Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 310 "At Least I Need to Learn to Be a Human Being!"

On Christmas Eve 1880, the streets in front of the Paris Opera were bustling with activity, a scene no less grand than the one a year earlier when "The Chorus" premiered at the Comédie-Française.

Lionel and Sophie's carriage moved slowly through the crowded traffic.

Looking out at the bustling crowd through the fogged-up car window, Lionel seemed to be transported back to the night of the premiere of "The Choir".

This time, however, he was no longer the nervous and anxious playwright backstage, but an ordinary audience member who came to watch a work that changed the history of theater.

Sophie said softly, "There are so many people... more than we expected."

Lionel took her hand: "The Norwegian name Ibsen, coupled with the controversy surrounding 'A Doll's House,' is itself the best advertisement."

In his previous life, he had watched and analyzed this "beginning of modern drama" countless times, in lecture notes, on stage, and on the screen.

But watching its live performance in Paris at this moment has a completely different meaning.

Lionel held a box ticket he'd gotten from Zola, so he didn't need to linger in the crowded main entrance.

The carriage circled around to the side door, where a waiter was already waiting respectfully, leading them through a quiet corridor to a private room on the second floor.

Lionel saw many familiar faces from the arts and culture world: critics, writers, and painters;
Of course, this place is mostly filled with well-dressed upper-class men and women who are curiously looking around.

The gaslights in the theater gradually dimmed, the noisy voices subsided like the receding tide, and the deep red curtain slowly rose in anticipation.

The stage set depicts the living room of a typical middle-class family—comfortable, warm, and exquisite, with details so realistic they are astonishing.

The plot unfolds along a familiar path—

In the first act, Nora, like a happy little bird, twirls around the stage, busy preparing for the upcoming Christmas, flirting and teasing her husband, Tova Helmer.

Her sneaky act of eating almond cookies, her ecstatic joy at her husband Helmer's impending promotion to bank manager, and her recounting to Mrs. Lindan her "heroic act" of borrowing money under a false name to save her husband...

The actress's performance was delicate and nuanced, perfectly capturing the essence of a woman whom her husband called "Little Squirrel" and "Lark."

Sophie watched intently, but Lionel could sense that as the story progressed, her hand tightened slightly.

The crisis arrived with the arrival of Krogstad—the forged IOU tore away the veil of warmth that had enveloped this family.

Helmer's true colors are beginning to be revealed.

When he read Krogstad's first threatening letter, his address to Nora changed from the affectionate "little fool" to the stern "Nora";
His focus shifted instantly from Nora's body to his own reputation.

Lionel calmly observed everything on stage, while also keeping an eye on the audience's reactions.

He could hear suppressed gasps from the stalls, and see some gentlemen adjusting their bow ties uncomfortably, while some ladies gently pressed handkerchiefs to their lips.

Ibsen's writing lifted the veil of pretentious marriage among the European middle class, revealing the sordid truth beneath—

The wife's legal and economic subordination, and the husband's fundamental view of her as private property and a respectable appendage.

Even though Nora forged a signature to borrow money in order to save her seriously ill husband Helmer, and even though she later quietly paid off the loan through copying work...

But Helmer was more concerned about whether his reputation was damaged; he even believed that Nora had lost her right to "raise children".

The climax of the drama arrives in the final scene.

Once the crisis was over, Helmer immediately adopted a forgiving and benevolent attitude, declaring, "I forgive you," and attempted to pull Nora back into the "Dollhouse."

Nora's calm and clear monologue resounded like thunder in the theater.

[“Sit down, Tova, we have a lot to talk about… We’ve been married for eight years. Isn’t that something? I can hardly believe it—I can hardly believe it now—I’ve been with you for eight years… I’ve been your puppet all my life, just like I was my father’s puppet at home…”]

Her voice wasn't passionate, but it carried a chilling coldness and a resolute tone.

She spoke of the responsibilities of religion, law, and marriage; her questions struck the stage and resonated deeply with many in the audience. [“I want to see if society is right, or I am right!”]

Helmer tried to persuade her to stay by appealing to her "sacred duty as a mother."

Nora's answer was even more earth-shattering:
"I can't believe those kinds of things anymore!"

Lionel felt Sophie beside him hold her breath. The entire Richelieu Hall was silent, except for Nora's clear and firm voice echoing.

"I know most people would agree with you, and that's what the book says too."

But from now on, I can no longer blindly believe what most people say, nor can I blindly believe what is written in books.

I always try to think things through myself and understand the rationale behind them.

Finally, Nora uttered the line that was destined to be recorded in history:

"Now I only believe that, first and foremost, I am a human being, just like you—at least I need to learn to be a human being."

She put down the ring, picked up her luggage, and walked towards the door.

Helmer cried out in vain, "Nora! Am I destined to be a stranger forever?"

Nora: "Then we'll have to wait for a miracle to happen."

What is a miracle within a miracle?

"That means we both have to change to—oh, Tova, I don't believe in miracles anymore."

"But I believe you. Go on! What kind of changes do we both need to undergo—?"

"Let's change so that we can truly live like a married couple. Goodbye."

She turned and walked out the door.

A heavy, clear sound of a door closing came from behind the stage.

"Bang!"】

The sound wasn't particularly loud, but it had a resounding effect in the silent theater.

It seemed not to resonate on the stage, but in the hearts of every audience member, shattering something inherent and taken for granted.

The curtain slowly fell.

The theater was deathly silent for several seconds.

Then, like a long-accumulated volcano suddenly erupting, applause, boos, and discussions suddenly erupted, intertwining into a chaotic wave of sound.

Some people stood up excitedly and applauded, their faces flushed; others angrily turned and left, muttering "immoral and indecent."

Many more remained in their seats, arguing heatedly with their companions, their faces filled with shock and confusion.

Lionel sat quietly in the box, neither applauding nor joining any argument.

He was also deeply moved, but not by the play itself, but by the tremendous resonance it evoked in this time and place.

All the theoretical analyses he knew from his previous life seemed pale in comparison when he personally witnessed this historic moment.

Lionel truly felt the immense destructive power hidden beneath Ibsen's calm narrative.

(End of this chapter)