A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen, Essay Example

The play in actual sense is based on the aspect of a housewife, who becomes unsatisfied with the condescending nature of her husband. The plot in itself serves as testament to the play being based on illustrating the female issues that occur in actual society. Even though the play was created in 1879, the play illustrates how women are treated in majority of societies in the modern day; some are more open than others regarding the condescension towards women.

In the first act, the nature of feminism is evident, as Nils Krogstad uses blackmail to ensure that he remains in his position at the bank. The black mail is stemmed from his knowledge that Ms. Nora forged the signature of her deceased father. Because he is aware that she will receive a promotion, Krogstad blackmails by threatening to reveal her secret to Trovald, who she will be taking over from or even alert the police.

From the first act, it is evident how feminism occurs, due to the manner in which Krogstad is willing to prey on the situation that Ms. Nora is entangled in. It illustrates the manner in which the man (Krogstad) is willing to take advantage of the woman (Ms. Nora) in order to personally benefit or safeguard his future at the bank. As the act continues, it is evident that the manipulation of Krogstad begins toaffect Nora as she begins to feel the strain of concealing the secret as well as the fear that Krogstad might reveal the truth, putting her promotion in jeopardy. The manipulation has an effect on the way Nora carries out her daily duties, and it results in the trapped feeling she has. It is reminiscent of a dog in a leash; in this case, Nora is the dog and Krogstad is the holder of the leash. It is an illustration of the lack of freedom, which should be a part of everybody’s life. it is a symbol of how women tend to be treated; trapped and never free.

In the second act, Nora is fixated on finding ways to prevent Krogstad from revealing her secret, to do this she tries to persuade her husband to allow Krogstad to keep his job. However, Helmer believes that Krogstad is more of a crook. As a result, he is more concerned about firing Krogstad. Nora upon asking Dr. Rank for assistance becomes un-amused at the way he is constantly trying to flirt with her. This part of the act illustrates that the men do not take Nora seriously, as they disregard any of her pleas, and in the case of Dr. Rank only see her as a sex object rather than an individual that may have anything of substance to say. It puts Nora in a complicated situation as her future is in the air, as nobody is willing to take her seriously and is still trapped by Krogstad, demonstrating the Feminism of the play due the factor of showing how helpless Nora is. The only sense of reprieve for Nora comes when Ms. Linde reveals that she once had a romance with Krogstad. Nora considers this as the only way in which she will be able to find a sense of reprieve or freedom.

In the third act Nora confronts Krogstad about the romance that he had with Ms. Linde, but it has no effect on Krogstad as he is still intent on taking legal action againstTrovald should he get fired. Nora realizes that she is still helpless and has no hope of escaping the turmoil that she is in, and she even considers committing suicide. Trovald upon discovering Nora’s action becomes enraged at how she could do such a thing. The nature of his rant served to belittle her, trying to illustrate how she is just a minor element in his life, demonstrating how little regard he has for Nora, even with the fact that she is his wife. To add insult to injury, Trovald claims he will only remained married to Nora only by name. He claims that he wants no romantic relation with her anymore.

To illustrate the element of Feminism in the act, prior to the scene, Trovald was confessing his love for Nora, and how he would be willing to do anything for her; for instance save her from any peril that may fall upon her. However,when the problem presents itself and all he did was condemn her action, a demonstration of his hypocrisy and lack of any regard for her emotion ordeal through all of his deceit.

The irony of the situation is upon Krogstad’s confession that he will not take any legal action against the two, Trovald is elated and apologizes for his actions, claiming that he still loves Nora and that she is his little ‘caged song bird’. It demonstrates the extent of Trovald’s condescension towards Nora, and how much he has little regard or value for Nora in his life. He considers her to be nothing more than a woman with the title of his wife. The only part of the play that Nora displays a sense of strength and independence is at the end, when she refuses to believe that Trovald will ever change and slams the door in his face as a sign of her distaste for him.