Doll’s House Final Act

Michael Meyer argued that the play’s theme is not women’s rights, but rather “the need of every individual to find out the kind of person he or she really is and to strive to become that person.”[4] In a speech given to the Norwegian Association for Women’s Rights in 1898, Ibsen insisted that he “must disclaim the honor of having consciously worked for the women’s rights movement,” since he wrote “without any conscious thought of making propaganda,” his task having been “the description of humanity.”[5] This is a meaty prompt! We will discuss it together. Now, drawing from the play, elaborate on the quotes above. Use specifics from the play to support your ideas. Be sure to think about all the characters, not only Nora. What limits—either self-imposed or external—prevent the personal growth? What do the characters do to overcome their limitations? You can also disagree with the statements, explaining once again using specifics whey Meyer and Ibsen are off the mark. In other words, you can say this is a play about women’s rights—even if the author says it’s not!