Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House exposes readers to various themes in the society. In the novel, Ibsen promotes certain themes such as marriage, the nature of the relationship between men and women, deceit and unfaithfulness in marriage among others. One of the key focus in in the novel involves Ibsen’s projection of the character of Kristine Linde (Mrs. Linde). Compared to other women such as Nora, Mrs. Linde appears to have a strong relationship with her husband. Therefore, Ibsen’s focus on the union implies, in part, the submissive nature of Mrs. Linde which makes her a representation of women and their non-traditional roles. While Kristine is married twice, some aspects about her behavior are consistent such as her selfless character. Thus, in order to identify the various roles of non-traditional women, an analysis of Mrs. Linde as presented in the novel is warranted.
One of the defining moments in the novel is the death of Mrs. Linde’s husband who died leaving with without money or children. Apart from that, her mother was ill, and Mrs. Linde was required to take care of her brothers while also looking after her mother. In this particular moment, Mrs. Linde gesture of taking responsibility for her family, there being no father present, demonstrates her implicit demonstration of the roles that women have had to take up which are in conflict with their traditional roles. In one particular scenario, Mrs. Linde talks to Nora about her experiences. She says “Then I had to fight my way by keeping a shop, a little school, anything I could turn my hands to… My poor mother no longer needs me; she is at rest. And the boys are in business, and can look after themselves” (Ibsen, n.d., p. 16). The statement is in response to Nora’s quest to understand how Mrs. Linde survived after the death of her husband. Author, Kohen (1981) explained that modern-day women have assumed roles as housewives, breadwinners, mothers and family heads. He noted that there has been a considerable change in the roles of women in the society. Further, Kohen (1981) explained that labor force participation is one of the ways in which women have exerted their influence into the society. Similarly, Mrs. Linde did the same with the various businesses she had while taking care of her family. Thus, her venture into business is a clear representation of her non-traditional role as a woman. She embodies the role that modern women play in the society whereby they project themselves as being capable of taking up duties traditionally limited to the male gender. Therefore, Mrs. Linde mirrors the transition from traditional to modern (non-traditional) roles of women.
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Assertively, the transition of women’s roles has seen them take up high positions in the community as leaders in influential organizations or politicians. In the global society, women have taken up high-profile positions which would have been originally thought as being designated for men only. In the story, Mrs. Linde’s character is that of a woman who does not consider or accept that she might be limited in trying to achieve or realize her goals. In support, Wang (2016) wrote that Mrs. Linde is a mature independent woman who presents the ideal image of the modern woman. She perceives life as being exclusively in terms of giving services to others which explains her selfless character. Basing on such a point of view, one could argue that for the modern-day woman, service to others plays a major role in making her get a sense of fulfillment. Women in leadership positions and in politics are focused more on building a relationship with their subjects compared to men. Focusing on this view, Zenger and Folkman (2012) noted that women leaders tend to excel in nurturing competencies alongside developing others through building relationships. Thus, the implication is that women focus more on giving service to others. In the novel, the said point of view is evident when Mrs. Linde says why she married her husband. She says “My mother was then alive, bed-ridden and helpless; and then I had my two younger brothers to think of. I thought it was my duty to accept him” (Ibsen, n.d., p. 15). Thus, one can notice that Mrs. Linde did not think about her wellbeing but instead that of her family members. In this case, she married a man she did not love to ensure that her loved ones had access to the various basic needs they needed.
Conclusion
Ibsen’s novel is not only an interesting read but is also a point of reference when it comes to understanding various themes present in the society. He uses the characters to communicate various key points such as the institution of marriage, women in business, friendship, among other things. Focusing on Mrs. Linde, Ibsen was able to expose his readers to the shift from traditional to non-traditional. Mrs. Linde owned various businesses after her husband passed away. She took up the role of the breadwinner at her house as her mother was ill and her brothers were still young. Ibsen does not mention that Mrs. Linde acquired any assistance from a man as she raised her younger brothers alone and took care of her mother until she died. In summary, as the modern-day or non-traditional woman, Mrs. Linde is not afraid to take up roles that were previously designed for men.
References
Ibsen, H. (n.d.). A Doll’s House . T. Fisher Unwin.
Kohen, J. (1981). Housewives, breadwinners, mothers, and family heads: The changing family roles of women. Advances in Consumer Research, 8 : 576-579. Retreived from http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/5862/volumes/v08/NA-08
Wang, Q. (2016). Before marriage, within marriage, and after marriage—Kristine Linde in A Doll House . The Explicator,74 (2), 69-73. doi:10.1080/00144940.2016.1169494
Zenger, J., & Folkman, J. (2014, July 23). Are women better leaders than men? Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2012/03/a-study-in-leadership-women-do
