Woman Question in A Doll's House

Running head: WOMAN QUESTION IN A DOLL’S HOUSE
WOMAN QUESTION IN A DOLL’S HOUSE
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1WOMAN QUESTION IN A DOLL’S HOUSE
In the play by Ibsen ‘A Doll’s House’ the playwright has mentioned about the
situation of the women in his contemporary society. The play revolves round the character of
Nora through whom, Ibsen is developing the idea of women situation of his time. It is the
reflective of lives and anxieties of the bourgeoisie women in the Victorian age. In this paly,
feminism has been the dominant theme which is marked by the unfortunate situation of the
women in the society particularly ruled by the patriarchy diminishing any aspect of equality
of gender.
This paly by Ibsen revealing the woman question of the contemporary society, can be
analyzed through four perspectives that include, double standard, marriage, emancipation of
woman and motherhood. In all these aspects, the most exploited persons are all the women
characters of this play. This play has provided support to develop the idea of feminine
helpless and childishness versus manly strength as well as resourcefulness by creating the
image of a doll representing the ineffectiveness and subhuman category.
The character of Nora is truly feminist character who in spite of being a tormented
and fragile character aspires to have her right to life or individual existence. Her husband
Torvald Helmer’s most avid concern is for keeping the appearance regardless of
psychological cost. However, it is important to keep in mind that Ibsen’s play is not only a
play but reflection of a true incident of life of a female journalist Laura Peter san Kieler from
Norway. Unlike Nora, she also had married to a man for whose recovery from tuberculosis
she had to borrow money to finance the Italian journey (Ibsen). In order to reimburse the
money, she worked fanatically but when al her earnings proved not sufficient, in desperation
Laura forged a check. In Ibsen’s play also, Nora forges her father’s check to finance the
recovery of her husband Torvald.
Ibsen has identified incurable rift among the true values of life and standard of
conduct implemented by the society. It is the conflict of love and law, head and heart and

2WOMAN QUESTION IN A DOLL’S HOUSE
feminine and masculine values that has made the play so important (Shah). The play revolves
round the character and discloses that that the women cannot be themselves in the modern
society as they are under the guidance of cruel brute but kind guardian husband. The value of
women is nullified in the society and there are accepted as the show piece in the household
having no say to the welfare of the family, no ability for decision making and no capacity to
back up financially from saving life.
This sub human classification is not only the effect of modernism or industrial
Europe. This portrayal of women to be weak, abiding and inferior to men both physically as
well as psychologically, is the feature of both ancient as well as Elizabethan societies
(Loomba). Both Sophocles as well as Shakespeare in their works have portrayed the women
as the subject of pleasure and victims of the patriarchal dominance. In Sophocles’ Oedipus
Rex, presents the irony of fate through the attempts of Oedipus to avoid the prophecy that he
would kill his father and marry his mother. He ironically kills the man on the way
unknowingly that he was his own father. Later Oedipus is offered the queen’s hand in
marriage who was his own real mother. In this regard it can be understood that the queen in
spite of being a queen cannot protest against the society as she is an object of win. She is an
asset which needs to be protected by the strongest man and does not have the scope to forget
her loving husband and marry another man.
In Hamlet by Shakespeare also, Gertrude and Ophelia reflect the general status of the
women in the Elizabethan age. In this paly, the protagonist of the play Hamlet has showed his
understanding of women as associated with frailty. Both Gertrude, the queen and Ophelia a
woman of high born family have little power to speak their mind and work freely (Bilgin).
They are restricted by the legal, social and economic policies of Elizabethan England. Both
these two character are used to show the height and power of masculinity. Unlike Nora these
women are the burden of the misjudgment.