Helmer: [springing up] What do you say?

Nora: I must stand quite alone if I am to understand myself and everything about me. It is for that reason that I cannot remain with you any longer.

Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House–Act III

In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, the character of Nora is finally ready to clear up her biggest mistake–not speaking up for herself. Nora says she must leave her husband and stand alone to understand who she is. Because she was brought up in her father’s house, he dictated his opinions about life and likely about his child’s place in it. When she married Torvald, his opinions became hers, just as her father’s had. Nora’s plight is comparable to Glinda’s in the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. Neither character has viewpoints of their own. One because she wasn’t allowed to have them, and the other because she didn’t know how to access them. These two characters eventually remove the cobwebs from the chandeliers of their minds and are able to make decisions for themselves.

Fearful Nora

Nora shows us the type of person who does not articulate her thoughts. As a young woman, she was unable to share her true feelings because her father would disapprove of them. When a child fears the disapproval of a parent, she is afraid of being reprimanded, ostracized, or unloved. Nora probably dealt with all of these fears depending on the day. Trepidation motivated her to hide any of her own beliefs from her domineering father and then from her headstrong husband.

Helmer: Nora, what do I hear you saying?

Nora: It is perfectly true, Torvald. When I was at home with Papa, he told me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinions, and if I differed from him I concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it.

Ibsen, A Doll’s House¹, Act III

Nora’s pattern was to play a part for the men her life and pretend that she was content allowing their thoughts to dictate hers. She finally realizes that this is not the way to live a full life. To be a complete person, she must extricate her beliefs, discern the ways of the world, and stand alone. She can’t do any of that living with men who see her as a convert for their personal philosophies.

Clueless Glinda

Glinda demonstrates a second type of person who does not articulate her beliefs because she thinks she doesn’t have any. This person is the kind who keeps things at a superficial level and doesn’t know how to socialize otherwise. When she first arrives at Shiz College, Glinda knows little about who she is. She imagines that her looks, wit, and standing in society will ultimately reveal her purpose. Until then, she is content touting cliches and only caring about her appearance.

The character’s given name is “Galinda,” not Glinda. One of her eccentric professors was the first to say her name incorrectly. After he is murdered, she changes her name as a sort of tribute to him. The changing of her name also signifies the beginning of her transformation. That transformation is first initiated when Elphaba (who Glinda does not even like at this time) sees her as capable of having deeper beliefs. Elphaba challenges Glinda to consider the words she is speaking out loud. Glinda never even considers that she might have a sincere idea to combat the ones she is repeating.

“This one is thinking about good and evil,” said Elphaba. “Whether they really exist at all.”

“Oh, yawn,” said Galinda. “Evil exists, I know that, and its name is Boredom, and ministers are the guiltiest of all.”

“You don’t really think that?”

Galinda didn’t often stop to consider whether she believed in what she said or not; the whole point of conversation was flow.

“No, I mean do you think evil really exists?”

“Well, how do I know what I think?”

“Well, ask yourself, Miss Galinda. Does evil exist?”

Maguire (p.79)

Many people, when confronted with a direct question about something that requires both introspection as well as extrospection truly don’t have answers. To do this, they must begin with the facts. Beginning with the facts requires gleaning information from legitimate sources. Without ever examining these for oneself, a person is incapable of forming an actual opinion.

Glinda really doesn’t know what she thinks. She says things because they sound clever and never thinks about anything beyond that. Someone like Glinda speaks to fit in with the crowd. They are incapable of standing alone. It’s easier just to go with the flow and appear charming.

Figure out your thoughts

As an Enneagram 7, I prefer to avoid talking to others about certain topics that bore me. For example, whether or not Taylor Swift is a gifted artist. This topic and so many others can cause heated and tedious living room debates. My approach is to try and change the topic completely, but that doesn’t always work.

How do we decide what our own thoughts are if we are like Nora or Glinda? Either we weren’t allowed to share a thought or we’ve just keep our thoughts perfunctory. The first thing to do is resolve to make a decision about controversial topics. You’ll know what they are based on your friend group, the news, or social media. I know it may seem easier just to say that you don’t care about an issue, but most adults won’t let you off the hook with that excuse. Second, do some light research. However, only refer to credible sources.

The best way to figure out the credibility of a source is to administer the CRAAP test. Just so you know, I never said that aloud to my English students–especially online. If I did, I probably would have been fired if I hadn’t already quit (young siblings and parents were always listening to my high school classes). But, I found the CRAAP test on several teacher-made and educational websites, so I’m using it here for us to use as a tool when unlocking the validity of information.

Test the source:

• C-currency (Is this source still current or accurate today?)
• R-relevance (Does this source fit with the topic at hand?)
• A-authority (Who is writing this material? What are their credentials?)
• A-accuracy (Is this source telling the truth? Can you fact check the information?)
• P-purpose (Why does this source exist? Does the author have a bias?)

The main goal is to figure out what you think and be willing to stand alone when no one shares your opinion. As long as you know why you think what you do (you did the research after all) and can explain that without a 20 minute monologue, you’ll be good in social situations. However, if you do take the time to discover what is true for you, you may find yourself a lone wolf standing outside of the pack. But, you’ll be in good company. Nora and Glinda be will standing beside you. And–so will the CRAAP that helped you form your opinion. You’re welcome.

1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Dolls-House ↩︎