A Doll’s House
Ibsen’s play The Doll House caused a great amount of controversy due to his views on women and marriage. Critics denounced him for his boundless perspective which marriage should contain. Setting the play in the 1800s, Ibsen represents the main characters, Torvald and Nora, as an ideal couple of the era. Initially, Nora assists in taking care of the house and Torvald brings food to the table. However, because of his representation of Nora becoming a free women, Ibsen received much backlash. He, however, believed that married women of his era should view themselves equivalent to men. Many contemporary women were suppressed by the social norms- staying home, raising children and tending the husband. He felt that this suppression …show more content…
When Torvald asks her to take off her clothes and join him on the bed, she dresses up in a new dress and leaves exclaiming to him that she had been a “doll-wife.”(Ibsen Act 3) Since the beginning, her father used her a “doll-child.” (Ibsen Act 3) Nora realized that she was “fun to play around with”. Ibsen informs society Nora’s doll self symbolizes the contemporary women being treated like “dolls.” Toys that are used once in awhile which later will be disposed of. Even since the beginning, men of her life were playing around and manipulating her and everything was arranged to the their taste. Similarly since men were physically more powerful than women, they were able to exert more influence towards a patriarchal society. Nora, extremely determined, pursues a new future in “educating herself” creating her own identity of self determination.(Ibsen Act 3) Breaking away from society’s influence, she is determined to discover a new self within her. This identity represents the ideal “free woman” Ibsen inspire women to achieve. The critic Sally Ledger agrees with Ibsen, describing Nora similarly as a “New Woman” or a woman who is “loosely applied to proto-feminist.” (Ledger 1) This “proto-feminist” is society’s perspective of a woman, serving her maternal duties. Nora found her light in life, a direction that she determine to seek for herself. Ibsen to encourage the women of his times to seek this freedom that Nora had. Transitioning to a liberal women, she sees Torvald at an equal eye level and his inability to understand her further empowers her. Discovering how much Nora could break away from allowed her to experience exclusive freedom that many contemporary women could empower themselves to
Ibsen’s play The Doll House caused a great amount of controversy due to his views on women and marriage. Critics denounced him for his boundless perspective which marriage should contain. Setting the play in the 1800s, Ibsen represents the main characters, Torvald and Nora, as an ideal couple of the era. Initially, Nora assists in taking care of the house and Torvald brings food to the table. However, because of his representation of Nora becoming a free women, Ibsen received much backlash. He, however, believed that married women of his era should view themselves equivalent to men. Many contemporary women were suppressed by the social norms- staying home, raising children and tending the husband. He felt that this suppression …show more content…
When Torvald asks her to take off her clothes and join him on the bed, she dresses up in a new dress and leaves exclaiming to him that she had been a “doll-wife.”(Ibsen Act 3) Since the beginning, her father used her a “doll-child.” (Ibsen Act 3) Nora realized that she was “fun to play around with”. Ibsen informs society Nora’s doll self symbolizes the contemporary women being treated like “dolls.” Toys that are used once in awhile which later will be disposed of. Even since the beginning, men of her life were playing around and manipulating her and everything was arranged to the their taste. Similarly since men were physically more powerful than women, they were able to exert more influence towards a patriarchal society. Nora, extremely determined, pursues a new future in “educating herself” creating her own identity of self determination.(Ibsen Act 3) Breaking away from society’s influence, she is determined to discover a new self within her. This identity represents the ideal “free woman” Ibsen inspire women to achieve. The critic Sally Ledger agrees with Ibsen, describing Nora similarly as a “New Woman” or a woman who is “loosely applied to proto-feminist.” (Ledger 1) This “proto-feminist” is society’s perspective of a woman, serving her maternal duties. Nora found her light in life, a direction that she determine to seek for herself. Ibsen to encourage the women of his times to seek this freedom that Nora had. Transitioning to a liberal women, she sees Torvald at an equal eye level and his inability to understand her further empowers her. Discovering how much Nora could break away from allowed her to experience exclusive freedom that many contemporary women could empower themselves to