A Doll's House Feminist Essay

In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Nora Helmer is a traditional “angel in the house” she is a human being, but first and foremost a wife and a mother who is devoted to the care of her children, and the happiness of her husband. The play is influenced by the Victorian time period when the division of men and women was evident, and each gender had their own role to conform to. Ibsen’s views on these entrenched values is what lead to the A Doll’s House becoming so controversial as the main overarching theme of A Doll’s House is the fight for independence in an otherwise patriarchal society. This theme draws attention to how women are capable in their own rights, yet do not govern their own lives due to the lack of legal entitlement and

In Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, pointedly captures the reality of the Victorian Era within the play. Nora Helmer, the protagonist of the story, represents the typical women in society during that era. The audience’s first impression of Nora is a money obsessed, childish, obedient house wife to her husband, Torvald Helmer. However, as the play progresses one can see that Nora is far from being that typical ideal trophy wife, she is an impulsive liar who goes against society’s norm to be whom and what she wants. Her husband is illustrated as the stereotypical man during the 19th century, as he is the dominate breadwinner of the family, who too deserts his position as the play reaches its end. A key theme that is brought to light in A

A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, creates a peephole into the lives of a family in the Victorian Era. The play portrays a female viewpoint in a male-dominated society. The values of the society are described using the actions of a woman, Nora, who rebels against the injustices inflicted upon her gender. Women’s equality with men was not recognized by society in the late 1800’s. Rather, a woman was considered a doll, a child, and a servant. Nora’s alienation reveals society’s assumptions and values about gender.

The enforcement of specific gender roles by societal standards in 19th century married life proved to be suffocating. Women were objects to perform those duties for which their gender was thought to have been created: to remain complacent, readily accept any chore and complete it “gracefully” (Ibsen 213). Contrarily, men were the absolute monarchs over their respective homes and all that dwelled within. In Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, Nora is subjected to moral degradation through her familial role, the consistent patronization of her husband and her own assumed subordinance. Ibsen belittles the role of the housewife through means of stage direction, diminutive pet names and through Nora’s interaction with her morally ultimate

In the early eras of the human history, women have always  been viewed as an accessory to men. Today women stand up for the right to be an equal part of the society, often having a full time employment instead of being housekeepers. The play “A Doll’s house” by Henrik Ibsen that was written in 1878, became one of the controversial books at the time. The story explores the spiritual awakening of a woman and her aspiration to be free from the false ideals and values.

In A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen focuses on the importance of women's roles and freedom in society. Widely regarded as a feminist paean, the play features two major female characters; the most prominent of whom, Nora Helmer, shatters her position as a subservient, doll-like female when she walks out on her husband and children with a flagrant "door slam heard round the world." Nora’s evolution, though inspiring, should not overshadow another crucial woman in the play: Mrs. Kristine Linde. Both women attain freedom in a society dominated by the adherence to conservative marital roles, but do it in different ways. While Nora reaches her consciousness and slams the door on her shackling domicile, Mrs.

Torvald is a good husband, but he treats Nora merely as a pretty doll. Moreover, Torvald is also the money provider of the family, which gives him even more power and pride. However, Nora’s husband does not expect her to be independent or thoughtful. It seems that Torvald even enjoys Nora is being dependent and childish, so he can keep his pride and control over Nora. Due to Nora’s dependency and Torvald’s domination, an equal relationship does not exist in their marriage. Especially on the act III, during their last intense argue, Torvald even says, “You are out of your mind! I won't allow it! I forbid you!” (Ibsen, Act III, 658). This also reflects on the marriage situations in the society of the nineteenth century. Generally, the women were no more than an accessory, or a doll to the men. Husband nearly listened to their wives’ thoughts and had a deep conversation with them.

Throughout the ending scene of the play, Ibsen clearly illustrates the irony of the gender expectations within Nora and Torvald’s relationship through

The character of Nora goes through the dramatic transformation of a kind and loving housewife, to a desperate and bewildered woman, whom will ultimately leave her husband and everything she has known. Ibsen uses both the characters of Torvald and Nora to represent the tones and beliefs of 19th century society. By doing this, Ibsen effectively creates a dramatic argument that continues to this day; that of feminism.

Patriarchy's socialization of women into servicing creatures is the major accusation in Nora's painful account to Torvald of how first her father, and then he, used her for their amusement. . . how she had no right to think for herself, only the duty to accept their opinions. Excluded from meaning anything, Nora has never been subject, only object. (Templeton 142)

Written in the late 19th century, Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House addresses flaws within Norwegian society. Ibsen specifically highlights the symbiotic relationship between social oppression and deception. Many groups within the 19th century Norwegian culture felt social oppression, but women were among the most heavily judged. In this time period, it was illegal for a married woman to be employed, so she was forced to the monotony of home making and child bearing. This law has a central role in the play as Nora struggles to break free from her stagnant lifestyle of following social expectations. Like Nora, many people felt obliged to lie and deceive people to seem as though they were following the rules of society. Ibsen’s negative depiction of social oppression and deception throughout different scenarios within the play contribute to the play’s major themes. Ibsen utilizes Torvald’s study, the masquerade ball, and Nora’s dress change to symbolize and develop the overarching themes of social oppression and deception in A Doll’s House.

Lastly, the idea of a woman having a value greater than of a housewife was simply outrageous in Ibsen’s play. The fact a woman’s value comes down to only two things (housewife and motherhood) strongly reflects how gender roles are the foundations of any sort of relationship between a man and a woman. In light of this, through love, Nora was able to find her own value and through those gender roles, Nora was able to firmly establish that value. Therefore, the play A Doll’s House shows how the factor of gender roles drastically takes part in Nora’s shift in perspective and thought. The result of this change was not clean, it was not exactly a happy change either, but it is the rawest form of Nora’s and Torvald’s love that prompted this to happen. For example, in order to find herself as an individual, she needs to get rid of the title of a mother (since being a mother came with gender roles). However, Nora is required to leave her children with her husband, in spite of that, she also genuinely cares for them since she cannot raise them without financial support while developing a bad reputation. Furthermore, Nora respects Torvald’s role in society as a man by removing him of any relations with her and even allowing him to raise a heir for his bloodline. Nora’s actions here display love in its most raw form as she deliberately leaves with full knowledge of the consequences she will face, but in a manner where not only she fulfills her duties to herself but as well to

There are two other major themes in this play, femininity and masculinity. Nora has often been given the title of one of modern drama’s first feminist heroines. She breaks away from a dominating and opressive marriage. Ibsen, denied that he had intentionally written a feminist play and preferred to think of it as humanist. This said though, the traditional roles of women and the price of them breaking tradition is a constant thread throughout the play. The men of this play, in many ways, are just as trapped by gender roles as the women. An example of this is the job that Torvald Helmer holds at the bank, chief. The men must be providers and alone must support the entire household. At the end of this play these traditional ideas are put to the test, when Nora leaves and Torvald must care for the children and be their provider.

Torvald thought he had everything perfect in the household and marriage. Torvald thought it was about finances, appearance, gifts, and social lifestyle. Nora feels like she does not know herself because she had been treated like a child all her life. The play contrast with the contention between social lie and obligation. This play is about women requirement for autonomy and her commitments to family and society. Women should have the freedom of speech, social freedom, and enjoy life equally as men. Nora’s father treated her in the same manner before her marriage with Torvald. She is ready to live life like everyone else and to live the normal life. She is struggling to know who she really is because she never had the chance to be herself. She wants to be independent and find out how to be herself on her own. Christian M. Marriage and New Drama in Late-Victorian London. Dissertation Abstracts International. June 2017;77 (9). MLA International Bibliography, Ipswich, MA. 26

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is based on Nora, a submissive and selfless woman who would go at any lengths for her husband and children. At one point in the play, Torvald, her husband, was ill. The doctor advised him to go seek treatment in Italy. Torvald was opposed to this because they did not have the money to do so. However, Nora insisted and she secretly forged her father’s signature to secure a loan from Krosgad who later blackmails her. Indeed, Krosgad’s actions causes trouble which leads Nora to discover how lost she is in her marriage. It breaks her heart that her husband is not whom she thought he was. Henrik Ibsen’s story is a mixture of situation irony, dramatic irony, conflict, and suspense. Readers believe that Ibsen based A Doll’s House on the theme of feminism, a movement that was beginning to gain ground in society in the 19th century. However, there are discrepancies that show double standards in marriage and the general societal morality standards. Therefore, this paper argues that Ibsen’s play goes against the traditional roles of men and women in marriage, morality and feminism.