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Global Academic Journal of Linguistics and Literature
Volume-8 | Issue-03
Review Article
The Crisis of Conscience: Ethical Rebellion and Intellectual Defiance in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Ghosts, and An Enemy of the People
Divine Njong
Published : June 8, 2026
DOI : https://doi.org/10.36348/gajll.2026.v08i03.002
Abstract
This study analyses how moral crisis and resistance are constructed in the dramatic works of Henrik Ibsen, focusing on A Doll’s House, Ghosts, and An Enemy of the People. It argues that Ibsen constructs a progressive vision of the individual’s struggle against oppressive social norms, revealing how personal conscience often stands in direct conflict with institutionalized morality. Through close textual analysis, the paper explores Nora’s ethical rebellion against patriarchal constraints in A Doll’s House and the exposure of moral hypocrisy in Ghosts. It further examines Dr. Stockmann’s intellectual defiance in An Enemy of the People against collective ignorance and political pressure. Based on the assumption for this paper is that in A Doll’s House, Ghosts, and An Enemy of the People, Henrik Ibsen presents the crisis of conscience as a transformative force that compels individuals to move from passive conformity to ethical rebellion and intellectual defiance. It further hypothesizes that this process ultimately exposes the tension between personal truth and societal morality. Drawing on ethical criticism, New Historicism and elements of existential thought, this study demonstrates that Ibsen’s drama not only critiques nineteenth-century bourgeois morality but also anticipates modern debates on individual autonomy, truth, and responsibility. Ultimately, the paper contends that Ibsen redefines the concept of conscience as a dynamic and often disruptive force that compels individuals to challenge societal expectations, even at great personal cost.

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