Gender Roles In A Dolls House - 1270 Words

During the nineteenth century, the common European play that centered around families focused on the values and portrayal of a happy marriage. Rarely was this normality challenged. â€Å"The father of modern drama†, Henrik Ibsen, broke away from this by exposing the stories of scandalous family secrets. His play A Doll’s House, acts on this idea as readers get a peek into the lives of a nineteenth century, middle class husband and wife, Torvald and Nora Helmer. Ibsen goes in depth on the issues that a typical couple face behind closed doors and brings to light some of the social factors that shape and alter people’s behaviors and lives. Ibsen strategically uses the marriage of the Helmers’ as a way to illustrate the social constructs and†¦show more content†¦Also, the way Torvald calls Nora by comparing her to little animals is degrading because it signifies that she has a lack of intelligence and must depend on him to survive. This puts him on a pedestal which he believes is correct as men will always be better than women. It also demonstrates how Ibsen discreetly informs us that all Nora is to Torvald is a doll much like true European history where men controlled and oversaw almost every aspect in society. Women may depend on men to survive, but a driving force for all characters is money. This entity is a necessity, but has become a fixation of those living in Europe during the nineteenth century. Most conversations that occur in the play seem to arise from a conflict related to money and many serious decisions and actions the characters decide to take are based off of this fixation. Kristine Linde, growing up in poverty, leaves her true love to marry a richer man so that she could care for her family. Similarly, Krogstad is willing to go to great lengths in order to maintain his position at the bank. If he loses his source of income, he will no longer be able to care for his children and he is willing to sabotage the He lmers’ lives for his. Anne-Marie, the nanny, sacrificed and gave away her own child and happiness, so that she could uphold a sustainable lifestyle with Nora’s wealthier family. For Nora, money is her life. She illegallyShow MoreRelatedGender Roles : A Doll s House1807 Words   |  8 PagesRabab Abouahmad Dr.K.Zelinksy English 201 Section 09 17 November 2015 Gender roles in A Doll’s House Gender roles are socially constructed and direct a specific group to conform to roles that are expected of them. In A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen draws attention to the roles set towards women during the nineteenth century and demonstrates society’s expectation that women are inferior and dependent on a male figure. 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