A Doll's House - A Realistic Problem Drama.
A Doll's House, a realistic problem drama by Henrik Ibsen, slams the door on the static social conventions of the nineteenth century European society. This slamming of the door resonated throughout the world, advocating for the liberation of not only women, but also for the liberation of individuals from the rigid institutions within society. Ibsen's presentation of A Doll's House moves away from the romantic drama genre to a presentation of an objective reality, trying to portray real social problems with a critical perspective as it challenges the values of a conservative established system. A Doll's House traces the physical, mental and emotional odyssey individuals of this society undertake in order to define and establish themselves within a society that is constantly changing and reshaped by a series of social and political revolutions.
Ibsen was an advocate of equal rights and liberties of the individual within an oppressive society. His dramas centred on his society with its false morality and manipulation of public opinion and how individuals operated within this society. In A Doll's House, Ibsen identifies various kinds of individuals and their relationship and interactions within society. Ibsen identifies the pillar of society. These are the individuals, like Torvald Helmer, who support and maintain the existing social structure without any awareness of the cost in human terms. Pillars of society are generally men who are positioned fairly well in the social hierarchy and because of the material inducements their position offers, they are unwilling to relinquish their positions. However, Ibsen portrays that it is often these defenders of the status quo that are the victims of society's repression on individual inclinations. .
Ibsen is trying to clarify that this kind of society could not satisfy the natural need of the individual for freedom.