A Doll's House - Conflicts

Running head: A DOLL'S HOUSE – CONFLICTS
A DOLL'S HOUSE – CONFLICTS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1A DOLL'S HOUSE – CONFLICTS
The term dollhouse is often used to indicate the residence that is generally used to
describe the display of the existence of replicas of human beings in a miniature form. The
celebrated Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen is observed to have entitled the play, A Doll's
House in a symbolic manner that signifies the various moral factors that the social residents were
expected to follow. The play highlights the inequality that was faced by the women in the
nineteenth century. The women in the nineteenth century had to abide by the gender roles that
were assigned to them (Carlson). However, they were not allowed an equal standing with their
male counterparts. The play deals with the issues that relate to the social conflicts that have been
existing within the then societal setups. The following essay deals with the conflicts that have
been highlighted in one of the most celebrated plays of Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House.
A Doll's House is one of the most celebrated plays that have been composed by the
famous Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The setting of the play is demonstrated to be
familiar to the settings that were observed in the Norwegian towns back in circa 1879 (Guan).
The play attempts to focus on the life of a married woman who has been facing discrimination
against the
male counterparts of the concerned woman. The play highlighted the major issues that stemmed
from the discrimination that existed within the given society. The major issues that are
highlighted in the play refer to the issues that are posed within the given organization. The play
highlights the trapped condition of Nora Helmer, the protagonist of the story, in her marriage to
Torvald Helmer (Tam). Nora is a mother of three who has been trying her level best in
maintaining peace and harmony within the family. The protagonist is viewed to be the ideal wife
living in the nineteenth century and is found to be dealing with the improvement and the
betterment of her family. The play however, ends with the desertion of her family by Nora which

2A DOLL'S HOUSE – CONFLICTS
reveals the amount of stifling that she had been facing within her family and majorly at the hands
of her husband (Karim, Fathema, and Hakim). The playwright includes within the play another
female character who is observed to be extremely bold and outrageous. This refers to the
character of Kristine Linde. She is found to be in charge of her own life and to take her own
decisions. The character of Kristine provides a stark contrast to the character of Nora as is
revealed through the play.
The major setting that is observed to have been arousing a complete sense of conflict in
the minds of the readers is the setting of the play. The play opens in an indoor setting that reveals
the fact that the temperature outside the concerned room is extremely cold and is thus
uncomfortable for the existence of the concerned person. The weather in this case is considered
to be a representative of the life that is existent outside the norm maintained by the society
(Dingstad). The playwright is observed to have put forth a discussion on the life led by the
middle-class families within the given country. The description that the playwright provides for
the middle-class within the society states that the middle class of the society is “limiting, brutal,
and unforgiving” (Ibsen). The then society had hardly any room for the people who have been
incapable of meeting the standards that have been set by the society at large. The major conflict
that is demonstrated by Nora refers to the conflict among the individuals and the society at large.
The nineteenth century women were also kept in isolation if they failed to comply to the
standards that have been implemented by the society. The residents who fail to comply to the
standards of the society are often observed to have been dealing with the isolation from the
society. The playwright demonstrates this in a better manner through the character of Kristine.
Kristine is observed to be devoid of a position within the society due to the straight and the
undaunted nature of her marginal conditions. The protagonist of the play also follows the similar