...Struggle for Identity in A Doll's House A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, is a play that was written ahead of its time. In this play Ibsen tackles women's rights as a matter of importance. Throughout this time period it was neglected. A Doll's House was written during the movement of Naturalism, which commonly reflected society. Ibsen acknowledges the fact that in 19th century life the role of the woman was to stay at home, raise the children and attend to her husband. Nora Helmer is the character in A Doll House who plays the 19th woman and is portrayed as a victim. Michael Meyers said of Henrik Ibsen's plays: "The common denominator in many of Ibsen's dramas is his interest in individuals struggling for and authentic identity in the face of tyrannical social conventions. This conflict often results in his characters' being divided between a sense of duty to themselves and their responsibility to others."(1563) All of the aspects of this quote can be applied to the play A Doll House, in Nora Helmer's character, who throughout much of the play is oppressed, presents an inauthentic identity to the audience and throughout the play attempts to discovery her authentic identity. The inferior role of Nora is extremely important to her character. Nora is oppressed by a variety of "tyrannical social conventions." Ibsen in his "A Doll's House" depicts the role of women as subordinate in order to emphasize their role in society. Nora is oppressed by the manipulation...
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...clamor for women’s rights gained momentum. As a result, women have more inferior social roles compared to men and this makes it difficult for them to attain personal satisfaction. The three authors make readers understand their intent through metaphors and other symbolic representations. Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” takes a look at the position of a woman in the domestic setting and how the protagonist makes a lot of sacrifices without her efforts being appreciated. Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” explores how a woman endures an unexciting marriage as she reflects on her past maiden days. Sharon Olds’ “The Victims” discusses divorce and domestic abuse and how these two issues affect the way children in a home grow up. The three authors reveal their inner feelings towards various issues that affect people in societies they are living in. In the “Doll’s House”, Ibsen shows the constant sacrifices Nora has to make to make all family members happy. She reduces the amount of money she spends on herself to make her husband and children live in comfort. She says, “For myself? Oh, I am sure I don't want anything” (Ibsen 1447) In “The Storm”, Calixta yearns for a more passionate relationship and she feels that her husband is not a perfect match for her. She misses the moments she spent with her lover, Alcee who is now married to Clarissa. She is miserable because she is in love with someone else yet social norms forbid a woman from loving another man who is not her husband. In “The Victims”,...
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...Encaged Gender roles throughout the years have greatly progressed in the right direction. However compared to their counterparts of today, women in the 19th and 20th century were restrained by a metaphoric glass ceiling. Nora Helmer from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Minnie Foster from Susan Glaspell’s Trifles are both victims of falling into gender roles of their time and trying to challenge or break out of the cultural mold made for females. Nora’s husband Torvald continually treats Nora as an inferior and she accepts the treatment to conform to his needs. This is common for the time as the story takes place in Norway in 1879. Minnie Foster also known as Mrs. Wright, is also treated as an inferior by her husband, Mr. Wright. However, unlike Nora, Mrs. Wright’s story takes place in the Midwest. Mrs. Wright had no one to gather support from due to isolation. By today’s standards, both women were subject to conforming to gender roles, but both women were also able to challenge these ideas. Both stories closely relate to each other in a way that disputes gender roles of the time. Nora Helmer seems to have conformed to her gender role. It seems that everything she does must get Torvald’s approval. She is a house wife, Torvald provides her with everything. For example, he gives her money and he even has hired a nanny to watch after their children. Torvald is a man that is deeply concerned with public image; he is very worried about his and the family’s reputation. When she...
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...Critical Analysis of "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House was a controversial play for its time because it questioned society's basic rules and norms. Multiple interpretations can be applied to the drama, which allows the reader to appreciate many different aspects of the play. This paper examines how both Feminist and Marxist analyses can be applied as literary theories in discussing Ibsen's play because both center on two important subject matters in the literary work: the roles of women in a male-dominated society, and, the power that money has over people. In Marxism it is believed that a person's thoughts, behaviors and relationships with others are all influenced by the individual’s social class and economic conditions. In addition, the Marxist approach looks at the mechanics of the system where the working class or the subordinates of society are kept powerless and dependent upon the higher classes. A common theme found in A Doll's House, is the exploitation of the weak and the poor by the strong and the rich, and an obsession with material possessions and social status. The characters in the play are all affected by the lack or acquisition of money, and their entire lives and way of thinking are based upon it. In the beginning of the play, Nora’s outlook on life and her desires are completely consumed by wealth and material things. For instance, in Act I when Nora returns home from a shopping trip, she asks her maid to hide the Christmas...
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