Halvard Solness and the paradox of desire

In Henrik Ibsen’s play The Master Builder, Halvard Solness has the unique condition in which he is afraid of that for which he longs. He believes that he only needs to wish for something to happen in order for his “helpers and servers” (which he later refers to as “trolls and devils”) to carry out that task, effectively allowing Solness to will an occurrence to come about. For example, Solness explains to Hilda why he feels responsible for the fire that destroyed Mrs. Solness’s family’s house and killed their two sons when he remarks on page 398, “Who called for the helpers and servers? I did! And so they came and submitted to my will.” In this case, Solness’s “will” was that his wife’s house burn down so that he would have an opportunity to divide up the estate and build more houses, thus setting off his career ascension to a master builder. He feels that because he secretly fantasized about such an event, it ended up occurring after all through the actions of the helpers and servers. This is where Solness’s fear for that which he desires comes from, and he accordingly is reluctant to embrace any of his aspirations, including his wish for his wife’s happiness. He claims to do everything in his power to make his wife happy again by, for example, building a new, exquisite house on the land where the house that burned down used to stand, but in reality he cannot fully commit to fostering Mrs. Solness’s happiness. This is because for Mrs. Solness to truly be content, Halvard Solness would have to reduce his work as a master builder and settle down with his wife. Solness is unwilling to do this because he is paranoid that if he lets up at all, the younger generation, specifically his apprentice Ragnor, will displace him from his position as a renowned master builder. In this way, Solness is reluctant to desire too strongly for his wife’s happiness, as he fears that if the “helpers and servers” work toward this end, his career will be destroyed at the hands of the next generation.

Similarly, though Solness is afraid of the youth (“You’ll see, youth will come here and thunder at the door. Smash their way in to me.” page 382), he also subconsciously longs for the youth. He seems to be reinvigorated by the arrival of Hilda, even though she represents the younger generation that, literally and figuratively, is knocking at Solness’s door. This contradiction of desire and fear is illuminated on page 400 and 401, where Solness admits that he has been longing for the youth that Hilda embodies. After Hilda reminds Solness that he is fearful of the youth by asking “Youth, which you are so afraid of?” Solness replies “And yet which, deep within, I long for so painfully.” This sequence proves that Solness does indeed long for the strength and vitality of the youth, even though these are the exact traits that he fears. It is thus that the paradox is solidified: Solness fears what he desires and yearns for that which he most alarmed by.