Alienation In A Doll's House

It is widely believed that exile is a form of punishment, given the fact that the evil villain in many stories is often banished or exiled by the powerful king. However, that is not entirely true, and according to Palestinian American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said, “it is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home…” In the play A Doll’s House, playwright Henrik Ibsen depicts the character Nora, a young lady who chooses to exile herself from her home and her family, creating both an alienating and enriching experience in which she attempts to find her own identity. Her decision to leave her husband and children reveals the lengths women had to take to become independent

Given the historical context of the era in which the play takes place, women were expected to fulfill the stereotypical housewife role and take care of their families. Torvald recognizes this when he says to Nora, “You blind, foolish woman! To desert your home, your husband, and your children! And you don’t consider what people will say! It’s shocking. This is how you would neglect your most sacred duties” (68). Her decision to abandon all that she knows will most definitely lead to her isolation from not only her family but also society if she were ever to return to the city with Torvald; it was unheard of for women to merely pack up their belongings and leave their home as Nora

From the start of the play, he refers to her as his “little squirrel” or “little skylark,” talking to her as if she was a child rather than his wife. He even tries to limit her diet by not permitting her to consume sweets, though she does not listen, as she eats multiple macaroons in Act I. Being in such a relationship is restricting to Nora; although, she has not yet realized it at this point in the story. When her husband’s true colors are revealed, however, she recognizes that he sees her a doll rather than an actual human worthy of his respect. She parallels her relationship with Torvald to her relationship with her children and explains to him, “But our home has been nothing but a playroom. I have been your doll wife, just as at home I was Papa’s doll child; and here the children have been my dolls. I thought it great fun when you played with me, just as they thought it great fun when I played with them” (67).

Acknowledging the toxicity of the relationship allowed Nora the courage to actually leave Torvald and embark on an enriching journey to find