Introduction Literature as an art can be explain in different ways One approach tries to emphasize the role of reader Another approach tries to emphasize the role of imagination but feminist approach tries to emphasize the role of feminist perspectives in literature

Feminist Approach to Literature Feminism is a term that denotes the struggle of women to gain the equal rights and legal protection in a male dominated society Gender roles are pre-determined by society One is not born but rather becomes a women Language carries within its layers many discriminations e.g. Man/ woman, male/ female, boy / girl and so on Supporters of this approach believe that literature is a platform of change and reform

A Doll’s House: Feminist perspectives Throughout the play there are many examples of Torvald treating Nora badly and in a way insulting her because she’s a woman. Torvald treats Nora almost like a child. He never actually talks to her like an adult. Almost as if Torvald thought that Nora wasn’t intelligent, or mature enough to have a conversation that had to deal with serious matters.

When Torvald an Nora speak Torvald usually says something like, “That’s just like a woman”, which shows that Torvald believes that woman are not capable of understanding anything but spending money, taking care of their husband and their children. She always speaks to him as if she wants something. But Torvald never treats Nora with any respect. He treats her more like a possession than a person. This is why you see that Nora is like a doll. Torvald thinks himself to be superior to Nora because he is a man, and Nora is a woman.

Finally, Nora tells Torvald that they must sit down and “discuss all this that has been happening between us,” A Doll’s House became an international sensation and founded a new school of dramatic art. She tells Torvald that he is a stranger and the they had lived for eight years as strangers. She adds’’ So from this night we can’t live together any more because we are strangers’’.

Conclusion The most important aspect of A Doll’s House is the feminist message that rocked the stages of Europe when the play acted. Nora’s rejection of marriage and motherhood shocked contemporary audiences. Nora is the first women in literature who goes outside the house to search for her identity.

References A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen ; original text Contemporary Literary and cultural Theory by Pramod k. Nayar Literary Theory and Criticism by Patricia Waugh Modern Literary Theory and criticism by David Lodge