“a Doll’s House” by Ibsen

The words of Ibsen said, “There are two kinds of moral laws, two kinds of conscience, one for men and one, quite different, for women. They don’t understand each other; but in practical life, woman is judged by masculine law, as though she weren’t a woman but a man…. A woman cannot be herself in modern society.” Throughout the plot there were numerous themes that Ibsen created from those ideas such as deception, blackmail, inequality, marriage, freedom, honesty, and much more. The themes that will be discussed are the sacrificial role of woman, gender, and freedom. In “A Doll’s House” by Ibsen there were quite a few examples of sacrificial roles held by women. One was when Mrs. Linda had to abandon Krogstad, who was her one and only true love for a richer man. In order to support her mother and two brothers, Mrs. Linda found it necessary to sacrifice her happiness for the sake of helping out her family. Another example of a sacrificial role held by women was when the Nanny had to leave her child to support herself, which is when she started working as Nora’s and now Nora’s children’s caretaker. During the play Nora made a couple of sacrifices such as leaving her children, despite the love she had for them she chose to leave them with the Nanny thinking she would be a better mother and have their best interest at heart. Nora did not want to leave her children; she only wanted to make a way for herself as an adult human being in the world without corrupting them. Not only did Nora do that she also sacrificed her integrity and brought shame upon the manhood of her husband, Torvald to save his life.
Gender is something we hear and talk about every day; this too was yet another

theme in “A Doll’s House”. During Ibsen’s time and currently now this issue about gender continues to raise important concerns between men and women such as: the right of a woman to determine and direct course of their own lives, the role of the wife in a marriage, and the right of woman to enjoy equal opportunity and recognition in the business world (Rosenburg, 2004). In the play society dictated that Torvald be the marriage’s dominant partner. Torvald made it very clear to what a woman’s role was, which he believed that it was the sacred duty of a woman to be a good wife and mother, it was the responsibility of a woman for the morality of their children, and it was a common thing for a woman to be such childlike and helpless creatures detached from reality.
Torvald and Dr. Rank expressed in the play that a parent is obligated to be honest and upstanding because a parent’s immorality is passed on to his or her children. Torvald voiced that nearly all young criminals had lying mothers and when he learned about Nora’s deceitful ways he refused to allow her to interact with their children thinking she would corrupt them. In the play both of the women were perceived as very needy, sneaky, smart, and clever. Overall a simple but important idea was underlying these issues: the principal obligation of each human being is to discover who he or she is and to strive to become that person, during that process one must be free to question existing conditions (Rosenburg, 2004).
The meaning of freedom evolved over the course of the play. In the beginning of the play during act one Nora believed that as soon as she paid her debt she would be

totally free and have the opportunity to devote herself fully to her motherly duties.
But after Krogstad blackmails her, she later reconsiders her conception of freedom and questions whether she is happy in Torvald’s house while being subjected to his orders and edicts. By the time the play ends Nora seeks a new kind of freedom, she wishes to be relieved of her familial obligations in order to pursue her own ambitions, beliefs, and identity. Nora thought that her husband’s new job and higher salary would free her from her worries but she eventually learned that it was not debt that enslaved her but her husband’s unbending will. According to Ibsen freedom must come from within individuals rather than from the efforts of social and political organizations (Rosenburg, 2004). The literary devices used in “A Doll’s House” to influence or manipulate the audience were: symbolism, irony, allegory, and imagery, which were conveyed through simile, metaphors, and personification. The Christmas tree and New Year’s Day were two of the main symbols that were used in the play. The Christmas tree served as a decorative purpose, which symbolized Nora’s position in her household as a plaything who is pleasing to look at and adds charm to the home. New Year’s Day was something both Torvald and Nora looked forward to, it was the start of a new and happier phase of their lives. But towards the end of the play, New Year’s Day meant a new life that Nora would begin after leaving Torvald. Animal imagery is used in this play when Torvald compares Nora with different animals such as a bird, a squirrel, and a dove. Nora was occasionally compared to a doll considering she was never treated like

a wife but instead a charming playmate. Her beauty is admired and the home they lived in seems perfect while in reality it is just a marriage full of show. Ibsen construct a message around those three themes listed above by focusing on the ways that woman are perceived in their various roles, especially in marriage and motherhood and by painting a picture of the sacrificial role held by women of all economic classes in his society. Being a woman back in Ibsen’s time, society frowned upon women asserting themselves. Women were supposed to play a role in which they supported their husbands, took care of their children, and made sure everything was perfect around the house. Work, politics, and decisions were left to the males. But in the play Nora broke the law and decided to borrow money to pay for her husband’s treatment. By doing that she stepped away from the role society had placed on her of being totally dependent on her husband. The secessions demonstrated by Nora were used to show faults in society because she was a woman and was not living up to the expectations of women in the modern time. A message was constructed around those themes by giving numerous examples throughout the play to readers that not only challenges the values and beliefs between men and woman in society but to also allow the readers to understand how things were during his time. Nora was personified as the doll while striving to become a self-motivated human being in a woman-denying man’s world. In conclusion giving all the examples and themes that were within the play, overall “A Doll’s House” attacked contemporary social attitudes and conventions.