Feminism in A Dolls House - Essay Example

Feminism in A Doll’s House A Doll’s House is a play written by Henrik Ibsen and published in 1879. This story focus on a theme that was common among people during the 19th century. This was a time of revolution in Europe. The dramatic and literary world was undergoing a change from the romantic tradition. Ibsen has therefore, been credited for popularizing and mastering the dramatic realism derived from the new perspective in literature (Ibsen and Archer 96). He chose a language and style that emphasized the local realism. The play follows the life of Nora Helmer as she stirs from her unexamined family life to a comfort wifely life. Her husband, Torvald, and her father initially control her life. She later begins to question everything she has believed in all her life. The play begins on Christmas Eve with Nora coming home from a visit. Torvald has just been promoted to a bank manger and he rejoices with his wife hoping that they shall not have to worry about money anymore (Ibsen 34). Nora is happy because she hopes she shall be able to pay back a loan that she secretly borrowed from Mr Krogstad years ago. Krogstad, on the other hand, learns that his position in the bank has been given to Mrs. Linde, Nora’s old friend. Nora’s happiness is marred when Krogstad approaches her and asks her to persuade Torvald to preserve his job. He says that he shall reveal the secret if he loses his job. Nora tries to convince her husband to preserve Krogstad’s position in the bank but in vain. Torvald goes further to send a termination notice to Krogstad. Later, Krogsatd sends a letter to Torvald revealing Nora’s secrete. He is angered and calls Nora a liar and a hypocrite. Their house cleaner, Helene, comes in with another letter from Krogstad addressed to Nora revealing that he has returned the contract. Torvald is overjoyed and dismisses his previous insults (Ibsen 100). At this point Nora says that for their eight years of marriage, she has been treated as a doll to be admired and played with. She declares that she has decided to make sense of herself and the environment and walks out slamming the door. This play focuses on the role and position of women in the society and marriage. Kristine and Nora are the typical presentations of women in this society. Nora and Kristine represent the sacrificial role of women. For instance, in her effort to support her two brothers and her mother, Mrs. Linde abandoned Krogstad and married a richer man (Ibsen and Archer 97). Though Nora seems to be economically better than other female characters, she has her troubles too. During their first years of marriage, they were poor and had longer working hours. When her husband got ill, she secretly borrowed money from Krogstad to finance her husband’s treatment in Italy. Women are not expected to borrow money from banks, so she forged her father’s signature. She tells her husband that she had the money from her father, keeping it a secret for years (Ibsen and Archer 98). This is because her husband would not have approved of it. The attitude of the society and Torvald leaves Nora vulnerable to blackmail from Krogstad. Feminism allows the reader a more insight in the play and its characters. It is through this that one can understand and interpret a character’s actions and behaviors. The manner in which the characters behave in the play is dictated by the societal believes and practices. Feminism is a consistent feature in the play. Men and women have been represented as holding different positions and roles in the society. Women are lower in status as compared to men. It is even arguable that the author illustrates women been treated as children. This is evident in the manner in which Torvald talked to his wife, Nora. He had the final decisions on all matters. Throughout the play, Nora is treated as lesser being as compared to her husband (Sturman 42). This is evident in the manner in which Torvald addresses her. Some of the words he uses to address her include squirrel, little featherhead, little person, little skylark, little woman, and little person among other words. This indicates that men are more superior to women. In addition to this, Torvald uses the possessive ‘me’ before the names. This indicates that men possess women. Women are generally under men’s control. This play illuminates the ways in which women are treated in the society in their various roles especially on motherhood and marriage. Torvald has a very precise and narrow definition of women. He believes that women have a duty to be good mothers and wives. In addition to this, he tells Nora that women are accountable for their children’s morality. In reality, he views women as childlike and helpless creatures (Sturman 45). In one instance, Nora notes that in her father’s house, she was a doll-child. The fact that Nora’s father is frequently mentioned in the play is an effort to equate him to Torvald. Though women have been undermined, it is arguable that they have skills in decision-making that they do not exploit. This is evident in Nora’s decision to get money for her husband’s treatment in Italy. Women desire to enjoy power and the privileges enjoyed by men in the society. At the end of the play before leaving, she states that she has been Torvald’s doll-wife with the house as a playroom. This indicates that both her husband and her father have all along treated Nora as plaything. It is at the end of the story that Nora decides to turn against custom by ending feminism. Before leaving, her husband mentions that leaving her children and her husband shall be like forsaking her most important duties. However, Nora explains that her most important duties are to herself (Ibsen 101). Critics have argued that Nora had undergone a personal reawakening and realized that she was not a complete individual if she did not perform her duty to herself. It was at this time that she needed time to face the world on her own and figure out what else she could be other than a person’s doll. Other critics have argued that at this point, Nora has destroyed the dollhouse and her role as a doll has ended (Ibsen and Archer 96). A Doll’s House is, therefore, a play centering on women’s position in the house. There seems to be a change in this position towards the end of the play with Nora’s decision. Work cited Ibsen, Henrik and Archer, William. A Doll's House: A Play in Three Acts. New York: BiblioBazaar. 2010. 96-98. Print. Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House.Norfolk: Arc Manor LLC. 2009. 1-116-print. Sturman, Marianne. A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler. New York: Perfection Learning. 1965. 42-50. Print. Read More