A Doll's House
...how daring it seemed at the time it was written one hundred years ago. Things like work, politics, and decisions where left to the males. Women were denied participation in public life, their access to education was limited, their social lives were narrowly circumscribed, and they could not legally transact business or own property. 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. Nora serves as a symbol for women of the time; women who were thought to be content with the luxuries of modern society with no thought or care of the world in which they lived. When Nora finally slams the door and
leaves, she is not only slamming it on Torvald, but also on everything else that has happened in her past which has enabled her to grow into a mature woman. Her desire to go out into the world is not to "prove herself" but to discover and educate herself. She must strive to find her individuality.
By presenting this theme of the relationship between women and their surroundings at the beginning, Ibsen indicates that this is the most basic and important idea at work in the play. The setting is in the home of Torvald and Nora. Everything that involves Nora takes place in the home. Her role and place is seen to be in the home and nowhere else. Ibsen points this out in the beginning and sets the "mood" for the play. She has the attitude that money is the key to happiness. However, it is also clear that Nora's simplistic approach to the world is not entirely her fault. Torvald's treatment of Nora as a small helpless child only contributes to Nora's separation from reality. She has to ask permission in order to spend any money. "Oh yes, Torvald, surely we can afford to be just a little bit extravagant now, can't we? Just a teeny-weeny bit. (pg 1811). She is...
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