The Marxist Interpretation of A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

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“A principal tenet of Marxist criticism is that human consciousness is a product of social conditions and that human relationships are often subverted by and through economic considerations.”(Witham and Lutterbie) A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, can be interpreted and critiqued in many different ways. One of these ways is the Marxist approach. This way of thinking can basically be summed up by saying this: Money changes people’s thinking and actions. The main characters in A Doll’s House are all affected by this idea and it makes the acquisition of money and a higher social status the most important thing to them. Therefore, a Marxist theme is shown throughout the play through the speech and actions of Nora, Torvald, Mrs. Linde, and Krogstad. Nora Helmer, the main character, has a seemingly unfulfillable need for money and a high social status. A good example would be how the play begins with Nora returning home from shopping for the Christmas season. She has many items and even bought a Christmas tree. Nora then tells one of the maids to hide the tree so that she can decorate it be...

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