A Dolls House Feminism Essay - 1763 Words

Feminism has always been a highly feuded topic. The fight for equal rights began with the vote, and then went on to challenge systematic sexism women face in everyday life, and due to this many authors have set out to tackle this complicated, controversial topic. However, there were some that wrote about feminist issues without realizing it, such as Henrik Ibsen. In his play ‘A Doll’s House’ Henrik approaches the topic of marriage, gender roles within marriage, and whether a not a women becomes an extension of her husband once she is married; it brings about an interesting debate about women individuality in marriage. And by writing this, he caused a spark a debate that is still being held today. Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’†¦show more content†¦In it she talks about how Ibsen cannot possibly be a feminist due to the way he portrays Nora; â€Å"All female, or no woman at all, Nora loses either way. Frivolous, deceitful, or u nwomanly, she qualifies neither as a heroine nor as a spokeswoman for feminism† (Templeton 28). However, this argument directly contradicts feminism as a whole, and breaks down her whole article. Templeton started her article as a literary analysis, and quickly turned it into a personal attack on Ibsen and his critics, which is how many of the anti-feminist writings turned out to be. In an article from South Central Review Maria DiCenzo talks about the influence of modernism, which feminism is classified into, and how it has no meaning: â€Å"One could certainly argue that revisionist definitions of modernism have undermined its usefulness as a term: it has come to encompass so much that it has ceased to mean anything at all. I would like to posit, from the outset, that it remains most useful in its restrictive, high modernist, sense - what I refer to above as the Eliot/Pound/Woolf nexus and the literary/artistic avant-garde experiments of the early de- cades of the twentieth century - rather than in the expanded uses which have resulted from attempts to address the omissions and blindspots that characterized modernist studies for so long† (DiCenzo 37). The argument goes after the idea of feminism, rather than addressing it in theShow MoreRelatedA Dolls House Feminism Essay1292 Words   |  6 Pagesboth men and women over the course of centuries, and just now are gender rights movements slowly starting to become more prevalent to attempt to erase these injustices and roles set upon by society itself. In Henrik Ibsen’s theatrical play A Doll’s House, the audience observes the story of Nora Helmer, a loving housewife whose subordination to her husband is the central aspect of the narrative. The play questions family values and the ideal spousal dynamic or the nineteenth century, thus providingRead MoreA Doll House : A Play From Different Perspectives1557 Words   |  7 PagesSean Walsh Literary Perspectives Research Essay A Doll House: A Play from Different Perspectives When A Doll House was first produced Ibsen successfully shocked and angered many who went to go see it. However if you google A Doll House today you’ll find many article’s praising it for its feminist themes. When looking at reviews for A Doll House after its first production I find no mention of feminism but rather many called it untrue and one even called the third act â€Å"it’s Achilles heel†(AvisRead MoreA Critics Opinion of a Dolls House1743 Words   |  7 PagesDestiny Maxfield Mrs. Collar Engl. 1302 19 November 2012 A Critic’s Opinion of A Doll’s House In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House many views could be seen from both sides of the gender world. Critics will argue about the true meaning of the story and why Ibsen wrote the story. The main points of the play that critics discuss are sexuality i.e. feminism, the wrong doing of the father figure, and spiritual revolution. I believe these critics are each right in their own way from my understanding of theRead MoreCompare and Contrast a Doll House by Henrik Ibsen and a Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. Write a Brief Essay (of Approximately 1000 Words) to Comment on the Two Female Protagonists‚Äà ´ (Nora Helmer and Blanche1136 Words   |  5 PagesCompare and contrast A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen and A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. Write a brief essay (of approximately 1000 words) to comment on the two female protagonists’ (Nora Helmer and Blanche Duboi’s) relationship with men. A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen and A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams are two well-known plays that give rise to discussions over male-female relationships in old society. The female protagonists in the plays are women who are dependentRead MoreEssay on Feminist Protagonists in The Awakening and A Dolls House755 Words   |  4 PagesAwakening and A Dolls House    The idea of womens liberation is a common theme in both Kate Chopins The Awakening and Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House. In her analysis of Feminism in Europe Katharine M. Rogers writes, Thinking of Noras painful disillusionment, her parting from her children, and the uncertainties of her future independent career, Ibsen called his play the tragedy of modern times (82). The main characters in each work, Nora Helmer, in A Doll House, and Edna Pontellier, inRead MoreGender And Gender Roles Have Radically From The Time Henrick Ibsen s A Doll House1203 Words   |  5 Pages The idea of gender and gender roles have evolved minimally from the time Henrick Ibsen â€Å"A Doll House,† was first published. In the late 1800s, just before the beginning of the first wave of feminism in the United States and Europe, women were looking for ways to gain independence from their â€Å"duty† to marry a man, have children, and live a life to home and yearned for the freedom to choose what kin d of lives they wanted to live, what they wanted to do, etc. In the beginning of the play, the viewsRead MoreMarxism is the belief that human consciousness is a product of one’s economic conditions, social600 Words   |  3 Pagesthere are no classes and everyone is equal. (Merriam) Feminism is organized activity on behalf of womens rights and interests, believing that there should be equal rights for all women regardless of race, creed, economic conditions, educational status, physical appearance, or ability. (Merriam) In the play â€Å"A Doll House† by Henrik Ibsen, it has been debated for many years which of these factions are being referenced by the playwright. In this essay, I will show that through symbolism and charactersRead MoreThe Movements Of Dada And Futurism1600 Words   |  7 Pages In this essay, I will be discussing the two movements ‘Dada’ and ‘Futurism’, with reference to their conceptual contexts and representative plays, there will also be analysis to how these two movements contrast to realism/ naturalism. Links will also be made to the plays, with the use of scholarly sources to back up the argument and then coming to a final conclusion at the end of the essay. Dada was an artistic and literary movement, this arose as a reaction to World War one. Many citizens believedRead MoreEssay on Theme of Self-discovery in The Awakening and A Dolls House1121 Words   |  5 PagesThe Theme of Self-discovery in The Awakening and A Doll House      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Chopins The Awakening and Ibsens A Doll House, the main characters each experience an awakening. Although they lead different lives, Nora Helmer and Edna Pontelliers respective awakenings are caused by similar factors. From the beginning, neither character fits the standard stereotype of women in the society in which they lived. Another factor that influences Nora and Ednas awakenings is their marital relationship. NeitherRead More Essay on Animal Imagery in A Dolls House974 Words   |  4 PagesAnimal Imagery in A Dolls House    Animal imagery in Henrick Ibsens play, A Dolls House is a critical part of the character development of Nora, the protagonist. Ibsen uses creative, but effective, animal imagery to develop Noras character throughout the play. He has Torvald call his wife his little lark(Isben) or sulky squirrel(Isben) or other animal names throughout the play. He uses a lot of bird imagery-calling her many different bird names. The name Torvald uses directly