emancipation and catharsis; for none of us can.
escape the guilt of the society to which we belong.
Henrik Ibsen.
In his play "A Doll's House,"" Ibsen profusely illustrates the middle-class society's numerous offenses against the women, the weak and the innocent of his era. Ibsen's writing not only reveals his keen awareness of their mistreatment but also his desire to focus society's attention on these issues. .
The society of the 1800's conditions the female to believe that she is the weaker sex "not only physically but also mentally. The typical female passively accepts her destiny: she feigns "feminine helplessness- (3.1021), allows the men in her life to "be both [her] will and [her] conscience- (3.1021), and succumbs to the theory that "[b]efore everything else, [she is] a wife and a mother- (3.1023) whose only place is in the home. If consequences place the female in a position where she must take control, she finds herself inadequately prepared for the challenge. .
From childhood and continuing on through her marriage, Nora conceals her own thoughts and opinions from first her father and then Torvald because society dictates that she must please them. Her education consists solely of the training required to become an obedient, subservient daughter, wife, and mother. When her father has an "opinion about [something]- (3.1022), she shares "the same opinion- (3.1022). If Torvald "arrange[s] everything to suit [his] own tastes- (3.1022), she shares "the same tastes as [his] or [she] pretend[s] to- (3.1022) share them. .
The society that denies Nora the ability to manage on her own also condemns her shortcomings and mistakes. When Torvald becomes ill, Nora faces insurmountable problems. With Torvald's life in danger, the doctors instruct Nora "to take him to the south- (1.982) where he can recover, but they lack the funds for the trip and Torvald vehemently refuses to borrow the money.