English Language and Literature (HL)

Written Task

Topic: Feminism in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s

House”

Total word count: 1173

Personal code: hwq055

Rationale

My written task is regarding the implicit concept of feminism in Henrik Ibsen’s play, A

Doll’s House. Since aeons, women have faced prejudice in communities ruled by male

figures. They have had to juggle with prioritise in order to conform to societal norms,

otherwise be shunned and condescended upon by people of all genders due to the pre-existing

notion of gender differences.

As a written task, I chose to write about this topic to shed light on language as an expression

of gender identities. The target audience is women who face discrimination as a result of

societally constructed norms. When the concept of gender in reference to language is brought

up, we address the way language encapsulates, reinforces and builds a socially constructed

conception of maleness or femaleness. I will be writing a diary entry from the main

character’s perspective, inclusive of a semi-formal and constructive register. The mood and

tone are senses of enragement and realisations. It falls under the first part of the syllabus

which is language in cultural context, mainly focusing on gender discrimination.

My aim is to invoke a sense of realisation within those who wish to strive for their aspirations

but are held back by the chains of conventional obligations. It is for people to acknowledge

that their destiny lies within their own hands, and they should not let others manipulate it just

because everyone else seems to abide by this practice. To latch the readers on, I will mainly

use explicit expressions of pathos (emotions), and include references to the context from

Henrik Ibsen’s play.

17th January, 1880

Dear Diary,

I left my husband’s home a fortnight ago, after 8 years of earnest fidelity towards the

marriage. I simply walked out when it dawned upon me that this household was not really

mine. Since my childhood, I have been treated similar to that of an item of possession, at first

by my father, and then by Torvald. I could no longer sustain the idea of persevering my

livelihood being treated as a doll, acting subordinate to all the male figures I am to encounter.

We began with a reverse fairy-tale, starting with our happily ever after, or at least I thought

so. After 8 whole years of marriage, it is undeniable that Torvald and I were quite attached.

But the attachment to me now seems quite uncanny, as though mittens from his fingertips

were entwined with my heart, and he controlled it the way he pleased. I would call him the

puppet master if I had my awakening sooner. I am beyond surfeited with being acted towards

as a lifeless doll.

It enrages me to my core, knowing that this society brings women up to simply serve men in

their pursuit of success, and to assist them in upholding their impeccable image amongst

others. Why is it that we must remain under a roof of norms imposed by a male-dominated

majority? When I had my epiphany the night I left Torvald, I realised that I, no less than a

man, possess the moral and intellectual capabilities to develop myself as an individual,

instead of submitting to them with no questioning from my side whatsoever.

My doll’s house, along with my delusions, have been shattered into shards. The fact that he

valued his reputation and job more than he valued the importance of love in a marriage makes
the blood running through my veins want to escape my body out of utter abhorrence. The

only motive I had for the loan was to save Torvald’s life; how is it justified for men to be

condescended upon simply if their wives step afoot to save their lives? It indulges me with a

feeling of gladness to have broken loose from the restrictive chains of the male dominated

society I was made to be at one with.

It has been far too long for me to be able to contain what I am about to express; I feel a strong

urge to be raw regarding my experiences and thoughts. Before my marriage, I had been

involved with a man I shall not name, but will refer to as John. We met at a Christmas

gathering hosted by Daddy’s colleague when I was 18 years of age. Our regular encounters

used to take place by the stream behind a wall of tall trees, not too far from home. My

romantic involvement with John was one of the reasons I had my realisation that, all Torvald

did was imprison my individuality to ensure I was the person he wanted me to be, calling me

his squirrel, his skylark, when all I wanted to be was his dearest Nora.

John and I were deeply in love with each other. I was able to pour out my deepest desires to

him, without feeling the need to filter them to please him. I could dress how I wanted, and I

even told him that one day I would work at the bank, so that I can appease my yearnings

without having to rely on anybody else for it. Never did he belittle me. I was his dearest

Nora. Our bond rooted from the facets of each other that we adored, and from the fact that we

could, in the true sense, be genuine with one another. But with Torvald, I was obligated to

repress almost every part of my true self, in order to quench his feeling of having the ideal

wife in the stiflingly conventional society.

John and I had to part because Daddy would never let me make a choice of my own regarding

such an important aspect of a woman’s life – marriage. It baffles me to think that not only is

the predominant ingredient of a woman’s life marriage, which is essentially just being a
puppet of contentment in the “standard” society, but this salient decision that our whole lives

are supposed to revolve around, is also under control of male parental figures. All my life I

was fed opinion after opinion, and obligation after obligation until I convinced myself that

it’s just the way things have to be, or I simply swallowed the frustration down. But why

should I have to?

After experiencing faithful love with John, I waited for eight whole years to discern the same

emotions with Torvald, but it was never the same. Our marriage lacked what I believe is the

foundation of a happy bonding – love and the freedom of being able to express one’s true

self. I have the right, as a human being, to make a decision to pursue happiness in life. It is

not that I despise men, it is the notion that women have to remain inferior to men in society

that I loathe. Years and years of pent up vexation has lead me to make the decision to

commence the pursuit of invigorating my capabilities as an individual who can live

independently. Here onwards, I go to seek my great perhaps.

Enough expression of thoughts for a day; I’ll write again soon.

Bibliography:

Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. New York, Dover Publications, 1992.

Further Consultations:

“A Doll's House as A Feminist Play,” Bachelorandmaster.com, Accessed August 12, 2018,

www.bachelorandmaster.com/globaldrama/a-dolls-house-as-a-feminist-

play.html#.XOIPmMgzbIU.

Calvani, Marco. “How Ibsen's 'A Doll's House' Helped Invent Feminism a Century Ago

(Guest Blog),” TheWrap, July 7, 2017, Accessed August 14, 2018, www.thewrap.com/ibsen-

dolls-house-feminism-marco-calvani-we-do-it-together/.

Mohanty, Anushmita. “Feminism in A Doll's House,” Khurpi, April 12, 2016, Accessed

August 12, 2018, khurpi.com/feminism-in-a-dolls-house/.