A Doll's House Patriarchal Quotes

The above quote is from a conversation between Nora and Helmer. At this point in the play we already found out that Nora borrowed money from a man called Krogstad, who also happens to work for Nora’s husband, Helmer. The situation is difficult because Nora never disclosed to her husband that she borrowed money. Furthermore, by her own admission the reason behind her actions was love. Helmer has fallen ill and she was convinced by doctors that the only way to save his life is to take him abroad, she believes that they must go to Italy where Helmer would recover. After their return Helmer gets a promotion at the bank where he works, and now Krogstad is one of his subordinates. This man, Krogstad has a checkered past, and it is well known that

Helmer doesn’t talk to her as if she was her equal, instead as if she was a child. He practically tells her to go to another room and play, practice her dance so he can show her off during the party they are planning to attend. With that he deems their discussion concluded. I believe the above quote enforces patriarchal ideologies. Tyson states that “patriarchy continually exerts forces that undermine women’s self-confidence and assertiveness, then points to the absence of these qualities as proof that women are naturally, and therefore correctly, self-effacing and submissive” (87). Nora complains that in her early life she was treated as a living doll by her father and after her marriage to Helmer she continued receiving the same treatment. Her job is to be what patriarchy defines as “good girl”, which means that she is modest and submissive, besides other obedient qualities, and most of all the “good girl” is consumed by worrying about the needs of her husband and family, and she has no needs of her own. Consequently, Helmer dismisses Nora’s pleading for Krogstad, he dismisses her “now you must go and play through the Tarantella and practice with your tambourine” basically be a good girl and do your job, which I have described above. The way I see it Helmer’s treatment of Nora, and the