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What is the role of hereditary disease in A Doll's House?
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In A Doll's House, hereditary disease symbolizes both physical and moral afflictions. Dr. Rank, suffering from a hereditary spinal disease, uses illness to critique Krogstad’s “diseased moral character” and Torvald’s social flaws. Additionally, character traits like Nora’s financial irresponsibility and Krogstad’s concern for his children’s morality are portrayed as inherited, treating these traits similarly to genetic diseases.
In Henrik Ibsen’s play, hereditary disease is presented as social and moral afflictions, not just physical ailments. In particular, the character of Dr. Rank both embodies and expresses the role of disease. Dr. Rank, who has a fatal spinal malady, cautions Nora about Krogstad’s and Torvald’ failings using the idiom of illness.
Regarding Krogstad, the idea that disease and morality go together is communicated through Rank’s comments about his “diseased moral character.” Torvald, who has recovered from the physical illness that took him and Nora to Italy represents the social malaise that afflicts Norwegian bourgeois society. This is a failing, Dr. Rank notes, which he cannot conquer and makes him shy away from any perceived ugliness. With his sense of superiority and refinement, Torvald is overly concerned about reputation. In contrast, Dr. Rank, who is physically ill, is immune from the effects of social censure. What he...
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calls his “father's youthful amusements" led to an illness, presumably syphilis, that passed to the son and affected his “poor innocent spine.”
Though not strictly speaking an example of hereditary illness, character traits are shown in the play as being passed down from generation to generation. For instance, Nora's father was notoriously careless with his money, something he seems to have passed on to his daughter. Torvald is convinced that this trait is buried deep in Nora's blood, and he uses this opinion to justify treating his wife like a small child.
The baleful effect of this unfortunate bequest was reinforced by Nora's father treating her like a little girl right up until her adulthood. Nora was never given any adult responsibilities so it's hardly surprising that she's no good at handling money.
But then Nora herself treats inherited character traits as if they're a genetic disease. It's notable that when Krogstad starts blackmailing her she refuses to see her own children, genuinely believing that she might somehow corrupt their morals. By the same token, Krogstad fears for the effect that his damaged reputation will have on his own children. For their sakes, Krogstad resolves to win back as much respect as possible, the respect that he lost due to his financial shenanigans.
Hereditary syphilis is the central theme of another play by Ibsen, "Ghosts" but plays only a minor role in "A Doll's House." Only one character in "A Doll's House" has what might be considered a hereditary illness, namely Dr. Rank, a close friend of Nora, who has contracted spinal tuberculosis. This disease, sometimes also known as Pott's disease, results in degeneration of the vertebrae leading to paraplegia. Although there is some slight degree of hereditary predisposition to this disease, it is in fact an infectious disease, normally contracted in the same manner as other forms of tuberculosis. One might speculate that "spinal tuberculosis" in this play is being used as a euphemism and that when he wrote it in 1879 he was already thinking about hereditary syphilis which would be the theme of his in 1880 when he wrote "Ghosts". This identification of the disease is suggested by Rank's statement "My poor innocent spine has to suffer for my father's youthful amusements" which actually is more suggestive of neurosyphilis than tuberculosis.
The concept of hereditary disease in the play is actually as much moral as physical. A major theme is that children suffer for the financial imprudence or moral weaknesses of their parents. Moreover, parents shape the characters and emotions of their children. Nora's relationship with Torvald explicitly echoes that with her father.