A Doll's House Reaction Paper

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Henrik Ibsen’s, A Doll’s house, was a dramatic play written in 1879 about the need of every individual person to find out the kind of person he or she is and to strive to become the better person. Ibsen set the main events of the play in one room, with the protagonist Nora Helmer in every scene, and she never seems to leave the room. He starts the play with an opening scene where Nora is coming home from shopping, bringing in Christmas presents, and a tree. This scene shows the time of the year, and demonstrates that the family has a revolving theme about money. As the play went on, Ibsen shows the importance of materialism with this family. The main character that focuses on the matter of materialism is Torvald Helmer. He is Nora’s husband for eight years, and at the beginning of the play was promoted to bank manager. Torvald wasn’t always working in banking, he was an unsuccessful barrister, this was because he refused to take “unsavory cases.” Torvald had built his middle-class living through his work and not from family money. Focused on business, Torvald spends most of his time at home, in his office, sheltered away from his wife and his children. In fact, he sees himself as the primary of the financial welfare of the family and a guardian for his wife. This shows that he possesses a strong thought on the different gender roles. Because he as a man, will handle the money, and the way the family lives. Materialism isn’t the only theme in this play; there is a major theme of gender conflicts. The play focuses on the ways that women are perceived in their various roles, especially in marriage and motherhood. Torvald, in particular, has a very clear but narrow definition of women’s role. He believes the sacred duty of a woman is to be a good wife and mother. He tells Nora that women are responsible for the morality of their children. In essence, he sees women as

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