Nora’s Retaliation against Patriarchy in “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

Abstract

The undertaken study aims to show the Nora’s retaliation against patriarchy. She is the protagonist of the play “A Doll’s house” by Henrik Ibsen. Under the prevailing norms and customs of patriarchy, she is treated like a doll and puppet by her husband, Torvald Helmer. She sacrifices her own wishes to fulfil her duties.  She has stamina, courage, fortitude, perseverance and endurance, and tries her best to cope with the situation but at the end; she retaliates by showering punitive response to the perceived injustice. She unchains herself from the fetters of society and slavish life, and leaves Helmer in spite of his apology. The audience is stunned when Nora leaves everything and goes away. There are multiple explanations of her action but the present study is to portray a fact that it is nothing but her retaliation against patriarchy.