&nbsp;
<p style="text-align: center"></p>
&nbsp;

"A Doll's House" is a play that was written in 1879 by Henrik Ibsen that broke the barriers of social norms for its time.  Ibsen was a figure head in his field known world wide for his playwrights one critic states, "was not the second half of the nineteenth century the age of Ibsen: is tragedy not restored to the heights in him?". <!--more-->
(Gray)  It focuses on a typical married couple for the time period, Torvald and Nora.  In order to save her husband’s life Nora forges a signature to get money to save him only to find he is very unappreciative.  Some say it is a piece that was written for women’s rights.  Ibsen however has stated that the play was not written simply about women's rights during the time, but every human’s natural right that had been taken or severely restricted due to social norms.  "A Doll's House" should be preserved due to its innovative thought about human rights and how these natural rights we have were so suppressed under irrational social norms.

The piece is beautiful in my opinion.  Not only does it express the harsh reality of the social conditions that people had to live through during those times.  I mean compared to current day where some men don't even work and stay home while the woman is the bread winner.  He was not afraid to let people know that he was not ok following this unwritten handbook of social acceptability.  The other thing that I love about the piece is that it is a woman who goes through the harsh times, but he defends the husband stating that it’s about human rights.  Ibsen said, "I . . . must disclaim the honor of having consciously worked for women's rights. I am not even quite sure what women's rights really are. To me it has been a question of human rights." (Goonetilleke)   Torvald then does not seem like so much of a monster with that statement.  If it weren't for the norms put in place he may have reacted properly with love rather than anger about his wife's decision.

It is uncanny however how two pieces that have to do with personal rights were created so closely in time.  Another work that was made about women's rights but still about natural human rights was "The Subjugation of Women" by John Stuart Mill in 1869.  The piece talks about how social norms have turned women into willing slaves.  They are deprived from a young age of opportunity that men have and this causes them to play the subordinate role.  It talks about how women are pretty much bread from a young age to be placed in the house taking care of children and chores.  The other great point Mill makes as well is that all women of the time have been brainwashed into thinking it is acceptable.  As said they are turned into willing slaves by the social norms.(Fiero)  This factor is almost identical to Ibsen's display of social norms stating men will act based on social norms regardless of situation, and that the women are expected to abide by these norms because that is just how things are.

This piece is very innovative for its time.  Ibsen was going against the level of social acceptability that was in place at the time, and had been in place for years.  Almost an unwritten rule on how people were supposed to act based on their given gender role.  It was innovative; however as said before you had other artists such as Mills who were still standing up for women's rights.  A little more off based than Ibsen who saw how the guidelines for "social acceptability" were depriving citizens of their natural birth rights.  Both produced their works in order to show people that the way things have been just did not make sense and it did not take a genius to see that.  Ibsen denying he wrote for women's rights however I feel made a more profound impact stating that he wrote because both men's and women's rights were being impeded on.

When the play was originally written it did not go over very well with audiences due to the shocking acts of Nora.  One critic has stated, “The play was deemed so daring that, when performed in many countries, the ending was changed so that Nora returns home, finding she cannot leave Torvald or her three children so great is her love and devotion to them.” (Brunnemer)  However today the once shocking actions of Nora are now seen in a different light, “Nora's quest for her personal identity, while scandalous to some at the time, is exactly what made the play so famous—and why it continues to hold such currency as a drama today.” (Brunnemer)  Ibsen’s portrayal of how social norms had stunted human rights for all citizens is something that will always be appreciated.

The important reason for future generations to know about "A Doll's House" is how it was created to try and change social norms.  Ibsen saw how these roles are predetermined simply based on gender and nothing else.  No one gave the thought that women might be able to operate just as well as men in the work place and other aspects of life.  They were bread and brainwashed into thinking their role was in the house and to be subservient to their husbands.  Then he comes back and defends the men of society as well.  They too are brainwashed and set in their ways of how things are supposed to be and follow it strictly.  As quoted before Ibsen wrote this with the thought of all human rights in mind not just about one gender as both fell victim to the “cookie cutter” social norms.

"A Doll's House" is a play written in order to sway public opinion and generate some thought about equality in gender.  Not only in gender but also in social acceptability associated with gender.  It showed how the women were slaves or a "Doll" merely in the “Doll House”.  It gives us a real view into how things were in those days.  To the extremes where even if a woman lied to save her husbands life he would recover with disappointment and criticism of such a wrong action.  Who could think of something like that today?  Many would do anything to save loved ones lives and their loved ones would be nothing but thankful.  It shows us how even when it came to actions of the people we hold closest the social norms were so overbearing that one could treat a spouse as a stranger committing such an act.   "A Doll's House" should be preserved due to its innovative school of thought about natural rights and how far society has come since then.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<p align="center">Work Cited</p>
<p align="center"></p>
Brunnemer, Kristin. "Sexuality in Henrik Ibsen's <em>A Doll's House</em>." In Bloom, Harold, ed. <em>Human Sexuality</em>, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2009. <em>Bloom's Literary Reference Online.</em> Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com

&nbsp;

Fiero, Gloria“The Humanistic Tradition Vol 2” 6<sup>th</sup> edition Page B4.138, 06 October 2011  <a href="http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/connect/hmEBook.do?setTab=sectionTabs">http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/connect/hmEBook.do?setTab=sectionTabs</a>

&nbsp;

Goonetilleke, D.C.R.A. "A Doll's House (Et Dukkehjem) Play by Henrik Ibsen, 1879." <em>Reference Guide to World Literature</em>. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. 3rd ed. Vol. 2: Works. Detroit: St. James Press, 2003. 1231-1232. <em>Gale</em><em> Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 17 Oct. 2011.

&nbsp;

Gray, Ronald. "Ibsen, Henrik (1828-1906)." <em>European Writers</em>: <em>The Romantic Century</em>. Ed. George Stade. Vol. 7. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1983. 1421-1447. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.

&nbsp;