An Evaluation of R.K. Narayan’s Novel "Dark Room" and Henrik Ibsen’s Play "A Doll’s House"

R.K. Narayan, the Indo-Anglican writer, focused his literary efforts on a limited sphere, exploring domestic troubles that required astute observation and critical analysis. His literary creations were inspired by his reactions to his surroundings. Although social awareness was not his main focus when portraying the narrative in his novel "Dark Room," it does provide insight into the challenges faced by women in Indian society. Narayan's writing style was never instructional or preachy in nature, does not explicitly criticize the prevailing male chauvinism found in the novel, instead, he portrays the sentiments of those women who belongs to middle-class at that time. The demand for women's freedom had been present for a long time and had acquired power during his era. The idea of women's liberation is a central point in Ibsen's play "A Doll's House," despite the fact that the two works were written in different periods (1867 for "A Doll's House" and 1938 for "Dark Room"). While the treatment of the subject differs, both works echo the same theme of women's freedom. The notion of women's economic autonomy is evident in both literary pieces, and this endeavor seeks to unveil this underlying concept present in the given works.