Dolls House

Rikitta Chowdhury A Doll's House How was your understanding of cultural and contextual considerations of the work developed through the interactive oral? I understand better that women had very little say over political and economic matters and they were economically, socially and psychologically dependent on men. Especially on the institutions of marriage and motherhood. Also towards the end of the 19th century the world was changing drastically in terms of politics and economy so people at that time had mixture of hope and dread for what was to come. There were signs of revolutionary change to come. Women at that time having very few rights were not allowed to get divorced until late 1883. Gaining custody over children was another issue that was not resolved until later throughout the years. Even if women had jobs, they were limited such as needle work, work as a clerk or teaching and all of them were low paying. The character of Mrs. Linde can be related to this. As a result from not getting or getting very little education, women were not allowed to do higher level jobs. Women could only obtain a university degree in and after 1884. The war between Norway and Denmark caused economic suffering for Norway which provoked Ibsen to bring in the ideas for writing this play. Not only did the events influence him but also personal experience such as his friend on whom he based this play on (the case of Laura Kieler). As mentioned perviously divorces had many limitations as it was very expensive to get so women having no financially income was not allowed to divorce the men. The war between the two countries made Norway's economic suffering and there were lack of jobs from which we can relate to Helmer's career. As according to the divorce laws then, the acts of bigamy, adultery, desertion and impotence were valid reasons for it. Getting a divorce hampered social status. Also in 1888 married women were granted control over their own money. Word Count: 313