Title: What is the main conflict in the play A Doll's House?  - eNotes.com
Headings: What is the main conflict in the play A
Doll's House
?

A Doll's House
What is the main conflict in the play A Doll's House ?
Expert Answers
We’ll help your grades soar

Content: Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Wallace Field
Teacher (K-12)
Educator since 2016
7,719 answers
| Certified Educator
Page Citation
Share Link
I would argue that the main conflict in this play is of the character versus society variety. Nora Helmer opposes the standards her society sets for women, standards which have compelled her to live, in her words, as a "doll" to both her father and her husband. She certainly has the biggest confrontation of the play with her husband, Torvald, but it has more to do with the values that he represents rather than his own flaws or treatment of her. He treats her the way their society dictates that he ought to. He expects her to keep an attractive and tidy home, to raise their children well, to maintain her own neat and alluring appearance, and to respect and obey him in all things. These would not be considered unreasonable demands during this period nor would they be unique to the Helmers' marriage. Therefore, when Nora comes into conflict with Torvald as a result of these expectations, she is conflicting with societal norms rather than the man as an individual. Approved by eNotes Editorial Team
playsthething
Educator since 2008
145 answers
| Certified Educator
Page Citation
Share Link
Most of the conflict in Ibsen's A Doll's House is a result of the clash between the superficial appearance of the characters' lives and the deeper reality that they all must live with. Nora lives a double life in many ways - she appears to Torvald to be a silly woman who only worries about what Christmas presents to buy the children and what to wear to the costume party.