Order 617117: Write a paper in which you analyze the theme of A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen.

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The Theme of a Doll’s House

Introduction

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen was first published on December 4th, 1879 and performed for the first time in Copenhagen on December 21st, 1879. The play had many critics and had many controversial issues that Ibsen was forced to write another one known as "a barbaric outrage" for it to be referred whenever it is necessary. In the play, the controversy is evident through the play's central theme that is the role of women in society. At the beginning of the play, the controversy is based when Nora's decision to leave her children is criticized and also in the second instance where she changes her decision after realizing that her children need her more than the freedom she has been seeking. In this play, what Ibsen had in mind is the idea that women need to be shaped and made to be the best mothers and wives, however, he had another feeling of oppression and injustice, and this is evidenced through Helmer's treatment of Nora in a demeaning manner. Ibsen was never an activist of the women rights but only dealt with the rights of women as a component of realism within this play. Although he was later celebrated by feminists, his primary idea was not to solve the idea of women perception but to give more emphasis to it by illuminating it further. One can thus argue that the central theme in the play A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen is the role of women in society.

First, the concerns by Ibsen about the position of women are brought into existence in the A Doll's House. Ibsen believes that women have their rights of nurturing and creating their individuality, but in a real sense, their love was mostly sacrificial. The attention and treatment given to women are not the same as the ones men in the society receive, according to the society and their husbands. The same is evident from Torvald’s horror from his employees, where he thinks the wife has influenced his decisions on his job. Secondly, women are not able to carry out business activities or even have full control over their money. All of their finances need further and advised authorization from men, who in this case can be their husbands, brothers or even their fathers. Moreover, these women are not well educated about their responsibilities. Concerning the play, Nora is faced with the injustices when she taught she could take a loan by herself without any acknowledgment or authority from the father or her husband (Lee, 105). Furthermore, out of her ignorance, she believes that she can even get away with it by trying the forgery of a signature.

Secondly, those women who are single as evidenced by Mrs. Linde could be seen being so free with their money as compared to the married ones. These women could use their finances the way they feel like without having to hand it over to any man out of their willingness. In another case, the employment that was present and open for women was limited and they were paid poorly. From the play, the only available options for Mrs. Linde were the clerical work, domestic services or teaching service. The work that was available for women could not even be compared to what men were doing, and in that case, women were left feeling inferior in the eyes of men (Holledge, 14). In general, the women are always perceived as weak in the societies, and any duty that requires massive human resources were reserved for men, and thus women left with other dull and less paying jobs.

The next aspect of the role of women in society is the idea of marriage which was a trap in another perspective. Divorce was available in this community but is carried a different sense of stigma, which was not just for the women in the play but also for the entire family. As a consequence, it is the reason why the Torvald would get held to a marriage of pretense to appear in shape in place of having a divorce or a parting which was amicable. In the play, the women in the text have to sacrifice themselves to appear accepted and to survive for the better part, like in the character of the Nurse, Nora and Mrs. Linde. Nora loses the children whom she loves to pursue her own identity and also sacrifices to borrow money to save Torvald. On the other hand, Mrs. Linde sacrifices the whole true love of her personal life and eventually marries another man whom she does not love because she was passionate about supporting the dependents of her relatives. Due to other financial implications and survival, the nurse had to give up her child.

Works Cited

Holledge, Julie. "Addressing The Global Phenomenon Ofa Doll's House: An Intercultural Intervention." Ibsen Studies, vol. 8, no. 1, 2008, pp. 13-28.

Lee, Elspeth. "Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House. Adapted by Lally Katz and directed by Steven Mitchell Wright. La Boite Theatre, September 2014." Queensland Review, vol. 22, no. 01, 2015, pp. 104-106.