Gender and Marxist Criticism in "A Doll's House"

Paper Summary:

In the play "A Doll's House," writer Henrik Ibsen centered on the development of protagonist Nora Helmer's character, as she shifted from being a materialistic, self-centered and submissive wife to being a willful and independent woman. This paper examines how both gender and Marxist analyses can be applied as literary theories in discussing Ibsen's play because both centers on two important themes in the literary work: power play between the male and female sexes, not to mention the socio-economic control that males seemed to have over females, particularly in Nora's case.

From the Paper:

"Nora's submissiveness and evident dominance of Torvald, Dr Rank, and Krogstad was shown in Acts I and II. In the first act, Torvald showed his low regard for his wife Nora when he referred to her as his "my little skylark" and "my little squirrel" when they were discussing issues about money. The playful manner he regarded his wife while questioning her about money matters made Nora look like a child who had committed offense against Torvald, giving the reader the impression that their marital relationship was not based on mutualism and equality, but was rather dependent upon Torvald's implicit dominance and Nora's willingness to become submissive for the sake of being given the money that she needed."

More papers on Gender and Marxist Criticism in "A Doll's House":

• Analytical Essay # 58442 : "Relationships in "A Doll House"
• Analytical Essay # 8140 : "Ibsen's "A Doll House"
• Essay # 87734 : "A Doll House and Medea"

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