In my opinion, of the three terms given for us
to define, feminism suits this play best. It applies to
the play only in the sense that Nora, the female figure in
the play, is oppressed. Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House shows
how a housewife is sent over the edge by her oppressed
position. The action she takes exposes a hideous side of
human nature. It takes the female character, Nora, and
uses her as the "doll" in which the house "belongs" to, but
she does not have any power over the house.
The society at the time of A Doll's House was
driven almost exclusively by males. The man and wife had
clearly defined roles. The man was the provider who worked
during the day and rested at night. The wife had to run the
homestead. She was responsible for the children and the
house, but her influence on any major decisions was minimal.
In the play Nora is thrown into dire
circumstances. When her husband was sick she gathered a sum
of money to help finance a recuperating trip. She decided
to take the initiative of getting the funds, but her role in
society permitted her from attaining the cash. She was
dependent on a male to vouch for her, and instead of
bothering her dying father she forged his signature. This
act would definitely come back to haunt her.
The whole fiasco led Nora to question her position
within the household. She realizes that she is nothing more
than a "doll" for her father and her husband. Without their
status she cannot act alone. Her whole life has been for
other's benefit and the only thing she can do to declare her
independence and to make the rest of the world acknowledge
her identity is to kill herself. That way she can overcome
the oppressive male or male characters.
In more recent times people have begun to become
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