A Doll’s House

Henrik Ibsen's play "A Doll's House"

Henrik Ibsen's play "A Doll's House" was written to challenge traditional views toward traditional marriage structures and the lack of feminism in culture. According to (Muhammed 206), the play was intended to raise consciousness and challenge "social ideals," which were seen as the only way to reinforce family relations and the overall make-up of a civilized community. Henry Ibsen's play is based on problems that arise in a marital institution and exposes all of the lies and challenges that hide beneath an ideal married couple. Ibsen’s play reveals the power granted to the husband over his wife by the "traditional ways" and gives a clear perception of women in slavery and suffrage in marriage.

The Character of Norah Helmer

Throughout the play, Ibsen spotlight the character of Norah Helmer, who lives in the defined marital roles in her times and represents a position of complexity and inner strength in women. Ibsen writes of how many other women like Norah in her century, lived in agony and desired to be self-independent, to be heard and respected by their husbands and to be allowed to express their feelings and dreams without being judged by the society. He argues that "until a woman discovers that her husband’s love is only based on exploitation and possession, as far as she gets the gets the strength to face her husband and question him for his disrespect acts towards her, she can never be free." He further explains that women in the nineteenth century lived in a 'comfortable' imagination of love from their husband and allowed their naivety to grab their desires to be self-independent and own their identity.

The Nineteenth-Century Men and Husbands

Further, the author paints a perfect image of the nineteenth-century men and husbands through Norah’s husband. The men at this time were egotists, unapologetic, and hypocrites who refused to accept women’s value in their lives. Norah explains of her husband’s hypocritical nature and how he fails to appreciate her, despite her significant efforts and sacrifices to save him from time to time. She compares her life to that of a 'doll,' a mere possession that can be used in whatever manner the owner pleases. She realizes that she is nothing close to being her husband's wife but a mere possession. (Muhammed 206) The author achieves his intentions of drawing the clear image of the nineteenth-century marriage institution through Norah’s marriage life. Ibsen paints the events of the play in a more realistic manner that represents what happens in society.

Critics and Different Views

The play raised a lot of critics and different views from the various analysts. One of the opinions was that the act showed how the social perception of 'culture and values' in traditional marriages controlled and out-ruled couples in a marriage agreement. The society in most ways had power over the roles played by men and women in marriage. The husbands were meant to be the breadwinners and the alphas while the wives were meant to be submissive. Hence, these points of view show that the writer’s aim of the play was to criticize the society.

The Power of Communication

From another point of view, Ibsen’s emphasis on the power of communication shows that the couples' hesitations or failure to communicate and express their thoughts and feelings are a critical factor in their unhappiness. Throughout the play, Norah and Torvald only talk of the general issues faced by the public society and fail to address the problems they face in their marriages. Ibsen further praises Kristine and Krogstad’s marriage that despite the struggles endured by the couple, they are honest and aware of each other. According to Ibsen, the critical factor to consent in the play is money. The author writes of how the absence of cash has adversely impacted the marriage lives of the two couples in the act (Muhammed 207). Kristine and Krogstad’s unhappy marriage was due to their lack of money, whereby Kristine states that her marriage struggles were all based on her need to support her mother and siblings while Krogstad’s criminal acts were meant to help his family (Muhammed 208). On the other hand, Torvald and Norah’s deceptions in marriage originated from issues related to money. Hence, Ibsen blames incompetence in the institution of marriage to the absence of self-identity, lack of communication, and unconscious compliance to a convention.

The Controversial Play

Hence, the play was reviewed as highly debatable and brought forth sharp criticism. Ibsen’s play was a narration of the actual life experience of a woman who goes by the name 'Laura Kieler' (Muhammed 206). The character of Norah resembles her life and the issues she faced in her marriage. The fact that "A Doll’s House" play was based on criticizing the real society of the nineteenth century, it was times banned by the nineteenth-century society. The character of Norah was compared to that of the 'new woman', a breed of women activists advocating for feminism. Ibsen stated that the play was not mainly about women as most individuals concluded but about the general issues in society and that his vital message to his readers was to remind them of the importance of being true to themselves (Muhammed 210).

Works Cited

Muhammed, Ashti Anwar, and Asma Jasim Muhammad. "Realism in Ibsen’sa Doll’s House: a Critical Study ." International Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies (IJHCS) ISSN 2356-5926 3.4 (2017): 203-216.