This article will analyze the theme of dependent women in this play. To do this I will cover the following thematic area. These thematic areas are: female passivity; his economic and social dependence and his dependence through his children. In A Doll's House, Ibsen argues that a dependent woman will be passive and reluctant to speak her mind. He will not try to understand the abstract reality of life, unless it concerns his domestic lifestyle. Instead, she will let the title of her marriage suppress her. She will lose sight of the pursuit of her own independence and instead become a doll living in a house. Nora, the protagonist of the play, has all these qualities. Nora's passivity is clearly visible in the opening of the play. The show opens with Nora asking the maid to hide the Christmas tree. “Hide the tree well, Helene” (Act I, scene 1). Something as simple as hiding a Christmas tree shows us that Nora is the type of wife who is willing to hide a secret from her family even if it is something small and insignificant like a tree. Although it may cause a small accident, Nora prefers to hide it just to please her husband. This event shows her willingness to submit to her husband's rule and shows her passivity in her own family. Having to think before acting and not being assertive in the things she wants further demonstrates her passivity towards her husband and in her life. Nora's passivity allows Helmer to continue to control every aspect of her life. “Throughout the play there are many examples of Helmer treating Nora badly and in a way insulting her because she is a woman. He calls her nicknames and says she's fragile. Nora doesn't respond to these nicknames because she feels that if she were to challenge her husband... middle of paper... Rosefeldt, Paul. "Ibsen's 'A Doll's House.'" The Explainer. 61.2 (Wntr 2003): 84(2). Academic OneFile. Storm. CCLA, Miami Dade Comm College. March 31, 2010.Templeton, Joan. Ibsen's Women. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997"Scandinavian Drama: Henrik Ibsen." Emma Goldman, The social importance of modern drama. July 2, 2003. The Berkeley Digital Library. 16 April 2010. Tommaso, Paolina. “The Place of Women in 19th-Century Victorian History.” Era of fashion. April 5 2010 ..