Henrik Isbens A Dolls House :: A Dolls House Essays

Main Theme I decided to write about one of the themes of A Doll's House's. I thought the main theme was a classic case of women’s suffrage. How Nora parted from society. Breaking away from the social standards of their time and acting the way they want is showed by several of the characters. No one character demonstrates this better than Nora. The time period in which the play takes place, women were not to be asserting themselves. Women were supposed to support their husbands, take care of their children, and made sure everything was perfect around the house. Work, politics, and decisions were left to the men. Nora's first break from society was when she decided to borrow money to pay for her husbands treatment. By doing this, she not only broke the law but she stepped away from the role women play in her society. She was suppose to be helpless and completely dependent upon Torvald. Nora's second break from society was shown by her decision to leave Torvald and her children. She was suppose to be under her husband. This is shown in the way Torvald spoke down to her. He would say things like, "worries that you couldn't possibly help me with," and, "Nora, Nora, just like a woman." She is almost considered to be property of his. By walking out on her family, she takes a position equal to her husband and brakes the rules of society. Nora also brakes society's expectations of staying in a marriage since divorce was unheard of during that era. Her decision was a separation from all expectations put on a woman and a wife by society. Nora knew the consequences her decisions. They were very deliberate and thought out. She knew what society expected of her and continued to do what she felt is right. I think Ibsen was sympathetic to Nora. Her examples of defying the stereo type of women were used Ibsen to show faults of society. In the first example, Ibsen shows that even though Nora did the right thing, it was deemed wrong and not allowed by society because she was a woman. Ibsen is critical of society's expectations of a marriage. He does this by showing how Nora is forced to be a wife, than be herself and this eventually deteriorates the marriage. Throughout the play Nora is looked down upon and treated as a possession by her husband.