The criticisms in A Doll’s House A Doll house is written by Henrik Ibsen as a three act play. The play was very controversial when it was first published because it is very critical of the 19th century marriage norms. The play was also written near the time of women’s suffrage. Nora, the wife suffered from having to follow the expected role of women as well as with her own personal issues that she had to keep hidden that caused many problems in her life as well as her marriage. Nora had to fight the feminist expectations as well as the feeling of not being able to express her true self to anyone. During the setting of this play women were expected to follow a very strict role, not only of being a woman but as a wife. Women are meant to be seen and not heard, they are suppose to keep up their appearances for their husbands and if they do not they are not considered to be a good woman or a good wife. Nora strayed from her expected role when she went behind her husband’s back and took out a secret loan to save her husband’s life. Nora sees it as a logical and noble decision but she knows her husband would see otherwise and therefore keeps this information from him. Once Torvald, Nora’s husband finds out that she has strayed from her role he no longer wants anything to do with her the only thing he asks is she keeps up her appearances but he no longer loves her. This caused Nora to realize that she basically is a doll and he is her keeper, she then realizes she wants to be herself and leave her role. Throughout her whole life Nora was not able to express her true self. She had to lie to others about her intentions and follow a role she did not believe in. This caused her to become someone she is not and cause issues within her personal life. Nora was not who she wanted to be nor did she know who she was. She never truly felt free to be herself and make her own decisions; as a child her father made her decisions for her and as an adult her husband made her decisions. Nora eventually realized she needed to stray from her expected role and left her husband so she could go and find herself because she no longer felt as if she was anything. Nora eventually overcame society’s expectations and became herself. She overcame the feminist expectation and her own personal issues. Nora finally stood up for herself and created an example for women everywhere. When this story was written many women relooked at what their role was in society and it may have even helped pushed for woman suffrage. Nora’s husband was not supportive of her or her decisions he only wants her to keep his appearances up. Nora had to fight for her right to be herself just like many women during this time.
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