Evolution Of Male Dominance Throughout A Doll 's House

A Doll’s House, written by Henrik Ibsen, portrays the complicated marriage of Nora and Torvald Helmer. In numerous ways Nora is treated like a child or “doll” by her husband, and in turn, Torvald takes care of her physically, emotionally, and financially. While Nora is stuck in a patriarchal society, until she had a change at the play’s end, she played along and never had an objection. Nora’s sudden realization to start a new life and leave her family not only proves she is irresponsible, but also she does not know what she will face in the real world, and she cares about herself more than her own children.

Nora is called a number of names by Torvald throughout the play. These include “little woman”, “little person”, “little songbird”, “little featherhead”, “little skylark”, “squirrel”, and “lark”. Torvald seems to always use the term "little" before the names he calls Nora. These are all usually preceded by Torvald stating "my", which emphasizes Torvald's belief that Nora is his. Torvald's names for Nora show that he does not see her as an equal by any means. Nora is a play doll and at times an appealing and exotic pet all for Torvald. She is like a figurine in a glass display cabinet.

In Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, pointedly captures the reality of the Victorian Era within the play. Nora Helmer, the protagonist of the story, represents the typical women in society during that era. The audience’s first impression of Nora is a money obsessed, childish, obedient house wife to her husband, Torvald Helmer. However, as the play progresses one can see that Nora is far from being that typical ideal trophy wife, she is an impulsive liar who goes against society’s norm to be whom and what she wants. Her husband is illustrated as the stereotypical man during the 19th century, as he is the dominate breadwinner of the family, who too deserts his position as the play reaches its end. A key theme that is brought to light in A

The play A Doll’s House (Henrik Ibsen) is centered around the lives of the antagonist, Torvald Helmer and his wife Nora Helmer. Torvald is deemed as the antagonist based on the belief that he is a power hungry misogynist whilst his wife naturally becomes the protagonist, as her husband does not treat her as an equal. The entire play itself is submerged in the issue of individual versus society. Women and men during the Victorian Era were known to have two separate callings known as separate spheres. The idea of separate spheres is based on the ‘natural’ characteristics of men and women. It is said that women are weaker and more moral thus they are more suited for the domestic sphere whilst men were to be the breadwinner and labour all day.” Ibsen uses interpellation in his play to allow for an even deeper insight and understanding of Torvald Helmer’s life. Interpellation is an ideology/philosophical ideal that has two forms: Repressive State Apparatuses and Ideological State Apparatuses. Repressive State Apparatus deals with persons being subject to ideologies or certain principles solely because it is seemingly the norm whilst

In the play “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen, Torvald Helmer is husband to Nora Helmer and a newly appointed bank manager. Torvald is a diligent business man spending most of his time in his study watering the roots of his newfound social status. The play is set circa 1879 when men dominated society and women were oppressed and expected to fulfill their role as the good house-wife. During a time where social expectations were high, Torvald is obsessed with patriarchal ideals, being a powerful business man and seeking a good reputation, but at the expense of others. Social norms at the time are what lead Torvald to believe himself a protector and guardian for Nora.

Torvald appears to be very affectionate towards his wife, but it is obvious that he treats her more like a possession or a pet rather than a human being. This is demonstrated by the way he addresses his wife, Nora, by calling her infantilizing names such as “squirrel,” “skylark,” or “little sweet-tooth” (Ibsen ). Torvald subconsciously feels he is superior to her, and throughout the play he belittles her view and knowledge of the world. Even Nora tries to maintain this view by referring to herself with such pet names to persuade him at

In “A Doll’s House”, Torvald and Nora each have a unique role in their marriage. Torvald treats Nora as his little doll, or plaything, while Nora treats him as the man of the house who has the authority to do anything he wants. These ideas form because the society within the play does not allow much freedom for women. According to this society and culture, a women’s role is depicted by the man she is with, the female character’s all exemplify Nora’s assertion that women have to sacrifice a lot more than men. In this play, Nora, Mrs. Linde, and the maid all hold sacrificial roles depicted by the society they

Stage directions and diction play a large role in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen in assisting the audience to develop a better understanding of the main characters. This is evident in Nora Helmer, who is the wife of Torvald Helmer in this play and is the woman who commits fraud in order to pay for her husband's life-saving trip to Italy. The audience saw this as an outrage as during that time period women were considered subsequently lower class than men. These dramatic elements assist the audience in understanding Nora's characteristics and personality which in turn, allows Ibsen to spread his message, that men and women should be treated equally, through the main protagonist. The entire plot revolves around Nora, and the audience can distinguish

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House conveys the story of a wife’s struggle to break away from the social norms of late nineteenth century middle class Europe. Throughout the play, Ibsen focuses on Nora’s characterization and experiences and thus this leads the reader to perceive her as the protagonist. On the other hand, her husband, Helmer – also referred to as Torvald, is revealed as the antagonist as the dialogue between him and Nora throughout the entire play portrays him as an authoritative figure and oppressor rather than a

The author Henrik Ibsen used the play to elaborate on the irony of the 19th century culture of restriction of individual freedom and excessive adherence to ‘societal norm’ at all cost without paying attention or having recourse to the core values and norms that brings about individual happiness and freedom. Torvald Helmer tried to elucidate the abnormality of seeking individual freedom instead of societal norm when he inquired from his wife; Nora “…And you don't consider what people will say”. The society in Ibsen’s “A Doll House” is seen higher than the individual person, for one to fit in he or she must strictly adhere to what the society demands and not what the individual wants. Nora was quick to express her frustration on the demands of the society when she replied Dr. Rank thus “What do I care about tiresome Society?”. Even the eating of Macaroons was also forbidden by Torvald and Nora’s Father, Dr Rank could not hide his feeling upon the sight of Macaroons at Torvalds house when he inquired from Nora “What, macaroons? I thought they were forbidden here”, Nora who is also held by the claws of societal conformity had to lie to justify the possession of macaroons. The irony was played out when the same Dr. Rank enjoyed the macaroons after Nora placed it in his mouth. Ibsen’s setting of the play also portrays a society where a woman cannot be seen to go against not only the orders of her

The attitude Torvald has towards his wife, Nora, throughout the play almost makes it seem as though he is constantly judging her for her actions without telling her how he truly feels. As any married couple should know, “lack of communication is a prime cause for divorce” (Perry). He does not express his concerns in a mature manner but instead he talks to her like she does not know any better for the little things she has done. For instance, when she mentions that she is not allowed to have the macaroons because of Torvald, this shows that he has a way of controlling her. It continues by him calling her names such as song bird, squirrel, spendthrift, or skylark. He also has no trust for her. He shows this by mentioning her actions in regards to spending money. “You always find some new way of wheedling money out of me, and, as soon as you have got it, it seems to melt in your hands” (Ibsen “A Doll’s House” 930). With this lack of trust, they simply could not thrive and last nearly as long as they may have once thought. Marriage does not bind people if they cannot find the truth in one

Ibsen's A Doll House is set in the 19th century, but women are still seen as property of their husbands. They are restricted to household chores and child care. In the beginning of the play the Helmers are the typical family. Torvald Helmer, the husband, is the bread winner of the family, while his wife Nora stays home, plays with the children, and shops for items for the house and herself. Nora is the protagonist and readers are invested in her interests. From the start of the play readers can see that Torvald treats Nora like a child and is patronizing her constantly. His use of pet names and the rules and restrictions he places on her are not appropriate treatment for a fully-grown woman. Nora even admits to Dr. Rank "that with Torvald it's just the same as with Papa" (Ibsen, 240). She plays into the idea that he has some power over her by asking for his opinion on the things. Which may be a tactic to maintain her naive appearance. If she can lead Torvald to believe that she is incapable of simple things like dressing herself, he would never suspect her of being capable of fraud and deception. She even states at one point: "Torvald, I couldn't get anywhere without your help" (Ibsen 461).

Torvald character fits these assumptions perfectly. In the play he works when Nora stays home and takes care of the children. Also, Helmer tends to undermine Nora by using pet names such as “little lark”, “squirrel”, “little spendthrift”, and “little prodigal”. For example he says, “I see. But tell me now, you little prodigal, what have you thought of for yourself?”

Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” is a play about a young wife and her husband. Nora and Helmer seem to be madly in love with one another and very happy with their lives together. Yet the conflict comes into this show when Nora brags to her friend Ms. Linde about how she had forged her father’s name to borrow money to save her husband’s life and how she had been secretly paying off this debt. Helmer finds out about this crime and is furious, until he finds that no one will ever know about it. This entire conflict is written to bring to light the ridiculous social expectations demanded of both women and men. Ibsen expertly leads the audience into accepting that these social expectations are foolish and wrong. The audience

In “A Doll’s House,” Ibsen presents us with the drama of Torvald and Nora Helmer, a husband and wife who have been married for eight years and whose lives are controlled by the society in which they live. Their relationship, although seemingly happy, is marred by the constraints of social attitudes around them and their perceived gender roles. Creating even more conflict is the thin veil of deceit between them, which inevitably breaks them apart.