank chief. Moreover, because Torvald has so much power, he decides who will be an employee at his bank. Essentially, he conquers his wife in every occurrence by saying, “Now, now, the little lark’s wings must not droop. Come on, don’t be a sulky squirrel” (Ibsen 2187). However, Ibsen constructs Torvald’s character as ill-informed regarding the grand scheme of events in that too much power will result in a lack of concern for those in a lesser position. When Torvald discovers his work is threatened, he also reinforces his domineering behaviour towards his wife, affecting his lack of judgment—he does not know whom to conquer and whom to place among his allies. His ill-informed arrogance is also a representation of masculinity. Essentially, each male character in Ibsen’s play defeats their foes and stands up to their challenges, similar to Thurber’s Walter Mitty, who, in his daydreams, also conquers his challenges.

Beyond the representations of masculinity in Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll House,” another critical distinction about masculinity in both stories lies in how they represent masculinity. Thurber’s story is fundamentally about the reversal of male-female relationships. Moreover, Thurber toys are based on the ideas of reality and imagination. Mitty’s wife becomes the authoritative individual of the story because she believes Mitty cannot care for himself. Consequently, in his daydreams, Mitty becomes the authoritative figure and restores the ideals of the past—the masculine figure remaining dominant. However, Thurber continuously moves from the real world to the imaginative world, depicted at the end of the story as Mitty having realized an epiphany but becoming indiscernible from his constant daydreaming. Also, Mrs Mitty constantly orders Walter to do something and stop daydreaming. Mitty tells her, “‘ Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?'” (Thurber 351), to which his wife responds, “‘ I’m going to take your temperature when I get you home” (Thurber 351). Walter Mitty becomes a masculine figure of old age and is increasingly watched over by his wife. Having lost Mitty’s masculinity, Mitty’s lack of bravery and courage is made up for when he daydreams. In this respect, Mitty gains his masculinity in an alternate reality, which Thurber deconstructs. This deconstruction is uniquely fascinating in that Thurber published this story in 1942. Historically, 1942 depicted a time when confusions about male-female roles were effectively embedded in the cultural makeup of society. Through Mitty’s fantasies and daydreams, he becomes a potential masculine figure who depicts great manliness: a sea captain, surgeon, witness, and war captain.

Unlike Thurber’s representation of masculinity and his interplay of reality and fantasy, Ibsen looks at the differences between the men in his play. In “A Doll House,” Henrik Ibsen also analyses the levels of potentially desirable roles Krogstad, Dr Rank, and Torvald wish to achieve. Krogstad wishes to get his life back in order, but to do that, he must blackmail Nora. Though reality cannot wholly be brought back as it was long before, Krogstad also fantasizes that this will have his life back and enough money to help his children. Similarly, Dr Rank envisions Nora becoming fond of him, yet he knows he cannot get in between Torvald and Nora.

Torvald also fantasizes about rising from his middle-class income as a banker to become first-class. However, although these characters desire a role resembling a fantasy like Mitty, Krogstad does not obtain the job at the bank, Dr Rank wants to kill himself, and Nora leaves Torvald. The threshold of reality is poignant when Torvald realizes he has lost what meant something to him. Ibsen describes Torvald’s reappearance into reality.

‍“Helmer: [Sinks down on a chair by the door, face buried in his hands.] Nora! Nora! [Looking about and rising.] Empty. She has gone.

[A sudden hope leaps in him.] The greatest miracle—?” (Ibsen 2233).

Essentially, both Ibsen and Thurber create dynamic characters whose fantasies spin into reality from the masculine roles they play, in fact, instead of the male parts they wish they had in dreams (becoming an alternate reality). In Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll House” and James Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” the primary concern between both stories is their representation of masculinity. In “A Doll House,” Ibsen represents different masculinities. Ibsen utilizes Krogstad, Dr Rank, and Torvald uniquely by portraying them as strong-willed, weak, and over-indulgent, respectively. Moreover, Ibsen represents each character wanting to be a different masculine figure. Krogstad wishes he could bring his life back together, Dr Rank wishes he would be remembered and loved, and Torvald desires wealth and fortune with a higher upper-class position. Although these are mere fantasies existing in an alternate reality, these characters realize too late that they cannot achieve these goals.

Similarly, Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” explores masculinity by moving through phases of reality and fantasy, of the real and the imagination. Moreover, unlike Ibsen’s story, Thurber flips the male role from one who gives orders to one who receives orders. Interestingly, Thurber has created a masculine figure that moves from reality to an alternate reality (i.e. fantasy) through repetitive daydreaming sequences. These roles become a desire for Mitty. In conclusion, Thurber creates a representation of masculinity that reminisces about past adventures through a society that has become extremely serious.