Role of Society in Doll’s House

Thesis statement

Society is so stratified that it has marginalized women and confined them in roles that denies them their identity and agency and given men autonomy over women.

Abstract

This paper attempts to throw light on the structure of society in the form of marriage and its expectations of it, using Henrik Ibsenr's A Doll's House. The role of women and their rights, the position of women in male domineering society and the struggle to be independent and to find oner's self. Ill also talk about how the society strips women of their identity and confers to them a new one which they must leave up to. The sharply defined gender roles that entangles both men and women. Ibsenr's emphasis and examination of stereotypical roles of men and women in the nineteenth century and how much things have changed if they have.

The play "A Doll's House" is a three-act play written by Henrik Ibsen in 1879 in Norway, Europe. The play is important for its critical perspectives toward nineteenth century marriage norms. In "A Doll's House", Ibsen paints a bleak picture of the sacrificial roles held by women of all classes in his society. He is known as the father of the new genre in drama realism. Ibsen really portrayed what life is it like especially for women living in a patriarchal society.

Its standard classification of gender roles and expectations it holds for a woman as a wife and a mother and as well as that of a man as a husband. The play lights up many flaws in the society in its structure and the expectation it has for individuals in relationships. There are many central themes in the play for discussion some of which are relevant to discuss in this paper are marriage, identity, infantilism, gender, rebellion etc.

Torvald and Nora are a couple with three children and their family fits the structure of a perfect middle-class family in their time. But this family picture of theirs became shattered when Krogstad in a letter revealed Norar's secret to her husband who reacts to it in a way that awakened the other side of Nora that has never been nurtured. She realizes the life of illusion and decides to leave her husband and children to go and construct her identity. Nora forged a signature to borrow money from Krogstad to save her husbandr's life. When Krogstad found out he was going to lose his job to Mrs. Linde, a friend of Norar's, he used the bond to blackmail Nora to persuade Torvald to let him keep his job in the bank. In a sweet not too sweet ending, Helmerr's relationship was broken but Krogstad and Mrs. Linde on the other hand rekindled a romantic relationship they had had in the past.

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