This play tells the story of a damned marriage, which is so due to lack of respect, the third theme found within the play.
This is the only way she sees a possibility of a “real wedlock,” or a marriage of actual substance. He would have to change his masculine ways of ranking men over women, and she would have to dumb herself down to succumb to the desires of a man regardless of her own desires. Nora’s response is so simple yet so powerful, as she explains that not only Torvald would have to change, but she would have to change as well in order to fit the mold he desires her to fit into. In Torvald saying this, we see that he is shocked by the reality that Nora is woman enough to stand up for herself and leave him, and he finally realizes what he is losing. Both you and I would have to be so changed that…our life together would be a real wedlock. Nora - can I never be anything more than a stranger to you? Finally, we see the break of the marriage due to the inequality between the two in Act 3: We first see how this could be a problem in Act 2 Line 82, when Nora asks Torvald, “But don’t you think it is nice of me, too, to do as you wish?” to which Torvald responds, “Nice? - because you do as your husband wishes? Well, well, you little rogue, I am sure you did not mean it in that way.” Torvald is obviously ungrateful for the things Nora does for him and their children, as he makes it clear that those actions are not kind works of care from Nora, but actions that are simply expected of her, and he implies that it is disrespectful of her to imply otherwise. The evidence of the marriage between Nora and Torvald is far from equal though at first, they almost seem content, the audience soon learns that happiness on the surface can easily be misery at its core. While marriage is understood to be a bond between two equal parties who love one another, that is unfortunately not always the case. This play was controversial with its theme of feminism, which ties directly to the theme of marriage that can also be found throughout the script. In saying this, she is explaining that while a man feels that his honor should always come before his loved ones, women give their lives for their families every day. Soon after this, Helmer argues with her that “No man would sacrifice his honour for the one he loves,” to which Nora’s rebuttal is strong, as she says promptly, “It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done” (3.345-3.346). In this, we see Nora finally defend herself to her husband, telling him that she has concerns other than him, and that her happiness is just as important as his. … your duties to your husband and your children. What do you consider my most sacred duties? We finally see Nora stand up for her rights as a woman later in Act 3: The pride of a mother is her children, and by admitting his distrust in her as a mother, he strips her of the most important part of her femininity. Later in Act 3, Torvald tells Nora, “I shall not allow you to bring up the children I dare not trust them to you.” In saying this, he discredits Nora not only as a mother, but as a woman. Linde, “Surely you can understand that being with Torvald is a little like being with papa.” In saying this, she implies that for her entire life, she has been controlled by a man, first her father and now her husband, and it’s not something she is happy about.
There are many hits towards the oppression of women throughout the entirety of the first act of the play, but we begin to see blatant thoughts of feminism in the second act. In A Doll’s House, the reader sees the heroine of the drama, Nora, fight the superiority of her controlling husband, Torvald. A Doll’s House is a powerful script offering strong opinions on some heavy matters, and the strongest of these is the controversial subject of feminism. Finally, we see a great theme of respect and learn that it is something that is earned, not something one should just simply expect. The theme of marriage is also found as readers discover what marriage was truly meant to be, not the simple concept humanity has allowed it to become. Feminism reigns supreme in the play, as the rights to equality for womankind are demanded, not requested. The late, great Maya Angelou once said, “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” This idea is one that is clearly embraced my Nora Helmer in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, a dramatic script filled with many heavy themes that leave a reader questioning all views on some rather hot topics.