A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen follows Nora's struggles to escape the firm grip of her overbearing husband. Throughout the novel, Nora is depicted as obedient to her husband, Torvald, and never dares to stand up to him. Torvald's condescension and thinly veiled misogyny continually confine Nora to her rigid 19th century gender role. The title of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House reflects Nora's sense of oppression and lack of agency as she struggles to free herself from the rigid gender roles of her period. In A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, Ibsen uses his own experiences, a strong main female character, a sense of confinement, a conservative and dominant male protagonist, and an overwhelmingly misogynistic society to demonstrate that women do not have to adhere to, and can overcome a rigid series of gender roles. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAlthough Henrik Ibsen was born and raised in a strictly conservative society, he befriended feminist activists who shaped his beliefs, which is evident in the plot of A Doll's House. The Norwegian culture in which Ibsen grew up teaches that women should always be subservient to the dominant male. Kristen Ørjasæter, a Norwegian writer, explains why Henrik Ibsen created the title for the play when she states: "The American way of calling a woman a doll is not translatable into Norwegian, where a doll is just a toy" (Ørjasæter) . The use of the term "doll" is significant in this play, as it reflects the condescension and ridicule she receives from her husband, Torvald. His condescending jabs at Nora include, “You must not weary your dear eyes and delicate fingers” (Ibsen 9). Torvald's belittling of Nora demonstrates how Ibsen's background describes women. The culture he grew up in essentially pities women for how delicate their femininity makes them. Ibsen's beliefs begin to change, however, as he develops a more liberal than conservative outlook. Kristen Ørjasæter explains: “Ibsen himself was actually trapped in an ambivalent position in which gender difference on the one hand was the fundamental boundary between two types of human beings. . .on the other hand, the liberal thinker Ibsen [became] influenced by the emerging thoughts of the time” (Ørjasæter).While writing A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen was caught between two polarizing opinions on gender. In Norway, Ibsen was raised to consider men superior to women. However, as he began to travel and hear different ideas, Ibsen began to believe in the idea that women should be seen as equal to men. This shift from consistently seeing women as submissive and men as dominators came about when Henrik Ibsen befriended prominent feminist activists such as the role of Camilla Collett. Ibsen and Collett exchanged ideas and beliefs that shaped Ibsen's intention in creating the character of Nora. Kristen Ørjasæter describes Nora as “echoing frontline figures in the women's rights movement such as . . . Camilla Collett” (Ørjasæter). This shows that Ibsen created the character of Nora in Collett's image. He was inspired by her passion for women's emancipation in the 1780s and developed her own guidebook to exemplify her beliefs. Henrik Ibsen wrote Nora's character development to mirror his own; he was raised in a strictly conservative Norwegian culture that believed women should be obedient to the superior male figure, but later changed his views when he met Collett. This has ithelped write Nora as an obedient housewife transformed into an independent woman after standing up to her misogynistic husband. Ibsen wrote the character of Nora as an independent woman to model the early feminist activists she encountered, but also to rewrite the gender norms she encountered. he grew up. Its Norwegian origins oppressed women and established strict social norms that were not to be broken. Women in this Norwegian society were expected to stay at home and take care of their husband and children. Ibsen, through the character of Nora, broke these norms, “[it was] her own strength as a heroine that transformed her into a possible utopian model of the future, allowing them to create a free and individual identity” (Ørjasæter). Since this was written during a time when women were constantly oppressed, Nora's character serves as hope for a future society where women can feel free to be themselves and independent from dominant male figures. Yet, at the beginning of the play, Nora is described as obedient to her husband's demands. This is evident in his responses to Torvald's commands: "well, as you wish, Torvald" and "I should not think of doing what you disapprove of" (Ibsen 4 and 8). This shows Nora's reluctant attempts to please Torvald and free herself from his demands. However, as time passes, Nora becomes disillusioned with the thought of Torvald's control. Kristen Ørjasæter says: “Nora. . . she is not fit to be a wife and . . . her duty to herself is even more important than being a wife and mother” (Ørjasæter). The "duty" that Kristen Ørjasæter refers to is her emancipation at the end of the show. Because Nora's ideals were too radical to remain a housewife, she broke free from her submissive gender role and became an independent woman. Nora's struggle as a human being is described by writer Tori Moi as “rightly considered an exemplary case of women's struggle for political and social rights” (Moi 257). Here Moi justifies the controversial theme of feminism in A Doll's House, an unheard of topic in the play's setting. This is significant because during that time period, women were expected to be submissive housewives. Through the development of her character, Ibsen portrays Nora as an exemplary feminist icon for the oppressed women of the 19th century. The title of A Doll's House is a metaphor for the lack of freedom that Nora Helmer feels within her own home and subjected to Torvald's arrogance. Within her own home, Nora is expected to follow Torvald's rules, no matter how trivial they may seem, to ensure that Nora is under his control. Torvald, for example, forbids the presence of sweets in their house; when their family friend realizes that Nora has broken that rule, he exclaims, “oh dear, dear! Macaroons? I thought they were doing contraband here” (Ibsen 28). This shows Torvald's authority as even an outsider was aware of these rules. When she is at her home, Nora feels constrained and lacks freedom. When she leaves, however, she feels free and independent. Joan Tempelton states, “Nora's exit from her dollhouse has long been a major international symbol of women's issues, including many that far exceed the boundaries of her little world” (Tempelton). Nora feels like she's trapped in a dollhouse, but when she finally breaks free from the misogynistic world she was previously confined to, she sets the tone for the feminist movement around her. Nora is also given a sense of freedom at the gala she attends with Torvald. At this gala, she can be herself, dance and have fun outside of Torvald's overbearing grasp. Tori Moi cultivates an interesting perspective of the gala Nora andTorvald participated, "the Tarantella scene [is] a performance in which he demonstrates his humanity in contrast to his doll" (Moi 258). This suggests that Nora is more human when outside of her confined "dollhouse". This is significant because it shows that readers perceive her as a human being when she is not forced into the submissive role of a housewife. The title of this play reflects the confinement and restriction Nora felt in her home. With her overbearingly sexist and condescending husband, Nora felt trapped and needed to free herself from his hold on her. When she is at home, she is exposed to Torvald's ridicule and obsessive control, however, when she leaves home - evident in the gala scene - she is free to be herself and is liberated from Torvald's commands. Ibsen portrays Torvald Helmer as a conservative, dominant male figure whose condescension constantly belittles Nora. Torvald's character refers to Nora almost exclusively with pet names, for example when he hears that Nora has come home from the store he yells, "Is that my little squirrel on the move?" (Ibsen 3). This particular excerpt is one of three times Torvald calls Nora by a "pet name" within the same conversation. This seems condescending, as he refers to his wife as small woodland animals, rather than her own name. Here, Torvald is dehumanizing Nora by not only calling her his little squirrel, but also describing her as lively as a squirrel would. This type of tone is typical of Torvald, as he sees Nora as his property and feels as if he has the right to treat her as such. Hameed Khan introduces an interesting point of view by stating that “Torvald does not allow Nora to flourish as herself, as was the custom of the times. Torvald's use of what resembles childish language when speaking to his wife suppresses Nora's intense intellectual desire; is stifled by Torvald's defiance of respect” (Kahn 4). This illustrates Torvald's constant lust for power over Nora and his overbearingly controlling nature. In one scene, Torvald gets angry when Nora ignores his advances: “I see you're teasing me. . . am I not your husband?" (Ibsen 99). Here, Nora is trying to deny Torvald sex and he is furious as if it is his right towards her. He does not take her feelings into account, he just does what he wants. This illustrates clearly Torvald's misogynistic nature, as he does not see Nora as a human being, but merely property. Torvald speaks negatively of Nora, as well as treating her badly. Torvald describes Nora as "terribly obstinate" to his friend (Ibsen 94). his sexist nature, as he believes that all women should be obedient without question and is furious when Nora is not. Ibsen also writes Torvald as apparently too busy for his wife, “Do not disturb me” (Ibsen 4). Torvald worries about Nora, as he sees her as a distraction, rather than a human being. Ibsen denounces Torvald's sexist treatment of Nora and reveals that he does not see her as a person, let alone a human being. A Doll's House uses a rigid set of gender roles to subject its characters to societal conformity. Unni Langås believes that “gender in this context links biological differences to social ones, and the woman is subordinate to the superior man” (Langås). This quote is an excerpt from a popular view of Norwegian culture, which provides some insights into Ibsen's misogynistic writing. Langås further states that “this notion of gender as constructed and represented does not imply, however, that gender is artificial or fictitious as opposed to a 'real' or 'authentic' identity” (Langås). This shows that the, 53(4), 457-475.