"A Doll's House": Nora's Struggle for Freedom

Paper Summary:

This paper deals with Nora Helmer's heroic struggle to free herself from the oppressive domination and control of her husband, Torvald. It portrays Nora's attempt to assert her own identity and independence in the face of what she considers societal and marital imprisonment. It shows the the essence of the story is Nora's journey from an enforced and artificial child-like existence to her own personal declaration of independence in the world.

From the Paper:

"In his play A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen portrays, in a general sense, the oppressed and powerless role of women in a male dominated society. In a more particular sense, Ibsen dramatizes the story of one woman's struggle to change her life in order to achieve a sense-of-self and independent identity in the face of social and personal oppression. For Nora Helmer, this struggle is the first step on a courageous personal quest. For most of the play, Nora is trapped in the traditional position of a woman in society. She is defined by her role as wife and mother. But by the end of the play, Nora undergoes a personal transformation and sets out on a journey of self -discovery. In undertaking this journey, Nora is not only demanding her own independence, in a real sense, but she is also a pioneer, in a symbolic sense, in asserting the rights and dignity of all women in society to be treated as the equal of men."

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• Poem Review # 138815 : "My Life Is a Doll House"

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