?The Problem Of Women? Essay, Research Paper

“The Problem of Women”: Nora and Mrs. Linde

This article explores the evident contrasts between Nora and Mrs. Linde. As described it is a “doll meets not-doll” (94) relationship. The article goes into great detail about these differences and how they further the plot of the play. Mrs. Linde is used to make a sharp contrast, Nora is happy; Mrs. Linde is downcast and hesitant. She is pale and thin and much older than Nora is, even though they are the same age. Nora is happy because she has a family and Mrs. Linde desolate because she is alone. “From the moment Mrs. Linde enters the play, the significant juxtapositions are clearly established: a displaced, prematurely aged traveler steps into the world of the comfortably well-established young wife, the subdued diffidence of the intruder nicely balancing the effervescent garrulity of the other” (95). This article continues to discuss “the problem of women” in the play by relating the structure of the play to Ibsen’s theme of freedom. It addresses the differences of freedom to Mrs. Linde and Nora. “Mrs. Linde is free to reshape her life, redefine her relationships and correlate her need with the needs of a lover and a family” (106). Whereas Nora is “free from but not yet free to. Ibsen leaves her at that moment of tragic crisis…”(107). Through this reading it is clear that the “problem of women” is a central theme throughout “A Doll’s House.”