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Book Review: by Amanda B. ★★★★☆ It 's no secret that Henrik Ibsens's play, published and performed in 1879, is considered one of the most crucial literature pieces to the early feminist movement. Bu after reading this three-scene play for ourselves, we felt that the piece truly lives up to its name, impressing us with the message that, at the time, was revolutionary and eye-opening.
Set in a Norwegian town in the late 1800's, Ibsen's characters live in an age when women where seen as subordinate and submissive objects to there dominated male husbands. The Play opens with the audience (or in this case, the readers) meeting a married couple, wife Nora and husband Torvald Helmer. Early on we learn that this is not the type of husband-wife relationship we are accustomed to now, but a reflection of the dominate male atmosphere that was customary a century ago. It is clear in the way that Torvald addresses his wife, "my little skylark" and "squirrel," that he sees his wife more as a pet or play thing than a respectable equal (Ibsen). Criticising her for being "a spendthrift," Torvald is unaware that Nora has put herself at legal risk in order to borrow money to save her husband's life (Ibsen). Nora proves herself to be a very capable, intelligent woman in her endeavor to illegally sign a bond contract, yet her husband, so spoiled by the popular misconception that women were fragile and needed to be sheltered, takes no care to this, finding pleasure in Nora's "dependence" on him. However, as the secret of Nora's debt are revealed at the hands of other main characters Mrs Linde and Krogstad, Torvald confirms his false love and support towards Nora. Rather than trying to protect his wife from accusations of illegality, he says, "But no man would sacrifice his honor for the one he loves," to which Nora daring replies, ""It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done" (Ibsen). Nora disappointed with her place in the household & the opportunities she has in the grips of her disrespectful husband, decides that she must take matters into her own hands. In a shocking and controversial ending, Nora exclaims that she must abandon her husband and kids to explore the world for herself, to leaner and foster a conscious built from experience, not from the bias of the male figures in her life. This ending, at the time of release, was so prococatie and contrary to the norm of the day that it shocked the world. In Germany, the ending was changed to have Nora stay with her family in the end, because the notion of a women taking charge of her life and leaving her "sacred duties" of mother and wife was unacceptable to many in that country. While, for some, Nora's choice of leaving her children behind, motherless, may seem selfish and extreme, her decision was nonetheless a pivotal point in the history of literature because it set the stage for a revolutionary change in the view towards women. In both Europe and the United States, the play was impactful in that it paved the way for the suffragist movement that would consume politics in the coming centuries and the eventual evolution of the attitude towards the female sex in the twentieth century. Overall, for any individual who would like to further educate themselves on important historical topics and era-defining literature, as well as having the desire to enjoy the well written artistry of Mr. Ibsen, A Doll's House is a must read. |