Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, when first judged by its cover title, strikes the reader as very interesting and starts a multitude of inquires of why the title is so named. When one thinks of a doll’s house, most often, a cute and small, perfectly run and ordered, young girl’s favorite toy comes to mind. Everything is peaceful. A feeling of happiness runs through the air in such a way that no one would expect anything to go wrong. In A Doll’s House, a well-furnished living room is the setting of the entire play. It gives animation to a real-life doll’s house. This is the juxtaposition that Ibsen uses in his writing to display a stark contrast of how the plot of A Doll’s House is anything but halcyon. The title and setting of A Doll’s House contributes to the development of and adds potency to the themes of the home, society’s gender roles of men and women, and the individual vs. society by portraying the feeling of confinement and isolation.
A Doll’s House begins with the setting in the Helmers’ house and remains so for the rest of the three act play. First seen, the house is “a pleasant room, tastefully but not expensively furnished” (Ibsen 1), foreshadowing the importance of money and respectability in the household. Much throughout the play, especially in the beginning, the home is seen as a tranquil shelter of joy and comfort. During the play, Mrs. Kristine Linde and Dr. Rank, on their own occasion, express their envy for the “perfectness” of the Helmers’ home though for