Jacob Marzullo

IB English HL

February 25, 2024

Dr. Malashewski

A Doll’s House Representation of Reality

A Doll’s House by Henrik Isben is a play set in Norway circa 1879 revolving around the story of

a Norwegian housewife named Nora struggling with self-fulfillment because she is unable to

express her viewpoint in a male dominated society. The play provides a strong commentary on

the imperfections of societal norms, especially those concerning the equitable treatment of

women. In this play, Isben demonstrates how fiction is based on an actual representation of

reality. Isben helps us understand reality through his depiction of Nora’s life and the similarities

between her own lived experiences and those of a woman living in 1879.

Throughout the play, Isben questions modern gender roles between men and women as

well as societal rules within a family, through his controversial interpretation of marriage and

homelife. Isben emphasizes his social commentary by juxtaposing Nora’s family with a typical

Norwegian family. He portrays each character as a stereotypical version of their gender. For

example, Torvald is a wealthy banker who is also the sole income provider for the family, Nora

is the quintessential housewife, who is kind and nurturing. She raises the children, cares for the

family and is committed to doing all of the housework so that the family is always comfortable.

The family that is portrayed in the play closely resembles a typical family for that period of

time. The actions of the characters in the play are used to highlight the fact that the family

lifestyle shown in that era can be compared to the reality of a family that exists today. In this

story, Isben represents reality through the inclusion of conventional gender roles for men and
women. For example, in the story we see incidents where women are not taken seriously because

men see them as incapable of having any intelligent thought, women are treated as less

competent than men, or women are treated as pets. Even though women are treated inequitably,

the play portrays men as intelligent people who are both responsible and logical. In the play,

men are often placed in positions of authority or are the ones who are in charge of making

important decisions even though they act with excessive hubris. Another example of the

inequality between the two genders is shown when Torvald arrogantly claims “If it were rumored

now that the new bank director allowed his mind to be changed by his wife-” (148). When

Torvald makes this statement, he is showing us the reality of how men perceive women as

incognisant and unequal. By including examples of stereotypical gender roles, Isben effectively

relates the plot of the play to the inequality in the opportunities and expectations of men and

women in real life. Additionally, Isben shows how ideas and expectations about how men and

women should behave have continued to be promoted throughout history and are now embedded

into modern society and they still impact our perceptions about the role of men and women. .

When Nora is tasked with an issue she says: “A man can handle this thing so much better than a

mere woman-” (145), which shows us that even women were made to believe that they were less

capable than men and men were inevitably more competent. even women perceive men as more

capable and dominant.

A Doll’s House is considered one of the most powerful and accurate commentaries on modern

gender roles and the unequal treatment of women in society. Isben shows the negative impacts

that gender roles can have on the world. Throughout this play, Isben was able to represent the

reality of women in a patriarchal society and effectively used the fictional story of Nora to
convey the struggle of women around the world. A Doll’s House calls for equality and provokes

us to work towards an equal society.