International Journal of Research in all Subjects in Multi Languages Vol.

10, Issue: 6, June: 2022

[Author: Aishwarya Patel] [Subject: Education] I.F.6.156 (IJRSML) ISSN: 2321 - 2853

Tenets of Existential Feminism in Ibsen’s Play, A Doll’s House

AISHWARYA PATEL DR. SHALINI SHARMA
Ph.D. Scholar, Associate Professor, English Department
Sabarmati University, Ahmedabad Gujarat (India) Sabarmati University, Ahmedabad. Gujarat (India)

Abstract:
Existential feminism is a very interesting philosophy which focuses on the existential frustration faced
by women. There are tons of literatures that deal with the issues of feminism and the quest for identity.
Women should have the freedom to choose their course of action and determine what their lives would
be. However, the strict patriarchal society that we live in, does not always allow this freedom to
women and dictates false standards of living. The purpose of this scholarly paper is to bring to light
what is meant by existential feminism and how it is so wonderfully reflected in Ibsen’s play, ‘A Doll’s
House’. The paper aims to study Nora’s rebellion for an authentic and meaningful life. It also sheds
light on the strict patriarchal system that governs the lives of women. The paper takes into
consideration the philosophies formed by Sartre, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Camus and Simone de
Beauvoir to make strong and relevant arguments.

Keywords: Existential feminism, A Dolls House, Authenticity, Actualization, Rebellion

1. Existential Feminism
Existential feminism was born when Simone de Beauvoir rightly quoted in Second Sex, “One is not
born, but rather becomes, a woman” (de Beauvoir 283). This phenomenal piece of literature was
originally published in 1949 in French and later translated into English in 1953 and then again in 2009.
It was the first time when the condition of women was seen from an existential point of view. Simone
de Beauvoir has very skilfully written this book and explained how the label of ‘other’ becomes
acceptable in the society which proudly considers men and women as equal. However, the truth that
men continue to be more equal than women in so many different ways. Woman’s inferior status is well
accepted by the society at large that her being the ‘other’ gender was also not refuted for a very long
time. Women have been suppressed and deprived of their rightful place in the society for a very long
time. In India, women were treated like property along with the lands and cattle in the past. Even in
epics like Mahabharata, we witness the Pandavas losing Draupadi to the Kauravas in the game of dice.
After betting and losing all the properties, the Pandavas played their last chance, betting their own
wife. A woman has been treated like a doll, first in the hands of her father and later in the hands of her
husband since a very long time now.

Existential feminism is also known as “feminist existentialism” works with the understanding that,
woman is nothing more than a product of social and cultural construct and largely accepted notion that
woman is ‘other’. Beauvoir very rightly argues that nature marks absolutely no difference between the
abilities of men and women. Her body should not come in the way of how she is treated in the society
and yet women continue to be oppressed in patriarchal societies. It is society that has very
systematically defined the roles for men and women. The conditioning that happens on the two
genders in their fundamental years is very deep and is then played out throughout their adult lives.
Human beings always have a choice; thus, we have the freedom to choose our gender too. However,
the society comes in our way and severely disrupt this freedom. Situation is crucial for one’s

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 International Journal of Research in all Subjects in Multi Languages Vol. 10, Issue: 6, June: 2022
[Author: Aishwarya Patel] [Subject: Education] I.F.6.156 (IJRSML) ISSN: 2321 - 2853
development. However, some existentialists like Sartre pay more attention to the fact that individuals
are always in position to choose than situation (Kruks 43-71).
As per the principles of existential feminism, it brings to the forefront the ideas of engagement and
responsibility. Both of these notions pull the women out of the inferior position that they occupy in the
existing system by liberating them from the false societal standards. Jean-Paul Sartre very rightly
quoted, “Existence precedes Essence” (Sartre 26). These three words summarizes to certain extent the
existential philosophy. Human beings do not have any pre-established identity that should govern their
roles in the society. In fact, they are free to choose their actions and become what they want by living
authentically and not by the norms that are determined by the society. Furthermore, human beings are
so absolutely free that there is no other way in which their existence can be defined. As a matter of
fact, they must accept complete responsibility for the choices that they make and the actions that they
perform. They must not give into ‘bad faith’ and must look for means and ways to rise above
unacceptable situations.

As per the existentialists, human beings can liberate themselves only if they transcend. Simone de
Beauvoir has produced literary and philosophical works around the fact that women should attain
freedom by breaking the shackles. Women must have the knowledge of self which becomes very vital.
They must develop their own language. Despite the fact that they remain members of the patriarchal
system, they must revolt while being a part of the system and bring revolution if they aspire to bring
about noteworthy change in their current condition. Economic independence becomes utmost
important when take up areas like feminism. Toril Moi very rightly puts down, “As long as women are
prevented from earning their own living, they will always be dependent of others. Women actually
seek paid work, however, are confronted with class exploitation and sexist oppression at every turn . . .
A painful paradox thus emerges: only work can emancipate women, yet nothing enslaves them more
completely” (Moi 74).

Existential feminism has received criticism like anything else. The complicated makeup has kept the
philosophy aloof and has kept it from reaching the larger interested audience. This has led to the
failure in coming up with answers for the women community at large. If it were simpler and reached
out more people, women across the world, who are struggling against oppression and subjugation
would have found a shoulder to lean on and come up with universal solutions about fighting against
the unacceptable practices and behaviours from their counterparts. Simone de Beauvoir has been
highly critiqued for her strong opinions about dismissal of maternity. Nevertheless, post-modern
feminism is indebted to the abundant contributions by Beauvoir. “Woman is still the other, but rather
than interpreting this condition as something to be transcended, postmodern feminists proclaim its
advantages” (Tong 192).

Judith Butler, a prominent gender theorist who has greatly established herself in third-wave feminism,
queer theory and literary theory has written at length about the gender issues. Her most significant
literary productions include, ‘Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity’ (1990) and
‘Bodies that matter: On the Discursive Limits of Sex’ (1993). She has very rightly refer to de
Beauvoir’s idea of becoming, and opine that, “if gender is something that one becomes – but can never
be – then gender is itself a kind of becoming or activity, and that gender ought not to be conceived as a
noun or as a substantial thing or a static cultural marker, but rather as an incessant and repeated action
of some sort” (Butler 143).

On the grounds of existential feminism, Butler discovered that gender by itself can the capacity to
become a transcendental act. This particular aspect put Butler in a position to put forward arguments
abut performative facets of gender. Theorists and authors who are sometimes put together under the
umbrella term, “French Feminism”, such as Hélène Cixous, Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva, and
Monique Wittig, were also significantly influenced by existential investigations about the condition of
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 International Journal of Research in all Subjects in Multi Languages Vol. 10, Issue: 6, June: 2022
[Author: Aishwarya Patel] [Subject: Education] I.F.6.156 (IJRSML) ISSN: 2321 - 2853
women. They each took up the notion of “women as other”, especially in their investigation of
phallogocentrism, but they did so in fundamentally different ways that heralded the beginning of
sexual difference theory.

Last but not the least, it is significant to remember that Simone de Beauvoir disassociated herself from
the term ‘feminism’ long after her incredible work, ‘The Second Sex’ was out in the market. She
reclaimed it in the year 1972 after being actively involved in feminist work with France’s Mouvement
de Libération des Femmes. Thus, despite the fact that there were undoubtedly people who resonated
with the idea, “existential feminism’ did not establish itself for a very long time.

2.Existential Portrayal of Nora by Henrik Ibsen

The first reading of, ‘A Doll’s House’, emphasizes the stereotypical representation of women as naïve,
illogical and dependent at first glance. The figure of Torvald is interesting and the way he deals with
life situations may resonate with some men in the patriarchal society. He is most of the time found in
his study, pre-occupied with his work. His conversations with his wife and children barely take place.
When children return from a walk, he says, “the place will only be bearable for a mother now” (Ibsen
23). Hence, the gender roles are sketched in a fantastic manner and there are no grey areas. The
domestication of women is accepted as it were natural.

The character of Torvald is constructed as money-minded, logical, rational and emotionally

unavailable. This is exactly how the men are expected to be in a patriarchal society. They are taught
from a very early childhood to conceal their true feelings and step up as perfect. They associate with
strength and masculinity. On the other hand, women are encouraged to embrace their feminine side
and gracefully listen to men and do as they dictate as if they had no mind of their own. Torvald says
that Nora, “has become both wife and child to him” (Ibsen 88).

The traits of existentialism came to be evident in feminist literature like, ‘A Doll’s House’, wherein we
see that there is a struggle about identity quest and a search for existence by Nora. The term
existentialism is used by Kierkegaard, Sartre, Nietzsche and Camus to understand the underlying
problems in existence. Henrik Ibsen was a believer of individualism and rejected societal standards.
We can see a lot of existential tenets in Ibsen’s works. His characters are self-asserting and he is a firm
believer in freedom just like the existentialists.

Nora, finds herself under the custody of her male counterpart; first he father and then her husband.
This is nothing new in a patriarchal set up where the male has a upper hand because he brings in the
money and aids the economic wellbeing of the society. The woman on other hand takes responsibility
for all the household chores and raises children. She does not work any less than the male member of
the family. However, her contribution is neglected because she does not earn a living. The superiority
of men root from the very fact that they earn and that is what brings the food on the table. Nora, is like
any other woman, full of self-doubt and is struck by existential dilemma. Ibsen does not label himself
as a feminist and makes it very clear that his agenda was not to fight was women’s rights but to cast
some light upon it. However, a lot of feminists admire him for his ground breaking work. He lived
with nationalistic spirit and worked around Europe’s social issues during the 1880’s.

The play was first published in the year 1879 and was staged in Copenhagen. Eight thousand copies
were sold out and it was a big hit! There was a lot of controversy that circled around the play and Ibsen
was literally compelled to come up with a different ending of the play. The play initially ended with
Nora’s decision of abandoning her children and freeing herself of the inauthentic life that she had been
living. The existentialists believe in the fact that human beings always have a choice to do away with
what is unacceptable and put a foot down and choose the way they want to really live. They believe
that human beings are free to choose the path they would like to take and have the liberty to reject the
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 International Journal of Research in all Subjects in Multi Languages Vol. 10, Issue: 6, June: 2022
[Author: Aishwarya Patel] [Subject: Education] I.F.6.156 (IJRSML) ISSN: 2321 - 2853
false societal standards and pressures. Ibsen was also a firm believer of the fact that women have the
right to choose and live on their own terms. However, after much controversy, he changed the ending
of the play to Nora realizing that children need their mother far more than she needs her freedom. This
is unfortunately a reality for so many women around the world. Most of the times, women continue to
put up with marriages day-after-day even when they are not happy. The society normalizes this
behaviour. If we think about it, this is a perfect set up for the patriarchal system. Women may think of
this as a sacrifice for their children. However, we need to think, how human is it to normalize agony of
women living in unhappy marriages for the sake of their children? Ibsen successfully brought to light
the psychological distress of women by writing in a realistic fashion and not romanticizing the bleak
picture.

The play critiques the nineteenth century marriage norms. The controversy revolved around Nora’s
existential quest and her decision to discover herself by breaking away from the societal standards of
marriage. Ibsen believed that, “A woman cannot be herself in modern society” and the fact that
because it is “an exclusively male society, with laws made by men and with prosecutors and judges
who assess feminine conduct from a male standpoint” (Ibsen 79).

4. Conclusion
Hence, we see that Nora faces existential dilemma and that is very well highlighted by Ibsen in his
play. It is a realistic picture of women’s condition in a patriarchal society and actually the condition of
so many women around the world who face subjugation and oppression in the name of doing what is
right. The reality is that women are conditioned to think that they must not live for themselves and that
they cannot put away the responsibilities that is theirs. It is not the responsibility of a woman alone to
look after their children. Parenting is a shared responsibility. Besides this, it must be acknowledged
that women have the rights just like the men have and they must have the liberty to choose what they
want.

References
1.Beauvoir, Simone de. “The Second Sex.” New York: Vintage Books, 1949.
2.Butler, Judith. “Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity.” New York: Routledge,
1990.
3.Kruks, Sonia. “Beauvoir: The Weight of Situation.” New York: Routledge, 1998, 43–71.
4.Moi, Toril. “‘Independent Women’ and ‘Narratives of Liberation’.” New York: Routledge, 1998,
72–92.
5.Sartre, Jean-Paul. “Existentialism is a Humanism.” Yale University Press, 2007.
6.Tong, Rosemarie. “Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction.” Westview Press,
2014.

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