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Comparion Between: A Doll's House and Crime and Punishment
There are many links between Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
and A Doll's House, by Henrik Isben. Each character goes through many
ironic situations. Throughout both of the works all three types of irony
are used. In this essay irony is going to be used to link the two works
together. Dramatic, situational, and verbal irony are going to be used to
link the two works together.
Dramatic irony is used throughout Crime and Punishment. The reader knows
that Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov killed the pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna,
and her sister, Lizaveta Ivanovna. A quote to support this is,
"He took the axe right out, swung it up in both hands, barely conscious of
what he was doing, and almost without effort, almost effort, almost
mechanically, brought the butt of it down on the old woman's head."
(Dostoyevsky 114)
No one in the novel knows who killed the pawnbroker and her sister except
for Raskolnikov. The police officer, Porfiry Petrovitch, suspects that
Raskolnikov killed the pawnbroker and her sister but he cannot prove it.
The reader also knows that Luzhin puts money in Sofya Semyonovna
Marmeladov's pocket when she is not looking. After Sofya, whose nickname
is Sonia, finishes talking to Luzhin she leaves. Sonia has no idea that
Luzhin has put money into her pocket. Raskolnikov's friend, Andrei
Semyonovitch Lebezyatnikov, was present when all of that takes place. "All
of this was observed by Andrei Semyonovich." (Dostoyevsky 460) Luzhin goes
to a reception for Sonia's father, Semyon Zakharovitch Marmeladov, and
announces that Sonia is a thief. Sonia immediately denies the accusation.
Luzhin tells her to look in her pocket. Sure enough the money that he was
missing was there. Luzhin wants Sonia to marry him but she does not love
him. Luzhin plans to blackmail Sonia into marrying him. Lebezyatnikov steps
in to save the day when he says, "I saw it. I saw it.... And even though
it's against
my convictions, I would be prepared to swear to it
on oath in any court of law you'd care to name,
because I saw how you slipped it into her pocket
on the sly!" (Dostoyevsky 465)
A Doll's House also contains many examples of dramatic irony. In A Doll's
House the reader is aware that Nora borrowed money from Krogstad without
her husband's permission. Nora also forged her father's name to gain the
money. She says, "You don't know all. I forged a name." (Isben 44) In the
following conversation between Nora and Christine it is clearly stated that
Torvald does not know of Nora's actions: "Mrs. Linde. And since then have
you never told your secret to your husband? Nora. Good heavens, no!"
(Isben 13)
Another example of dramatic irony in A Doll's House is when Nora wants to
practice a dance called the Tarantella. When Torvald goes to look in the
letter box Nora says, "Torvald please don't. There is nothing in there."
(Isben 46) The reader knows that Nora has not forgotten the dance. The
reader knows this when Torvald goes to check the mail and Nora begins to
play the Tarantella. Nora then says, "I can't dance to-morrow if I don't
practise with you." (Isben 46) The reader knows that all Nora is trying to
do is keep Torvald from reading the mail which contains a letter from
Krogstad.
Situational irony is also used throughout the two works. In Crime and
Punishment Raskolnikov is the one who murdered the two sisters. It was
totally unexpected when Nikolai came to the police office and said, "I'm
the guilty one! The sin is mine! I'm the murderer!" (Dostoyevsky 413) The
reader did not expect Nikolai to confess to the two murders because the
reader knows that Raskolnikov is the one who murdered the two sisters.
Porfiry did not expect Nikolai to confess either. He was positive that
Raskolnikov had murdered the pawnbroker and her sister.
It is also ironic when Raskolnikov goes to the police station and says,
"What if it were I who murdered Lizaveta and the old woman?" (Dostoyevsky
211) Zamyotov just sits back and smiles. Raskolnikov then says, "Admit that
you believed me! You did didn't you?" (Dostoyevsky 211) "Of course I
didn't! And now I believe you even less!" (Dostoyevsky 211) The reader
expects Zamyotov to do his job and arrest Raskolnikov when he confesses to
the murders. Letting Raskolnikov is a surprise to everyone including
himself.
In A Doll's House there are also examples of situational irony. An example
of situational irony is when Nora leaves Torvald. There is no hint that
Nora is going to leave Torvald until the end of the book. At the beginning
of the book she acts as if she loves him very much. Not until she says, "Or
if anything else should happen to me-anything, for instance, that might
prevent me from being here-" (Isben 45) does anyone think about Nora
leaving Torvald. At the end of the play she calls Torvald a "stranger" and
walks out.
The reader does not expect Mrs. Linde and Krogstad to have been get married.
The reader does not even know that they are friends. When Christine, Mrs.
Linde, says, "Nils, how would it be if we two shipwrecked people could join
forces." (Isben 51) The reader finds out that Christine and Krogstad need
each other. No one expects Christine to want to be with Krogstad because he
has been corrupt in the past. But Christine also knew and loved Krogstad in
the past.
Raskolnikov says many ironic things throughout the novel. When he is trying
to confess to Zamyotov he says, "All ears upstairs?"(Dostoyevsky 207) He
really does not mean if Zamyotov's ears are physically upstairs. He is
asking Zamyotov if he is listening to what he is saying. He just wants
Zamyotov to listen carefully to what he is about to say.
After Raskolnikov receives a letter from his mother he says, "Because the
whole thing is perfectly clear." (Dostoyevsky 74) The letter is not clear
or opaque. Raskolnikov understands the letter completely. He is able to see
what his mother is trying to say in the letter. He says, "No, mother, no,
Dunya, you won't full me!" (Dostoyevsky 74) He realizes that his mom and
sister are trying to fool him in the letter.
Verbal irony is also present in A Doll's House. When Helmer says, "Is that
my little skylark twittering out there?" (Isben 3) He is not really asking
if Nora is a bird. He is not even saying that she is twittering like a bird.
He is just asking if it is his wife, Nora, and if she is saying something.
When Torvald Helmer says, "Is it my little squirrel bustling about?" (Isben
4) He does not think that Nora is a squirrel either.
Nora has her share of verbal irony too. When she is sitting down talking to
Mrs. Linde she says, "There now, it is burning up." (Isben 15) The place is
not literally burning up. The house is not on fire. Nora is just stating
that the temperature inside the house is hot. Nora then gets up and, "Shuts
the door of the stove and moves the rocking-chair aside." (Isben 15)
All three types of irony are used throughout the two works. Crime and
Punishment and A Doll's House would be incomplete without irony. Irony
plays an important role in any type of literature. Irony is used to help
show the opposite of what is actually said and/or done. I think that
without irony there would be no literature. I think that literature would
be boring and plain if there was no irony to add to its originality and
creativity.
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