IbsenÆs A Doll House, ChekhovÆs The Cherry Orchard, and StrindbergÆs The Father are three plays whose conflict revolves around women within the household. In A DollÆs House, NoraÆs machinations to help her husband result in revelations that, for her, expose the lack of love she has for her husband and he for her. In The Cherry Orchard, Madame RanevskyÆs selfish behavior involving her lover and the mounting of enormous debt causes the loss of the family estate. In The Father, the LauraÆs unwillingness to view her husband as useful in any way except for procreation results in the destruction of the CaptainÆs sanity and their household. In all three of these plays, it is evident that these womenÆs efforts to play an active and assertive role in their own lives causes conflict due to their living in an era of male dominance and patriarchy, one where roles for women were rigidly defined. By going outside of these ônormsö and refusing to be submissive to men, all three of the women create conflict that resolves itself through destruction of the household.
The destruction of the Helmer household is brought about by NoraÆs unwillingness to remain a ôdollö to the men in her life. Her life consists of pleasing men, first her father and now her husband, Torvald. She knows that stepping outside this role will create conflict. However, her growing sense of injustice over being confined to the role of a pleasing ôdollö for the men in her life is a feeling she can no longer suppress. As she tells her husband, ôA great wrong was done to me, Torvald. First by Papa and then by youö (Ibsen 1972, 104).
Nora knows she can only be independent if she hides such behavior from her father and Torvald. Nora borrows money from Krogstad by forging her fatherÆs signature. She wants the money to pay for a trip to save TorvaldÆs life. Unaware of these actions, things go well between Torvald and Nora as long as she performs f...