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What Are Gender Roles In A Doll's House By Henrik Ibsen

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In Norwegian society the man was meant to be a respectable and strong character in the community. The roles of men and women were drastically different compared to modern time roles. The power struggle and relationship between Nora and Torvald Helmer is reminiscent of the typical relationship in 19th century Norway. Torvald is the man of the house and Nora follows his orders because that is what society expects her to do. Nora is trapped inside her house by societal expectations while Torvald is trapped by the societal expectations to be the man of the house. In A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen uses symbolism, dialogue, and characterization to expose the theme of imbalanced genders in a patriarchal society. Out of the many symbols in the play, some are specific to revealing imbalance in the genders. In the beginning of the script, Nora is eating macaroons and Torvald forbids her to have sweets in their home. Torvald says to Nora while, “[wagging his finger at her]. Hasn’t …show more content…

Torvald has rules set in place for Nora and doesn 't allow her to do certain things like eat sweets. He also speaks to Nora in a belittling and patronizing way that makes their relationship seem more like a father and daughter than a husband and wife. Torvald and Nora have completely opposite roles in the house and seem to live in two different worlds. Torvald dominates Nora for power which exposes the difference in power between the sexes in 19th century Norway. The power struggle between men and women shows a disconnect between Nora and Torvald about their true feelings. Men and women should work together instead of one being higher on the pyramid than the other. This applies today as well, and shows how one sex should not have more power than another. If there was equality between males and females then the situation Nora found herself in at the close of the play would not

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This exemplifies how he sees her as weaker than him and almost helpless. Also he presents that he is expected to be  the man of the household by stating, “I have broad wings to shelter you under.. I will protect you like a hunted dove that I have saved from a hawk's claws". Torvald also conforms to society as he is supposed to be the protector and provider for the “weak” and helpless “women”. This is a great similarity as both Equality and Nora are faced with the decision of either conforming to society and not being allowed to obtain true independence or individuality.

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It portrayed how marriage and roles were defined during that time. One of the main characters in the story, Torvald Helmer, was married to Nora and they had small children. Torvald was viewed as a standup citizen who was about to get a promotion at the bank and get a substantial raise. He inquired about any money that Nora spent,

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Most critics around the world believe the play led to increase awareness on the need for women’s rights in all continents, on the other hand some critics opine that the play depicted women as inferior creatures and dolls who have no personality of their own. Nora Helmer the main character strives to achieve the perfect concepts of life set by the society and her husband. Nora is trapped in her home where her Torvald has built a wonderful life for his ‘doll wife’. Nora’s transformation comes when she discovers the role in doll house imposed on her by the society and her husband and she is desperate to free herself in order to discover her identity.

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Torvald tells her that Nora has a duty as a mother and a wife but Nora tells him that “she is an individual”, showing that she is finally putting herself on par with Torvald, and no longer allowing Torvald to control her, but instead she is trying to gain independence and liberation from social norms in order to break free from the “Doll’s House.” She tells him that she must leave him, because “for eight years [she’d] been living with a stranger”, emphasising how there was never any proper communication and mutual understanding between them, and hence no proper marriage, as she didn’t actually know what his true character was like up until that night, as she was convinced all along that Torvald would be the man to take everything upon

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Nora’s defiance may have resulted in criticism from society, but Ibsen importantly commented on the terrible treatment of woman in relationships and the world. Ibsen created A Doll’s House in a time where women were treated unjustly and poorly. While the play might seem slightly irrelevant now, it still has a place in the world today. Women can borrow money and leave their husbands; however, society still puts tremendous pressure on women to fulfill sacred vows. The expectation to assure her husband’s happiness and to prioritize everyone else before herself is still an issue that many woman face today.

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A single family income has always made budgets tight and being a wife and mother leaves little opportunity for earnings, in fact Nora did tricks and begged her husband for what little money he gave her. While many critics condemn Torvald’s treatment of Nora, in reality he was no different from any other man during this time period. When their finances were minimal he did whatever it took to take care of his family, working day and night almost to the point of death. For that reason, Nora showed her love for Torvald by securing a loan in order to take a trip to Italy for his treatment and recovery. In doing so, Nora needed to work odd jobs to repay the loan while keeping it a secret from her husband.

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Nora, the protagonist and wife of Torvald Helmer is presented as naïve and oppressive person who doesn’t have a past experience of the outside world. Nora’s husband represents the position of authority treating his wife as no equal but rather as a child. The author was intended to incorporate the stereotype of the perfect family and their respective roles. The first act take place during Christmas Eve, as Nora Helmer enters the house to her well furnished and decorate living room, carrying some packages and a Christmas tree. Since the first act the author

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Since the dawn of time, a person 's gender has been an essential component of determining what roles each gender is to assume in life. Woman have frequently been viewed as the submissive or weaker gender, only to be useful in the home, who are not capable of making it in a man 's world, who are not allowed the same rights and privileges as their male counterparts. Men, on the other hand, have always been viewed as the dominant or stronger gender, the one who’s job it is to be the provider, the one who makes all the important decisions for his family. In Henrik Ibsen 's A Doll 's House, these assumed gender positions are upheld to the highest degree throughout the majority of the play, and not dismantled until the pivotal ending when Nora makes her stance on this lifestyle very clear.

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Henrik Ibsen has used the play A Doll’s House to highlight some of the social issues and cultural norms that existed during his time, a period when society was transforming to modernity. Ibsen used the characters of Torvald Helmer and his wife Nora Helmer to perfectly depict the historical and cultural norms of the society at the time, especially in the relationship between a husband and wife. The play begins with the depiction of a seemingly happy couple who are living a bourgeois life but as it unfolds, the Helmer’s marriage would later disintegrate after the expected social conventions are rejected. Ibsen, in his play A Doll’s House rejects social conventions of his time.

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How does Henrik Ibsen use characterisation to criticise the patriarchal society of the time? How does Henrik Ibsen use the progressive characterisation of Nora to criticise the patriarchal society of the time? Intro Henrik Ibsen’s

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Initially, Nora appears to be a dependent, naïve girl, yet as the play unfolds, we see her as strong, independent woman, willing to make sacrifices for those who she cares about as well as herself. Henrik Ibsen uses symbolism in order to portray Nora’s sovereignty from the strict social guidelines of morality and appearances in 19th century Norway. The Helmer household is portrayed as the ideal and typical family in 19th century Norway. The Helmer’s home represents the standard middle class home, which is described in the stage directions as a “comfortable and tastefully, but not expensively furnished home.”

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As the play comes to a close, Nora exits the room by slamming the door on Torvald, showing her standing up to the patriarchy that exists in the family and in nineteenth-century Denmark. Male dominance is the key attribute to nineteenth-century marriages because women were never thought to have ways of power through the eyes of the man. When Nora slammed the door on Torvald, she was not making a stand for herself; she was making a stand for feminist equalization in

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During act III, Nora asked to speak to Torvald after her performance of the tarantella dance. The following conversation demonstrated her quest for autonomy and freedom, as well as Torvald’s inadequate responses to her arguments and demands; it also showed how deeply connected her unhappy situation is with society’s regulation of the relationship between the sexes. She asserts that she is “...first and foremost a human being”, and her strong conviction that her womanhood, and the expectations associated with it, are secondary, strengthens her resolve to make a radical choice: A break with both husband and, with necessity due to her legal position, her children (Ibsen, 184). During her conversation with Torvald, she proclaims, “I have other sacred duties... The duties to myself (Ibsen, 184).”

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Torvald exhibits patriarchy in his relationship with Nora as he calls her pet names and controls her eating. Nora’s demeanor is ditzy, carefree

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