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Gender Roles In A Doll's House By Henrik Ibsen

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The play "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen features a housewife with a scandalous secret in the mid-1800s. Throughout the play, the characters portray gender qualities congruent with the time period. Nora, the housewife represents the typical stay at home mother without any real authority and Torvald, the husband, represents the masculine breadwinner and ruler of the house. Other characters such as Mrs. Linde may represent a nonconventional side of the woman's place in society.
Ibsen was best known for his realistic style and harsh criticism of traditional social customs represented through his works such as "Pillars of Society", "Ghosts", "An Enemy of the People", and of course "A Doll's House". He was known in Europe for being a controversial …show more content…

Linde and Dr. Rank enter the home. Mrs. Linde is one of Nora's childhood friends whom she hasn't had contact with in a while. She and Nora contrast each other in such a way that highlights Nora's childlike demeanor due to the practicality Mrs. Linde displays through her life choices and advice. Mrs. Linde recently lost her husband, whom she only married to provide a financially stable life for her mother and younger brothers, which was normal for women to do in times of need. She explains that she is finally free from dependents and in need of a job, not only because of her financial situation but also because without dependents she has no one to live for. Mrs. Linde may be Ibsen's ideal image of women in society, the working woman, and may also be the feminist of the play. During their conversation, Mrs. Linde appears to hold her work ethic over Nora's head and has the attitude of a superiority due to her life experiences. She even tells Nora at one point that "you really know so little of life's burdens yourself" (Ibsen) and "you're just a child" (Ibsen), through this Mrs. Linde expresses her opinion on Nora's pampered lifestyle …show more content…

Males are generally seen as being strong, stable, and logical, with high morals. Krogstad committed the crime of forgery some years earlier, which Torvald believes is morally wrong and believes Krogstad got himself out of the mess by "sharp practices" and must "lie and cheat and deceive on all sides"(Ibsen) and "has to wear a mask" (Ibsen) to hide his mistake. Torvalds reaction to Krogstad's forgery foreshadows the reaction to Nora's forgery, which is much more personal to him. When Krogstad and Mrs. Linde become involved the gender roles are reversed as she becomes the provider and breadwinner and he is now the "stay at home husband". This can be related to modern times as social reform in that respect has taken place and more and more women are seen in the workplace along with fathers and husbands staying home and helping in the household more

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