Today I read the play “A Doll’s House,” by Henrik Isben. It was a controversial play when it was written, in the 19th century — cities banned it, and people were outraged. The main character, Nora, wanted to do something for her husband and have him recognize her as an equal, or at the very least, as someone who can be strong independently, but instead, he treated her like a ‘doll wife.’ Nora’s father, before he died, treated her like a ‘doll child,’ and Nora acted as though her children are ‘doll children.’ Eventually, she realized that instead of loving her husband or her father or having them love her back, she had been having fun all of her life. She wanted her husband to love her enough to die for her, or allow his own reputation to be ruined instead of hers. She also wanted to save him in the end. However, her husband was worried first for his reputation before hers, making her realize that instead of having a happy life, as she’d thought she had, she had been submitting to their decisions and doing what they wanted her to. The play was one of the earlier notions of feminism, ending with Nora slamming the door on her husband. I would rate it a 9.5/10 and recommend it for anyone interested in learning about feminism or looking for an engaging, suspenseful read.
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