Feminist Criticism on A Dolls House Free Essay Example, 1250 words

At the play’s onset, it is discernible that a woman’s value prop on the fact the she is a homemaker. Nora Helmer enters her house with gifts and a Christmas tree for the celebration’s eve. It is notable that the husband emerges from the study and teases Nora for being spendthrift. Nora, on the other hand, replies that she can only be spendthrift because the husband is having a promotion (Ibsen 9). It emerges that Torvald is the only person working in the household. Nora interestingly takes pride in the success of her husband at the expense of her not engaging in any meaningful activity. Nora confines herself to domestic duties while Torvald Helmer flourishes in his banking career. It seems Nora believes that formal employment should be entirely a man’s affair. She only manifests joy in her husband’s career development. This also manifests in Kristine’s situation. She later confesses to Krogstad about her intentions of leaving him. She says t hat she had left Krogstad because she was looking for material satisfaction in another man. In spite of the fact that she still held feelings for Krogstad, she substituted her intrinsic fulfillment for a life with a rich man she did not love (Malague 109). We will write a custom essay sample on Feminist Criticism on A Dolls House or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now At this stage, Kristine does not realize she can look for her own money. In this position, the woman is confined to perpetual financial dependence on a man. The men in Ibsen’s society seem to take women’s feelings for granted. When Torvald realizes Krogstad attempt at blackmailing the family, he abuses Norah. After offending Norah, however, Torvald tell Norah to forget everything that had happened. Torvald says that by forgiving Norah, it becomes an act of love. Although Norah is grieving of Torvald’s abuses, the husband believes it is her duty to repress her feelings for the benefits of the family. In this way, Torvald is unaware of the fact that a woman is an emotional being who requires considerable space to sort her issues. Besides, marriage seems as an institution of convenience rather than as a home for making a better future. Torvald seems to have married Nora because she was an insolent woman who could participate in the building of the family. When Norah is about to leave her household, she tells Torvald that he has never understood her. Torvald has constructed a miniscule world whereby she treats Norah as a child. Norah also says that he has never understood her husband, in this sense, her devotion to the husband is merely a way of satisfying certain social ideals.