Justify your views that the play A Doll's House challenges traditional views on marriage and family.

Traditional Views on Marriage and Family in the 19th Century

In the late 19th century, marriage was deeply entrenched in patriarchal norms, particularly in European societies like Norway, where Ibsen’s play is set. Women were largely subservient, legally and financially dependent on men, first their fathers, then their husbands. Their primary roles were confined to the domestic sphere: managing the household, bearing and raising children, and providing companionship to their husbands. Property, earnings, and even children legally belonged to the husband. Divorce was exceptionally difficult for women to obtain, and societal reputation was paramount, often at the cost of individual happiness.

• Legal Subordination: Women had limited legal rights; their identity was often subsumed by their husbands upon marriage.
• Economic Dependence: They could not typically conduct business or manage money independently, making financial security a key driver for marriage.
• Defined Gender Roles: Men were the breadwinners and decision-makers, while women were expected to be obedient, decorative, and nurturing homemakers.
• Societal Pressure: Maintaining appearances and adhering to conventional morals were crucial for social standing, often masking underlying unhappiness or deceit.

Challenging the Traditional Marriage through Nora and Torvald

Ibsen uses the seemingly ideal marriage of Nora and Torvald Helmer to expose the inherent flaws and hypocrisies within these traditional structures.

1. The Illusion of a Happy Marriage: Appearance vs. Reality

Initially, Nora and Torvald's marriage appears blissful. Torvald uses affectionate, infantilizing nicknames like "little skylark" and "my little squirrel," treating Nora as a cherished, albeit foolish, pet. Nora, in turn, performs the role of the docile, charming wife, ostensibly enjoying his patronizing affection. However, this façade conceals a deeper reality built on deceit and a profound lack of genuine understanding.

• Nora's Secret Debt: Nora secretly secures a loan to save Torvald's life, an act of strength and self-sacrifice that she must hide, revealing the distrust and unequal power dynamics even within her seemingly loving actions. Her forgery underscores the restrictive laws preventing women from independent financial action.
• Torvald's Obsession with Reputation: Torvald's primary concern throughout the play is his public image and societal standing. His furious reaction to Krogstad's blackmail is less about Nora's well-being and more about how the scandal would tarnish his reputation, highlighting the superficiality of his love.

2. Gender Roles and the Suppression of Individual Identity

The play powerfully critiques the constrictive gender roles that deny individuals, especially women, their true selves.

• Nora as a "Doll": The title itself, "A Doll's House," symbolizes Nora's existence. She has been a "doll-child" to her father and then a "doll-wife" to Torvald, molded to suit their desires and confined within a domestic "doll's house" where she has no real autonomy or identity beyond her roles as wife and mother.
• Torvald's Patriarchal Control: Torvald exemplifies the patriarchal husband, dictating Nora's behavior, controlling her finances, and treating her as an extension of himself rather than an equal partner. He views her as intellectually inferior and morally weak.
• The Sacrificial Role of Women: The experiences of other female characters, like Mrs. Linde, who married for financial security rather than love, and the Nanny, who had to abandon her child for work, further illustrate the limited and often sacrificial roles imposed on women across different social strata.

3. The Radical Ending: Nora's Awakening and Departure

The climax of the play is Nora's revolutionary decision to leave Torvald and her children, a radical act for a woman in the 19th century. This departure is a profound challenge to the traditional sanctity of marriage and family.

• Rejection of Societal Expectations: Nora realizes that her marriage is a sham, that she is not truly loved or understood by Torvald, and that her primary duty is to herself – to discover her own identity and purpose. She rejects the "sacred duties" of wife and mother in favor of self-education and self-actualization.
• Quest for Self-Liberation: Her famous declaration, "I must think things over for myself and try to understand them," signifies her break from societal programming and her embrace of individual freedom. This directly challenges the notion that a woman's fulfillment can only be found within marriage and motherhood.

Broader Critique of the Institution of Marriage

Beyond Nora and Torvald, the play implicitly critiques marriage as an institution by showing its inherent flaws even in other relationships:

Character	Role in Society/Marriage	Critique of Institution
Mrs. Linde	Married for financial security, sacrificing love for necessity.	Highlights marriage as an economic contract rather than a union of love, and the financial vulnerability of women.
Krogstad	His past transgression (forgery) and societal condemnation reflect rigid moral codes impacting men and families.	Shows how societal judgment and unforgiveness can destroy lives and families, irrespective of individual intent. His previous relationship with Mrs. Linde, rekindled, hints at a more egalitarian, mature partnership built on shared struggle rather than superficiality.

Ibsen's portrayal demonstrates that traditional marriage, predicated on male dominance and female subservience, prevents true partnership, honesty, and individual growth for both sexes. It suggests that such unions are often fragile, built on superficiality, and ultimately unsustainable without genuine respect and equality.