A Doll House
"A Doll House"
Conrad N.Torres
ENG/125
April 17, 2012
Dr. Ray Garubo
Controversial of its time, “A Doll House” presented on stage a subject that was not socially accepted, was shunned, and not publically discussed. This dramatization of real life was portrayed by Ibsen in such an artistic manner, that not only was it accepted by the era, but brought with it notoriety, and was proclaimed a masterpiece.
As I began to read Ibsen’s “A Doll House,” my first reaction was that Ibsen was a writer quite before his time. When he wrote this play, the norm for marriage was that men were head of household and women were supposed to perform the daily duties of maintaining a well-run household, raise the children and literally, “be seen but not heard.”
Ibsen, when he wrote this play, was addressing the manner in which women could not be themselves in modern society. Ibsen argued that since “it is an exclusively male society, with laws made by men and with prosecutors and judges who assess feminine conduct strictly from a male standpoint.” He brought his beliefs to light in the writing of this play. “A Doll House” was severely criticized as controversial and sharply criticized of the 19th century marriage norms.
My second reaction was that this play fell in line with our modern description of domestic violence and Nora, his leading lady, aptly represented many of today’s victims. Quite often in this scenario, the women/men have a low self-esteem and succumb to the husband’s/wife’s either physical or verbal abuse. They honestly believe that their mates love them despite their small worth and accept every crumb of kindness thrown to them believing it is love. Today, with counseling, both sexes realize their self-worth and leave the marriage or relationship to find themselves. Sadly, in Ibsen’s era, this service was unheard of and unavailable.
I did not believe Ibsen employed the use of imagination in the writing of the play because when he wrote “A Doll House,” he based
Conrad N.Torres
ENG/125
April 17, 2012
Dr. Ray Garubo
Controversial of its time, “A Doll House” presented on stage a subject that was not socially accepted, was shunned, and not publically discussed. This dramatization of real life was portrayed by Ibsen in such an artistic manner, that not only was it accepted by the era, but brought with it notoriety, and was proclaimed a masterpiece.
As I began to read Ibsen’s “A Doll House,” my first reaction was that Ibsen was a writer quite before his time. When he wrote this play, the norm for marriage was that men were head of household and women were supposed to perform the daily duties of maintaining a well-run household, raise the children and literally, “be seen but not heard.”
Ibsen, when he wrote this play, was addressing the manner in which women could not be themselves in modern society. Ibsen argued that since “it is an exclusively male society, with laws made by men and with prosecutors and judges who assess feminine conduct strictly from a male standpoint.” He brought his beliefs to light in the writing of this play. “A Doll House” was severely criticized as controversial and sharply criticized of the 19th century marriage norms.
My second reaction was that this play fell in line with our modern description of domestic violence and Nora, his leading lady, aptly represented many of today’s victims. Quite often in this scenario, the women/men have a low self-esteem and succumb to the husband’s/wife’s either physical or verbal abuse. They honestly believe that their mates love them despite their small worth and accept every crumb of kindness thrown to them believing it is love. Today, with counseling, both sexes realize their self-worth and leave the marriage or relationship to find themselves. Sadly, in Ibsen’s era, this service was unheard of and unavailable.
I did not believe Ibsen employed the use of imagination in the writing of the play because when he wrote “A Doll House,” he based