Henrik Ibsen Conformity

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The desire to fulfill one's own wishes in life is an innate, often controversial concept throughout society; the wishes of one individual may vary from another’s, creating conflict in certain circumstances, or kinship and understanding in others. In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, the conflict of choosing between personal desires and relenting to conformity is addressed through the choices made by characters within the play, often with the betterment of said characters own futures in mind. Through the placement of the time period and setting, Ibsen is able to create a realistic depiction of the hardships and struggles that one might face when dealt the choice between personal choice and societal expectations, and the lengths that some individuals …show more content…
She has grown up under the household influence of her father, and later in life, her husband. Having little to no experience with personal freedom or the workings of the outside world, Nora bases her life on trivial matters, such as shopping or pleasing her husband. When she gets the chance to work “Like a man,” for the first time in her life, a fundamental aspect of her personality changes, and from that point onward, she seeks the ability to exercise self autonomy, even revelling in the work she is able to find. Despite her new desires to work and be independent, she is consciously aware that she must keep this aspect of herself hidden. As a result of the culture and the popular custom at the time, women working and seeking self governance was frowned upon in society, and Nora struggles to keep this secret, amongst others, though she is proud of her abilities. While acknowledging that she is unhappy with her current state of living, Nora is willing, at first, to continue to conform to the life she has always known. Despite wishing for a chance to prove her ability to survive on her own, the initial fear of losing her husband's trust and breaking away from as she has ever known is daunting. It is not until Torvald discovers the loan she has taken out and expresses a hidden aspect of his personality - his own selfish self preservation - that she realizes that she can no longer continue living a lie. In her clarity, she comes to realize that having a partner who does not acknowledge the fact that they are equal in life cannot bring her happiness in life, and that she can not continue to sacrifice her personal desires in order to conform. Nora rejects her life as a housewife, despite it being the primary aspect of her life up to that point, because the will to follow her desires is at that moment, stronger than her fear of what may happen should she break out of the mold
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