Feminism In A Doll’s House

Feminism is a social movement that focuses on the rights and opportunities of women as well as men. One of the most important aspects of feminism is its promise to grant equality and to make sure no one is being actively disadvantaged. 

The history of feminism has been long, beginning with women being seen as second-class citizens at the beginning of the 20th century. For much of that time, married women were granted ownership of their income while they were also permitted to attend college in 1882.

Nora has a lot of male figures in her life, all of whom dictate who she is and what kind of woman she is. Women are still oppressed by men, even despite the advancements that are happening today. Nora escapes to find herself outside of all these expectations, as well as to redefine feminism.

Although “A Doll’s House” takes place in the 1800s, it is still relevant to modern society because it talks about patriarchy and how women are treated today. With certain words such as doll or plaything, Nora is dehumanized when her husband refers to her, emphasizing this objectification.

Nora and Torvald’s household, though it may seem all-encompassing because society at that time period placed a lot of importance on these concepts. They were actually living in an environment that did not fit how they truly lived. As someone whose status significantly shined within the social norms of their influential peers, Mrs. Linde was able to abandon her true love, Krogstad, and marry an affluent man who would provide for her and her mother until she herself could provide for them when she had the fortune. She sacrificed love in order to fulfill her duty as a wife.

Through the opening scene of the play, Torvald is reassuring himself of his masculine image and Nora comes across as the perfect wife. Despite their characterizations, however, Nora becomes much more comfortable when faced with personal decisions.

Nora is a character that represents many different views on the equality of women vs. men. Nora saves her husband, which goes against what society thinks about women and their roles in life. This shows how Torvald, the common societal idea about how to view women, is not what Nora’s husband needs to succeed in her life (in terms of providing the means for it). 

Nora is ahead of her time in thinking that women don’t have a set role or obligation. As such, she leaves behind everything she was living for to discover something new and exciting.

Women’s Right

In 1800, a doll house was published called ‘A Doll House’ by Henrik Ibsen. This was the first play to have female protagonists that question genre of gender and sexuality. Though he denies the idea of female equality, Ibsen believes in equal opportunity for all.

One topic in particular that has come back in Ibsen’s life is women’s role in society. In his novel “Ghosts,” Nora struggles to maintain her marriage despite the complaints by a certain husband, who can’t seem to get enough of her behavior.

The marriage between Nora and Torvald is a great topic, but one which is often presented differently. Given the absence of “bliss” and the misconception that roles are assigned incorrectly, it’s evident that not everything is as it seems.

The play Inge makes this point quite clearly when it’s during the period of time covered by the play that women did not have as much autonomy or opportunities as men. Men also had complete control over women because they were considered as objects and property. One example mentioned was how Torvald, Nora’s husband, addressed his wife. He called her “sweetheart,” “child,” and “dear child.”

The major conflict in this play is Nora’s betrayal of Torvald. Nora lied to Torvald when he was sick to help him out, thereby contributing to his trust issues throughout their relationship. 

Another major theme is the many conflicts that arise from unrequited love, which is present throughout the play as she longs for an allusion to Torvald and he doesn’t see who she really is–back at the end of the play, their relationship breaks down due to him lackadaisically defending his wife. On top of that, many other different types of conflicts pop up such as different personalities and life perspectives.