'A woman cannot be herself in contemporary society; it is an exclusively male society with laws drafted by men, and with counsel and judges who judge feminine conduct from the male point of view.'

How far do you agree that Nora illustrates this viewpoint?

I partially agree with the statement as Nora does suffer due to the ‘contemporary society…drafted by men’ and the limits they strap onto the term ‘woman’. She is stuck in a house made to be pretty to accommodate a ‘pretty little’ doll like Nora. Additionally, Nora reflects the economic dependence of almost all women in the 19th century as she is forced to forge her father’s signature for money having become herself the property of her husband. As said by Mona Caird in 1888, ‘Common respectable marriage was… the worst form of woman-purchase’, something Nora failed to recognise as she became lost within her role for eight years.  

However,  Nora not only symbolises a woman escaping the role assigned to her by a Master, but a human escaping the firm grip of expectations or rather the lack of them when it comes to what she can achieve from her position in society. A society which had, in the 19th century, still strongly believed in the power that came with status. A society which attached a value to position rather than the human being. In fact, in Ibsen’s first outline of the play, he stated that this play is a ‘Modern Tragedy’ due to it highlighting how a woman is judged ‘by masculine law’ as he believed the two opposite sexes to have ‘two kinds of moral laws, two kinds of conscience’. This suggests that he did not have feminism in mind as he created this so-called tragedy which also seems to reinforce several stereotypes about women (eg. their ignorance in business), despite the writer's numerous feminist friends including George Brandes and Laura Marx, but rather thought of it as a humanist play.

Focusing on this play through a feminist lens, Ibsen initially portrays Nora as a significantly childish character in several instances, the most striking being her confession to Krogstad without any thought of the consequences which may occur and the actions he could carry out against her family. However, as though awakened by the whisper of hurting her ‘dolly children’ and husband, she begins to plead with Torvald to save her…to save them. This essentially summarises the play as well as the contextual issues with society at this time the first of which being the ‘woman question’, or the lack of acknowledgement of it, as it shows how a helpless woman had to seek the aid of her husband even in her attempt to save him herself. The audience who would have been privy to the first performance of this play would have had fixed opinions on the role of a woman and the significant door slam, claimed to be a scene thought out before earlier parts of the play, possibly signifies the shunning of both society’s opinion along with the expectations the audience surely had. These views depicted women as being the property of men, from father to husband and if widowed, back to father or remarried and thus her feminine conduct must align with the guidelines of her owners who are always men. 

The setting is the house which indirectly, but immediately declares Nora as the protagonist of this play due to the stereotypical, but still common, association between females and the domestic aspects of life. The outdoor setting seems to continuously be ignored as though insignificant in Nora’s life. Alternatively, Ibsen may have chosen to make the outdoor setting very limited to bring more significance to her departure at the end of the play as though it is a metaphor for the flight of the, up to that point, caged ‘skylark’. The use of nicknames such as ‘squirrel’ and ‘songbird’ hint at Nora’s inner wild side and perhaps are a way to allude at her returning to where she actually belongs in the end; away from the house her husband kept her in like a ‘pet’ untamed and bound to escape. 

Furthermore, her return from the outdoors at the beginning of the play when she breaks her husband’s rules to indulge in some macaroons may be symbolic of the metephoric sweetness of freedom and freewill especially for a woman so controlled by her husband. The play's opening line, which involves her setting up the Christmas tree and mentions her children, marks her transition from a dutiful mother to someone who abandons her family. In this societal context, children weren't typically considered as belonging primarily to their mothers, and women had limited legal rights. This challenges our judgment of Nora's abandonment, as her motherly role and legal rights were defined by the very men who would later condemn her for her choice, underlining her sense of detachment from them.

This interpretation is one from a feminist viewpoint. An alternative, and some may argue more valuable, way to criticise the play is through a humanist lens which Ibsen declared was the purpose of the play; ‘My task has been the description of humanity’. The term ‘feminist’ segregates a particular group of people ie. men from the mainstream of humanity and removing that label from the play allows for a deeper understanding of some scenes. For example, looking at the door slam scene from this perspective, it can be argued that Nora’s choice was made to shun society’s restrictions and boundaries formed simply because of who she was within society rather than the former feminist analysis of the scene. A fialisation of her choice and a reminder of the border/door which now separates her from onlookers who would like to judge her for departing on a journey for self discovery.

Michael Meyer agrees with this approach to the play stating that ‘Its theme is the need of every individual to find out the kind of person he or she really is, and to strive to become that person.’ Michael Meyer's statement highlights the rudimentary idea that ‘A Doll's House’ explores the inner journey of self-discovery and the human desire to live in alignment with one's genuine identity. Nora's transformation throughout the play serves as a powerful example of this universal theme as it shows her breaking free from her ‘mind forged manacles’ (William Blake) in pursuit of her true identity. Krogstad is another example of this as he also attempts to defy society and reach the top of its hierarchy while simultanuously fighting their condemnation of him due to a single mistake he made. He is a man and even he could not escape the laws made by men so can we then claim this text to soley represent the need to seek freedom for women? I believe we can only do so to an extent.

To conclude, the statement finds partial agreement in Nora's character in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House." Nora undeniably exemplifies the plight of women in a society dominated by male values, grappling with economic dependence and societal expectations. However, her journey transcends mere feminist struggles, representing a universal human quest for freedom in ambition regardless of social standing. This makes the play's lasting relevance lie in its exploration of the human desire to find out one’s true identity, resonating across different contexts and eras. Through Nora's daring departure, Ibsen critiques societal norms and underscores the fundamental human desire to live out of reach from the patriarchy's confining grasp and society’s scalding judgement.

Additional point which exceeded the word count: It is Winter outside, but as long as the house is warm with a fire burning and a decorated tree, the Doll House is perfect. Indeed, Nora seems to play into the role of the pretty doll so much that she does not allow anyone from the family to see anything until it is perfect, an example of that being the Christmas tree. These juxtaposing settings possibly reflect or emphasise the idealistic image of life Nora has created for herself inside the house and her seeming oblivion to the artificial role she pulls in society and even within her own home.