Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, although much has been written about viewing Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House from purely a feminist perspective, the truth is that Ibsen's clever crafting of this play and careful development of his heroine Nora has allowed readers and critics over the years to apply many valid interpretations. The author points out that Ibsen's play is about the roles that people are willing or are forced to play: The role that Nora assumes at the end of the play is just another role - one that she has no idea how to play but feels she must. The paper concludes that Ibsen had to make Nora the explorer into a new world so that the audience might begin to understand his motive of revealing how the strict roles of society have stripped people of their human rights.

From the Paper:

"The other female character has also become a thinking human being through her trials in life. Ironically, Mrs. Linde because of her ability to think chooses to marry Krogstad during the course of the play. She says in regard to Krogstad's letter that she does not want him to ask for it back because "a whole day's gone by and I've witnessed things in this house that I could hardly believe...This wretched secret must be brought into the open so that there's complete understanding between them". Mrs. Linde's objective is not to destroy their marriage put to force Torvald and Nora to be honest..." with themselves and each other. Mrs. Linde has realized the necessity of this kind of honesty through her life of hardship which is why she decides to marry Krogstad. She accepts that he is not perfect and not a model man of the middle-class, but he can give her what she wants to be happy.

Sample of Sources Used:

• Drake, David B. "Ibsen's A Doll House." Explicator. Fall 1994, Vol. 53, Issue 1, 32.Ebscohost. Academic Search Premier. 16 March 2007. http://web110.epnet.com.
• Gilman, Richard. The Making of Modern Drama. New York: Farrar, Straus, andGiroux, 1974.
• Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House and Other Plays. Trans. Peter Watts. New York:Penguin Books. 1965.
• Johnston, Ian. "On Ibsen's A Doll's House." Lecture. Liberal Studies 310. MalaspinaUniversity, British Columbia. July 2001.
• Rekdal, Anne Marie. "The Female Jouissance: An Analysis of Ibsen's Et dukkehjem." Scandinavian Studies. June 2002. Ebscohost. Academic Search Premier. 16 March 2007. http://web110.epnet.com.

More papers on Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House":

• Analytical Essay # 8140 : "Ibsen's "A Doll House"
• Analytical Essay # 64855 : "Marital Relationships in Ibsen's "Doll House"
• Analytical Essay # 58442 : "Relationships in "A Doll House"
• Analytical Essay # 103912 : "Misogyny in Henrik Ibsen's Plays"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: