English Paper Three 101/3 A Doll’s House KCSE Revision Essay Questions with Answers; The Unappreciated but Crucial Role of Women in the Society as depicted in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”
Possible KCSE Essay Question; Sample 1
Women are pillars in the Society but their roles are in most cases not appreciated
Possible Response
Women play critical or indispensable roles in the society but unfortunately their efforts go unacknowledged in most cases especially in a male- dominated society. This is clearly validated in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” as elaborated below.
To commence, Nora plays a critical role of saving her husband, Torvald Helmer’s life but Helmer does not appreciate what she did for her. When Helmer overworked himself, he fell ill and since his condition was deteriorating, the doctors advised Nora that it will be prudent if they took a trip to the South- Italy to help him recuperate. Unfortunately, they did not have money to finance the trip. Nora at first tried to convince Helmer to take a loan but he refused. She therefore took it upon herself to save Helmer’s life by procuring a loan worth 250 pounds from Nils Krogstad for the same. She even went to an extent of forging her father’s signature so that she can get the loan since this is a patriarchal society where women are not allowed to execute any major financial transactions. In the process, she risks her reputation and later falls prey for Krogstad’s manipulation for the sake of Torvald. However, when Torvald discovers that his wife fraudulently and secretly procured a loan to save his life, he becomes furious. He calls her names “liar and hypocrite” and even forbids her from raising their three children on grounds that she might infect them with lies. This deeply hurts Nora and even pushes her to walk out on her family for she feels unappreciated.
Moreover, Nora plays a critical role and f repaying the 250 pounds loan that she owes Krogstad. She is obliged to take odd jobs such as copying and crotchetting to ensure that she meets her financial obligations on the first of every month. Furthermore, Nora sacrifices and saves all she can from the money that Torvald gives her for housekeeping. She confides in Mrs Linde that she buys the cheapest dresses so that she can save some cash. Her role if meeting financial obligations is however neither recognized by the same husband whose life she fought for nor by the society at large. This is simply because Torvald disdainfully refers to her as a spendthrift and even mocks her by saying that money seems to melt in her hands. The society does not also acknowledge the role of women since they are not allowed to execute any major financial transactions. For a woman to take a loan, she must first seek the consent of her husband or close male relative hence limiting their potential.
Thirdly, women play a critical role of bearing and raising children. This role is however taken for granted in the society. Nora for instance is a dedicated and responsible mother time her three children. This is evident when she takes time to play with them and even buy them gifts. Her dedication is however not seen by Torvald which after discovering that Nora had procured a loan to save his life behind his back using fraudulent means gets infuriated to an extent of forbidding her from raising her own children. This he does on grounds that she might infect the children with lies since he believes that a mother’s influence greatly affects the behavior of the children.
Lastly, Mrs Linde plays a key role in safeguarding her bedridden mother and two younger brothers financially when they needed her most. Her role is however not acknowledged especially by Krogstad her true love whom she was forced to jilt for he was poor and had no prospectives then. When they first meet, Mrs Linde is remorseful/rueful but Krogstad is very bitter at her for abandoning him and marrying a man of means who could provide for her bedridden mother and two younger brothers until they became financially independent. He does not at first understand why she had to sacrifice their true love for the sake of money.
In a nutshell, women play very critical roles in our society today but they are taken for granted. This makes them feel unappreciated and further limits them from realizing their full potential. Therefore, it is time we recognize the pertinent roles played by women and appreciate their contribution in the Society.
