Inequality In A Doll's House Essay

Nora’s most cognizant role is that of a child, though it still lacks great control. A child, while he or she has his or her own thoughts, is easily influenced and highly fragile, needing the protection and security of an adult. Because women did not reach an age of independence until laws passed under the women’s movement provided the right, women during this time period were often handed off from their father to their husband. Therefore a husband-wife relationship often parallels a father-daughter relationship. In “A Doll’s House”, both Nora and Torvald fulfill their respective roles. Nora often seeks Torvald’s guidance, as is expected of her within her society, asking him to “take care of me” (Ibsen 56) and to “teach me, the way you always have” (Ibsen 57). Nora’s constant asking for help shows a lack of maturity. Torald, however, is more than obliged to take on a leadership role and …show more content…
Nora is a device, which Ibsen uses to embody “the comedy as well as the tragedy of modern life” (Templeton 28). At the start of the play, Nora seems content in allowing her husband and society to rule her life. Throughout the play, Nora becomes more self-aware. She comes to realize that her marriage was built on lies, and because of her husband’s control of her life, she does not know who she truly is inside. As Nora leaves, she moves towards an ideal in which women have the ability to discover themselves and obtain their own freedom. Though it was not Ibsen’s intention, this ideal became a reality for the women’s movement, and “A Doll’s House” inspired many feminists. “In closing the door of her husband and children, Nora opened the way to the 19th century women’s movement” (Hossain 3). As a strong, independent woman, Nora brought to life the chaos of everyday life and the faults of