What is the relevance of the title, "A Doll's`s House"?

The word "doll" to in the title of the play is a reference to Nora. For most of the play, she is like a doll and treated like one. She is treated as an object or a toy but never as an equal to her husband, He uses patronizing pet names like " singing lark", and "little squirrel". He pats her on the head like a dog. In addition, like a toy, she is totally dependent on her master, in this case her husband, to supply all her needs. Like a doll, her real thoughts are impossible to read. She hides her thoughts and actions from her husband, as an inexpressive doll. She seems most concerned with being charming, not thoughtful and by the end of the play begins to resent her image.

What is the significance of the title of A Doll's House?

The title of A Doll's House refers to the falsity of the Helmers' marriage and home life. Before she leaves, Nora explains to Torvald that she feels she has been living in a make-believe world where he has treated her like a plaything or a child.

Throughout the play, Torvald constantly belittles his wife. He always patronizes her, calling her by diminutive nicknames and doubting her ability to behave sensibly. Torvald is completely, but mistakenly, convinced that he is the only responsible, decisive adult in their home.

In act 3, when Torvald learns of her crime and speaks only of the associated shame of exposure, she realizes that he is not the person she thought he was. When he explicitly states that she has "become both wife and child to him," she announces that she is leaving. She points out to him that they have never before had a serious conversation. Nora underscores the fundamental problem that, rather than actually loving her, he had merely thought that it was "pleasant to be in love with" her.

Nora makes an explicit comparison between herself and a doll concerning the manner she lived with her father. Her father

called me his doll-child, and he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls.

She dismisses her married life as an illusion of happiness in which she “performed tricks” for Torvald. In sum, she states,

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.

What is the significance of the title of A Doll's House? 

The significance of the title of the play A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, is that it foreshadows the dynamics that take place in the Helmer household. Moreover, it also helps unveil the real role that Nora plays within her family; that of a mere entertainer to her husband and children. In the end, the title of the play becomes sort of a misnomer, since Nora actively moves away from the role of a "doll" and moves on to try to become a fully-grown, and real woman.

From the very beginning of the play, we notice how Nora's playful ways are quite enabled, and even encouraged, by her husband, Torvald. It encourages the audience to question the purpose of two adults conducting their communication in such a way. However, later we realize that this is perhaps one of the many tricks that Torvald uses to somewhat manipulate Nora's childish behavior, as well as to reinstate his role as the "man" of the house. It is a condescending way to treat people, nevertheless.

We also get to the conclusion that Nora is, essentially, a lonely woman. Torvald is obviously always working and she does a great job at keeping the image of the "cute" housewife. However, having a nurse/governess, in the house and almost nothing else to do leads Nora to be a bit of a spendthrift and to do things, albeit, silly things, behind Torvald's back.

HELMER:Don't disturb me. [A little later, he opens the door and looks into the room, pen in hand.] Bought, did you say? All these things? Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again?NORA:Yes but, Torvald, this year we really can let ourselves go a little. This is the first Christmas that we have not needed to economize

  HELMER: Still, you know, we can't spend money recklessly.

However, we know that the "doll" image that Nora projects actually hides a woman that needs a lot of validation. She has never been respected for her worth as a wife and mother, but instead, gets attention by acting up and pretending to be childish. Even Mrs. Linde, her friend from many years ago, realizes this in Act II:

NORA:[...] To-morrow evening there is to be a fancy-dress ball at the Stenborgs', who live above us; and Torvald wants me to go as a Neapolitan fisher-girl, and dance the Tarantella that I learnt at Capri.MRS. LINDE:I see; you are going to keep up the character.NORA:Yes, Torvald wants me to....

Finally, Act III shows what happens when the truth about Nora's transactions are discovered, and she sees how Torvald at first is unable to see beyond the embarrassment that she causes. Later, when he sees that no harm is done and he changes his mind, she finally changes her own.   

With these words, Nora finally realizes that she had been a doll to everyone she ever loved.

NORA:It is perfectly true, Torvald. When I was at home with papa, [...] He called me his doll-child, and he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls. And when I came to live with you—HELMER:What sort of an expression is that to use about our marriage?NORA:[undisturbed]. I mean that I was simply transferred from papa's hands into yours.

What is the significance of the play’s title, A Doll's House?

"A Doll's House" (actually, in the Norweigan it's apparently just titled "Dollhouse") is a really good title for the play, as there are lots of ways you can read it into what happens in the play itself.

• Firstly, Torvald treats Nora like a doll, calling her his "squirrel", and patronising her with little pet names. She is like a little toy to him, not taken seriously, and not really credited with her own personality.
  
  Thus, Nora's exit from the house at the end is her removing herself from her role as a "doll" and stepping out into the real world for the first time. 
  
  Moreover, you might argue, it leaves Torvald as the "doll", the person trapped in a make-believe world, trapped in the doll's house.
• Nora leaves her children at the end of the play. Some critics have argued that her children are also just playthings to her in the play, and that, like her housekeeping money and her macaroons, they are toys which needs to be left behind as she truly grows into a real person.
• A doll, of course, is manipulated by its owner - it has no will of its own, and yet, even though Nora plays at being a doll, she actually manipulates Torvald and Dr. Rank quite successfully throughout the play. If this is the doll's house, Nora seems the one the most in control of it - and it is Torvald unable to operate after Nora's exit, not vice versa.

Hope it helps!

What are the main issues in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen?

One of the key issues in A Doll's House is the tendency of men, particularly in this historical context, to dismiss the ideas and the value which women hold in their societies.

From the beginning, it is clear that Torvald considers Nora a plaything of his own. He finds his wife silly and amusing and never considers that Nora might have unique and independent dreams. Instead, Nora is expected to serve his needs and fulfill a certain flighty role.

Torvald calls her a "spendthrift," teasing her about her propensity for wasting money; yet Nora has actually illegally obtained a loan to save her husband's life. Torvald is oblivious of this act, and he continually speaks to his wife with tones of condescension, referring to her as his "squirrel," "pet," and "singing bird." He also often modifies such terms by placing the word "little" in front of them, further highlighting Nora's diminutive place in their relationship.

Torvald never considers the strength of Nora, and he certainly doesn't think she has the power to leave him. When faced with this truth, Torvald desperately begs his wife to stay, but it is too late for Nora to salvage any sense of hope for rebuilding a relationship with a man who has never valued her worth.

Another issue this play raises is evident based on the way audiences perceive the ending. Frustrated with Torvald and feeling hopeless to change her role in their marriage, Nora walks away from it all—even her children. The viewing audience at that time was so shocked by Isben's ending that he was forced to create an alternate ending to make it more acceptable. The New York Times declared Nora an odd woman whom no one could sympathize with. Furthermore, the paper went on to blame Nora for Torvald's sense of unhappiness.

Modern audiences continue to be shocked at Nora's decision to leave her husband and children, nearly 150 years after the play first was first viewed. Yet this reaction begs audiences to question why they would almost certainly not be as shocked if Torvald had left in the end, leaving Nora to care for the children by herself. Women, both then and now, are expected to be wives and mothers and to sacrifice their own dreams and happiness in order to fulfill these roles. Yet these same sacrifices are often not expected of the men whom they marry.

What are the main issues in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen?

One of the main issues of the play revolves around the unjust and unequal legal status of women. Nora faces possible legal consequences because she forged her father's signature on loan documents because it was illegal for her to simply take out a loan, herself, as a woman. She took out the loan to pay for a trip that would save her husband Torvald's life, and the only reason she forged her father's signature illegally is because of the unjust and discriminatory law that denies women the legal status to take out a loan by themselves.

Another, related issue has to do with women's lower status in marriage. In the end, when Torvald learns of Nora's forgery and loan from Krogstad, he threatens to completely prevent Nora from interacting with their children and to maintain a sham marriage for social reasons. They won't really act like husband and wife except in public. He berates and insults her, saying that she totally lacks principles like her father did, and he completely fails to recognize that Nora only did what she did out of love for him.

What are the main issues in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen?

One of the play's themes is the objectification of human beings, that is to say treating them as objects rather than people. That's certainly how both Nora's husband and father have treated her. To Torvald, Nora's nothing more than a trophy wife, something to be shown off to other men as a status symbol. At no point do we get the impression that Torvald ever thinks of this wife as a fully-grown woman with a mind of her own, with her own needs and desires. Because Torvald looks upon Nora as little more than an object, he infantilizes her, treating her like a child, or even worse, a doll. The title of the play is well chosen because Nora is like a living doll trapped in a gigantic doll's house, played with and manipulated by Torvald for his own selfish needs.

What are the main issues in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen?

The play raises several issues. Here are a few:

1. The roles of women in Nora's male-dominated society

2. The nature of real love

3. The importance of dignity and self-respect

4. The power of money in our lives

5. Personal growth and awareness

6. The lack of communication between people

7. Selfishness vs. selflessness

8. The dynamics of power

9. The emotional price paid for dependence

The play deals to some degree with each of these. See the eNote links below for a discussion of the major conflicts and themes in the play.

What are the main issues in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen?

There are many themes in Ibsen's A Doll's House. 

Perhaps the most significant theme (though unintended by Ibsen) is that of the absence of the female identity in the male-dominated society.

Years before, when Torvald Helmer became seriously ill, the only way his life could be saved was if they travelled to Italy so he could recuperate. At that time in society, among many other restrictions, women could not take loans. So Nora, his wife, did the only thing she could—she secretly forged her dying father's signature and took a loan from the disreputable and tragic figure of Krogstad.

In the course of the play, a desperate and lonely Krogstad angrily demands his money from Nora. When Torvald learns not only what Nora has done, but also that he is at the mercy of Krogstad, who holds the promissory note she forged, he lashes out at his wife and accuses her of being a "hypocrite, a liar...a criminal," with "no religion, no morals, no sense of duty..."

Though Nora wants to leave at that moment and take her own life to protect her husband, Torvald says that she is being dramatic and dismisses her intent. He brutally announces that they will live together as they always have—as far as polite society can tell—but that there is no love between them and that she will no longer be allowed to care for the children:

But you can't be allowed to bring up the children; I don't dare trust you with them—

When Torvald receives word that Krogstad has forgiven the debt and Torvald's reputation is saved, society's view of women is further clarified as he states:

You loved me the way a wife ought to love her husband. It's simply the means that you couldn't judge. But you think I love you any the less for not knowing how to handle your affairs? No, no—just lean on me...I wouldn't be a man if this feminine helplessness didn't make you twice as attractive to me.

By the end of the scene, Nora finally realizes that her husband does not value her as a person, but treats her like a child's doll in a playhouse, controlling her every move; she is also aware that during their entire marriage (like her father did with her before she married) he has also endeavored to control even her thoughts and opinions. Nora's resourcefulness in saving her husband's life and attempting to repay the loan does not matter to him at all.

Another theme (common in literature) is appearance vs. reality. While the Helmers appear to be the perfect loving couple, in truth their relationship is based upon Torvald's attempts to have absolute control of his wife. He treats her like a child—not as a woman, and not as an equal. His arrogance and pride have convinced him that no one else matters as much as he does: he cares more for himself than anyone or anything else.

HELMER:

Now you've wrecked all my happiness—ruined my whole future...I'll be swept down into the depths on account of a featherbrained woman.

When Krogstad's letter arrives, Torvald realizes that the danger has passed.

HELMER:

Nora! Wait—better check it again— Yes, yes, it's true. I'm saved. Nora, I'm saved!

NORA:

And I?

HELMER:

You too, of course. We're both saved.

While Nora gives the appearance of a dutiful wife, she secretly has broken the law (though she cannot understand that saving her husband by any means necessary would be illegal) and has deceived Torvald in many ways. For example, with money Torvald has given her for household expenses, Nora has cut corners and scrimped—even taking on part-time work to earn money—to repay the debt.

In the examples given, there are other themes that are also apparent, such as deception and betrayal. While Nora has deceived Torvald about the money she borrowed, he has deceived her in letting her believe he loved her "more than the world," more than life. When he is confronted with disaster, Nora discovers his lie. And while Torvald may see his wife's behavior as a betrayal of sorts (obviously he is oblivious to the truth that she saved his life), Torvald betrays his wife in refusing to support her as a husband should and turns on this woman he claims to love when he feels he is in danger. Worse than anything Nora can imagine is the knowledge that her children will be taken from her simply because she wanted to protect her husband: for Nora, this is Torvald's greatest betrayal.

What is the purpose of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House?

In A Doll's House, Torvald Helmer treats his wife, Nora, much like a child, and this is a reflection of society at the latter end of the nineteenth century. During this time, women were not allowed to vote and were not deemed responsible or fit enough to manage their own financial affairs. Therefore, society was constructed in a way that made women almost entirely dependent on the men in their lives; most often, the financial role was fulfilled by husbands, as it was also not considered proper for middle-class women to work outside their homes. If women dared to leave their marriages, they likely had no possible means of supporting themselves and therefore also lost their children. Women were fairly trapped in circumstance.

In the play, Nora seeks medical treatment for her husband and finds a way to pay for it herself. This takes some creative liberties with the truth, but she sacrifices all she can to save his life. When Krogstad, another man in her life, has the opportunity, he threatens to expose her lie in order to improve his own situation. In the end, Nora walks away from her patriarchal world in search of herself. She tells her husband,

You neither think nor talk like the man I could join myself to. When your big fright was over—and it wasn't from any threat against me, only for what might damage you—when all the danger was past, for you it was just as if nothing had happened. I was exactly the same, your little lark, your doll, that you'd have to handle with double care now that I'd turned out so brittle and frail. Torvald—in that instant it dawned on me that for eight years I've been living here with a stranger, and that I'd even conceived three children—oh, I can't stand the thought of it! I could tear myself to bits.

Nora's comments reflect the ultimate purpose of the play. Ibsen demonstrates the inner strength of women who are placed in situations that seem to offer them no options. Needing a sense of validation and purpose, the soul of a woman will go to great lengths to fulfill the desires of her heart. In the era when this play was first performed, Nora's choice was quite offensive to the general audience, and Isben's portrayal of an independent woman who sought to discover her true sense of self separate from her husband earned the author the label of an "anarchist." However, Isben considered the purpose of his play valuable nonetheless: People should not blindly accept the social structures they support.

What is the main idea of A Doll's House?

I second the idea of freedom and identity.  Nora is being suppressed and in a world which encourages the woman to just shut up and take it, she rebels.  Had her husband respected her and given her a little wiggle room, the marriage would have been a lot more productive and healthy.

What is the main idea of A Doll's House?

Another main focus is being true to oneself.  Nora is not able to be her true self in her own home.  She is oppressed and her needs and desires neglected by her husband.  She is forced to hide things from her husband.  She finally can take no more and decides to leave.

What is the main idea of A Doll's House?

I think that the main idea in A Doll's House, which centers around Nora, is about independence.  Nora has an oppressive husband who thinks of her as a child.  The theme draws attention to how capable women are in their own right.  Nora, has successfully borrowed money to help her sick husband, she has kept this a secret from him.  She realizes that at the end of the book, she must go out on her own, alone, without her children.

The courage of women in this period to prove, in the presence of enormous prejudice against a woman's right to individuality of thought, that they are capable individuals separate and distinct from their husbands, brothers or fathers.

Women are viable citizens who can make valuable contributions to society, they do not have to be protected and cared for by men all their lives.    

What is the main idea of A Doll's House?

The main idea is the possibility of a woman (and especially a daughter, mother, and wife) being accepted as an equal by the men in her life.

As Nora explains in the last act, throughout her entire life, she's been under male control. She went from her father's house to Torvald's house. She's always kept her mind hidden and played the charming little girl for male approval. The main time that she acts with independent focus, she signs a document that it is not legal for her to sign, in order to save her husband. Rather than being grateful, he's abusive, and this wakes her to the need to be independent.

What is the lesson of the play "A Doll's House"?

Henrik Ibsen wrote plays that dealt with many taboo subjects of the time, including the place of women in society, venereal disease, marriage, and double standards; A Doll's House features all of these issues. The key lesson expressed in A Doll's House is ultimately that rigid gender roles stifle truth, individuality, and personal fulfillment.

A Doll's House examines the marriage of Nora and Torvald Helmer, and the audience watches as Nora, once content with her superficially perfect life, begins to resent the limitations of the Victorian society in which she lives. Nora faces many double-standards related to gender—for example, she is unable to borrow money (even to save her husband's life). The fragility of her position is made even more clear to her when she is blackmailed, and Nora ultimately must confront the inequality in her marriage, which she now finds intolerable.

One of the strongest moments in the play also expresses one of the key lessons in A Doll's House. This pivotal scene occurs when Torvald tells Nora that she shouldn't expect a man to sacrifice his honor for the sake of his wife. She responds that "millions of women have." This exchange highlights the hypocrisy inherent in the social expectations of men and women, which required women to always put a husband's needs above their own. The suggestion in 1879 that marriage should be a partnership and that a woman—like a man—had the right to value her own needs in order to be a more complete person demonstrates the extent to which Ibsen was ahead of his time.

What is the lesson of the play "A Doll's House"?

One major theme of the play is that women must be the social and legal equals of men; otherwise, not only their independence but also the happiness of all is compromised. Torvald does not see his wife, Nora, as his equal. One indicator of this is the nicknames that he has for her: "the squirrel," "little lark," and so on. By the end of the play, Nora has realized—based on Torvald's horrific response to the knowledge that she took out a loan and forged her father's signature to do so—that her life has been without meaning and that she does not truly know who she is. She says,

I passed from father's hands into yours. You arranged everything according to your taste; and I got the same tastes as you; or I pretended to—I don't know which—both ways, perhaps; sometimes one and sometimes the other. When I look back on it now, I seem to have been living here like a beggar, from hand to mouth. I lived by performing tricks for you, Torvald. But you would have it so. You and father have done me a great wrong. It is your fault that my life has come to nothing.

As a result of Nora's feeling that she's never really had a life or identity that belongs to her, she abandons her family: her husband and children. This is a pretty shocking turn of events, one that absolutely astonishes Torvald, especially because he claims that he has forgiven her for her "want of principle" (which he obviously only does because Krogstad has forgiven the debt). Society's refusal to allow women their own identities and legal decisions has resulted in the unhappiness of an entire family, and this could have been avoided if Nora had been treated as an equal with rights and ideas of her own.

What is the relevance of Ibsen's title A Doll's House?

Henrik Ibsen’s ground-breaking play A Doll’s House premiered in Copenhagen in 1879.

Particularly for modern audiences, it’s easy to make the mistake of believing that Torvald Helmer does not love his wife. He patronizes, controls, and bullies her. He delights in displaying her beauty to his friends (under carefully monitored circumstances), as when he dresses her as a Neapolitan fisher-girl and has her dance at a neighbor's party. He declines to speak with her as an equal. Surely Torvald would treat Nora with more respect if he truly loved her?

The key to understanding the play — and the significance of its title — is to realize that Torvald is behaving exactly as he believes a loving husband should. He is not trying to insult or demean Nora. Both Nora and Torvald are trapped in the conventions of nineteenth century Europe: a culture that assumes the moral and intellectual inferiority of women, and believes that women have no real identity except in relation to their parents, husbands, and children.

During the course of the play, Nora undergoes a crisis and an epiphany, leading her to gain new perspective on her marriage and on her own humanity. She realizes that she has never truly grown up, never developed her own mind and spirit, never explored her own identity as an individual human being. Because of that, her marriage has been no true partnership. She has been playing at marriage, like a child playing with dolls in a doll’s house. This is a crime against her own children, but above all against herself.

Here’s how she explains it to Torvald in the final scene of the play:

NORA
We have been married now eight years.  Does it not occur to you that this is the first time we two, you and I, husband and wife, have had a serious conversation?

. . .

TORVALD
But, dearest Nora, would it have been any good to you?

NORA
That is just it; you have never understood me.  I have been greatly wronged, Torvald, ­first by papa and then by you.

. . .

When I was at home with papa, he told me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinions; and if I differed from him I concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it.  He called me his doll-child, and he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls.  And when I came to live with you ­—

TORVALD
What sort of an expression is that to use about our marriage?

NORA
 (undisturbed).  I mean that I was simply transferred from papa’s hands into yours.  You arranged everything according to your own taste, and so I got the same tastes as you ­or else I pretended to, I am really not quite sure which. ­I think sometimes the one and sometimes the other.  When I look back on it, it seems to me as if I had been living here like a poor woman ­just from hand to mouth.  I have existed merely to perform tricks for you, Torvald.  But you would have it so.  You and papa have committed a great sin against me.  It is your fault that I have made nothing of my life.

TORVALD
How unreasonable and how ungrateful you are, Nora!  Have you not been happy here?

. . .

NORA
No, only merry.  And you have always been so kind to me.  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.  That is what our marriage has been, Torvald.

Nora must now leave her husband and children and set out alone to educate herself:  “I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being, just as you are ­or, at all events, that I must try and become one.” The click of the door closing behind Nora is one of the most famous sound effects in the history of theater.

Even today, the idea of a woman leaving her children in order to defend her own spirit is deeply controversial. When Michael Cunningham’s novel The Hours was published in 1998, many readers were shocked by the character of Laura Brown, who does exactly that. Imagine the uproar sparked all over nineteenth century Europe by Nora’s determination to leave her metaphorical doll's house and step into her own humanity.

What does the title A Doll's House mean?

The title of Henrik Ibsen's celebrated play A Doll's House alludes to the way the domineering, insensitive Torvald Helmer treats his wife, Nora, who feels like she is playing the role of a doll in their seemingly picturesque home. Torvald embodies Victorian society's belief that men should be the dominant partners in a marriage, while wives should behave as passive, obedient figures in the home.

Torvald objectifies his wife and views her as an ignorant, vulnerable person who is incapable of making her own decisions or having individual thoughts. Torvald firmly believes that he is superior to Nora and continually speaks in a condescending tone towards his wife throughout the play. For much of the play, Nora is depicted as a spoiled, submissive housewife whose primary goal is to please her controlling husband.

Torvald's use of pet names for Nora and paternalistic attitude towards her also contributes to his oppressive, insensitive characterization. Torvald simply views Nora as a plaything whose purpose in life is to be admired for her beauty and follow his instructions. He even forces Nora to dance and chooses her outfit, treating her like a doll. In the final act of the play, Nora's devastating secret is revealed to Torvald, and she experiences a dramatic transformation when she recognizes the truth about her marriage.

When Nora stands up to Torvald, she tells him that she has always been his "doll wife," just like she used to be her father's "doll child."

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. That is what our marriage has been, Torvald.

Nora admits that she was simply Torvald's "skylark" and "doll" to be played with and admired, and she has treated their children as her own little dolls. Nora's doll metaphor reflects and underscores the title of the play, and she finally decides to leave her husband and family in hopes of experiencing an independent life on her own.

In A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, what are the major conflicts and themes?

A major theme in the play is the search for identity, especially as it concerns women in nineteenth-century Europe.  This theme underlies the basis of conflict for Nora Helmer, who has always lived as a "doll" in the house of her self-centered husband, Torvald.  Torvald controls Nora's life to the point that he monitors what and how much she eats, refers to her with demeaning pet names such as "my little spendthrift", and pats her on the head like a puppy.

Another important theme is deception.  Nora lies to her husband about silly things such as sneaking a few forbidden macaroons for herself, but she also harbors a significant secret which, if revealed, could lead to severe consequences.  Nora forged a signature to borrow a large sum of money previously, and is struggling to pay it back without Torvald's knowledge, even though the money was ironically borrowed to save his life.

The conflicts which ultimately destroy Nora's and Torvald's marriage stem from pride, unrequited love, and betrayal. Nora lies to her husband and betrays his trust in part because she loves him and wants to please him.  Torvald cannot accept his wife's sacrifice in securing the loan that saved his life because, in desperation, she got the money illegally, and if the fact became known, it would be a blow to his pride.  When Torvald will not defend his wife, it is the final betrayal of her love, and their marriage does not survive.

What is the significance of the title A Doll's House in Henrik Ibsen's play?

Henrik Ibsen's choice of the title A Doll's House, rather than "The Doll's House," signifies a quantitative reference. In other words, Ibsen's choice refers to quantity. The word "the" is referred to as "the definite article" because it is the only English language article that is used to point to a very specific noun (Parts Of Speech, ESL Resource Center). For instance, if we say "the cat is sitting on the mat" we are verbally pointing to a very specific cat on a very specific mat. Furthermore, if we were to combine the definite article "the" with a singular noun, such as doll's house, we are also referring to one, and only one noun, or doll's house. Thus, if Ibsen had chosen the title "The Doll's House" he would be pointing to one very particular "doll's house" and only one particular "doll's house."

But that was not Ibsen's intention. Ibsen wrote the play A Doll's House to protest the treatment of women in his society. Ibsen saw all women, especially middle class women like Nora, as being treated like "dolls." Ibsen saw that society was denying women the basic human rights of education, financial freedom, and even basic respect. Thus, Ibsen wanted to incorporate all women and all "doll's houses" into his play and into his title.

Let us now look at the English language article that Ibsen did choose for his title, the article "a." While the definite article "the" refers to only specific things, the article "a" refers to general things. For instance, in the famous phrase "My Kingdom for a horse!" the article "a" tells the reader/listener that any old horse will do. The writer/speaker is not referring to any single horse, but any horse at all (Articles, Determiners, And Quantifiers, Guide to Grammar and Writing). The same idea applies to Ibsen's title A Doll's House. His title refers to any woman's home, or "doll's house," and it can even be applied to all women's homes or "doll houses."

What is the relevance of the title in A Doll's House?

The title of Ibsen's classic play A Doll's House foreshadows the dynamics of the Helmer household, where Nora Helmer plays the role of a doll by simply entertaining her husband and carrying out her motherly duties. As a symbolic doll in her husband's home, Nora lacks personal agency and independence. At the beginning of the play, Nora seems content in her role as she playfully begs her husband for money and completely relies on him to unknowingly pay back her debts to Krogstad. Torvald does not respect Nora as a person and objectifies his wife. His pet names and critiques regarding her spending habits indicate that he treats his wife like a doll.

As the play progresses, Nora gradually becomes enlightened to her lowly status in her husband's home and the oppressive nature of her marriage. At the end of the play, Nora confronts Torvald regarding her decision to leave him and her children behind in order to experience genuine independence. Nora mentions that she used to play the role of a doll in her father's house and has been playing the same role ever since she married Torvald, who refuses to allow her to experience autonomy. Overall, Ibsen's title corresponds to the dynamics of the Helmer household, where Nora is perceived and treated like a doll by her insensitive, controlling husband.

Why is the play titled A Doll's House?

In this male-dominated society, women were treated as inferior property. They went from their father's home to their husband's home and were expected to behave in a certain way. Torvald, Nora's husband, treats Nora like a child, a little doll. He has disparaging names for her, such as "little lark" or "little featherbrain". Torvald makes all decisions for Nora and establishes rules for her to follow. She's expected to play the part of the "little woman" who does as she's told, expressing no opinion and displaying no intelligence. Nora even behaves like a spoiled child because this is what Torvald expects of her.  Nora is an extension of her husband, known only as Torvald's wife who reflects his values and beliefs. As such, the title then refers to Torvald's treatment of his wife as a doll and their home as a "doll's house".

Nora's change occurs when she sees her husband's true nature. Torvald throws a huge fit, displaying his own childish nature, when he reads the first letter from Krogstad. He's only concerned about himself, and Nora refuses to accept his domination any longer. She walks out of the "doll's house" to establish herself as a woman who will be recognized for what she does and what she thinks.

What is the message of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House?

One message that Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House conveys is that a lack of respect and a focus on reputation can ruin a marriage. Let's look at how it does that.

In the past, Nora had to face a difficult reality when her husband, Torvald, was sick and she needed money to get him to Italy to save his life. As a woman, she could not borrow money in her own name, so she forged her father's signature instead. Years later, this decision comes back to haunt her even though it saved Torvald's life.

Now Nora is faced with the harsh reality of blackmail by Krogstad, who is an employee at the bank Torvald manages. Krogstad threatens to tell Torvald everything unless Nora convinces her husband not to fire him. This leaves Nora in a tough situation. She wants to keep the respect of her husband, and she knows that Torvald despises secrets and lies.

As Nora tries to figure out what to do, she must also deal with the difficult realities of Dr. Rank's illness and Mrs. Linde's situation. When Torvald finally learns about the blackmail and Nora's deception, he is furious, mostly because he thinks that his reputation will be ruined. He is highly disrespectful to his wife and lacks any compassion for her struggles in the past or present. When Krogstad relents and promises to keep Nora's secret, though, Torvald's attitude turns completely around. His reputation is no longer in danger.

Nora, however, has encountered a harsh reality in her husband. His lack of respect for her and his extreme concern about his reputation have shown her that their marriage is over.

What is the significance of the play A Doll's House?

When Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House was published in 1879 it caused a lot of controversy for its subject matter and the way the play ended. The play showed the way Nora Helmer is treated by her husband Torvald; in short, she is little more than a doll in his house, there to reflect well on him. If she is not an adequate reflection of and addition to his life and social standing, he does not want her. This was unfortunately a common view of what women's roles should be. Nora discovers that it does not matter what reasons she had for her crime of forgery. The fact she had forged her father's name in order to borrow money to help treat her husband's illness, and has been paying the money back ever since, does not matter to Torvald--only that it will put him in a bad light to have a criminal wife. At the end of the play Nora leaves him, shocking Torvald and the audiences of 1879.

There is also a literary significance to Ibsen's play in terms of its structure. He condensed the typical five act structure into three acts, and eliminated the long, poetic speeches typical of plays until that time.

What is the significance of the ending in "A Doll's House"?

The lasting significance of Nora Helmer’s action at the end of A Doll’s House is exemplified in its ongoing characterization as “the door slam heard round the world,” as George Bernard Shaw originally called it. Nora’s action perfectly encapsulated the first-wave feminism of Henrik Ibsen’s era. The fact that a male playwright created this image convinced many people that feminist concerns had finally become established within men's social consciousness.

Nora lived a lie by acquiescing to the infantilizing treatment her husband subjected her to, as he constantly belittled her abilities. She finally admits to the underlying falseness of their entire marriage by realizing he was treating her—as her father had treated her before—as a “doll.” After summoning up the courage, with Kristine Linde’s encouragement, to come clean about her forgery and Krogstad’s blackmail, Nora expected Torvald to behave ethically. Instead, he wanted to sweep it under the rug for the sake of his reputation. Nora finally decides that she must have complete honesty. Given all the criticism that Torvald has leveled at her, while he continues to posture self-righteously about his benevolence in staying married to her, she realizes that she must make a total break. She cannot turn back, and walks out the door.

What topics can be discussed from Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House?

In A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, there are many themes that could be written about, and those themes are wrapped up in the larger topics which they explain. Although the words topic and theme are sometimes used interchangeably, they can indicate differing degrees of meaning within any subject.

The play highlights various issues that could be present in any household, issues which revolve around a lack of meaningful conversation, and therefore stem from poor communication. Nora does not get the response she expects from Torvald when he discovers her secret. A loving and loyal husband would rally to her support, and so she feels betrayed and recognizes Torvald's hypocritical behavior. The fact that there is no depth to her marriage is suddenly so apparent to her that she takes drastic steps. Her now-developing self-awareness and her realization that she allowed herself to be managed, first by her father and, immediately thereafter, her husband, forces Nora to face the reality of her situation. She feels like she is nothing more than a "doll-wife." She is never involved in any serious decision-making. She can no longer behave like a "little squirrel... a featherhead... or a spendthrift...," and she is ready to take control for the first time in her life. The theme could be betrayal within the topic of marriage.

This is an ideal area to focus on in this play as the story hinges on the dysfunctional relationship between Nora and Torvald and their mutual dependency on it, Torvald to make him feel like he is providing for and protecting his family, and Nora to promote her husband's value and remain dutiful.

If considering themes and topics separately, other possible themes include sexism and women's rights within the topic of society's views and possible discriminatory practices. There is also the theme of self-discovery within the broader topic of identity.