Gender Inequality In A Doll's House

A Doll’s House and The Importance of Being Earnest were both written in the late nineteenth century at a period in time when gender roles in society were not only significant to the structure of society but were restrictive and oppressive to individuals. This was particularly true in the case of women who were seen as the upholders of morals in polite society and were expected to behave accordingly. A Doll’s House and The Importance of Being Earnest challenge society and its inclination to categorise and expect certain behaviour of individuals based on their gender.

Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” is a controversial play focusing on the marriage of Nora and Torvald Helmer. The play is filled with symbols that represent abstract ideas and concepts. These symbols effectively illustrate the inner conflicts that are going on between the characters. Henrik Ibsen’s use of symbolism such as the Christmas tree, the locked mailbox, the Tarantella, Dr. Rank’s calling cards, and the letters allows him to give a powerful portrayal to symbolize aspects of characters and their relationship to each other.

It has been experienced from time immemorial that there has always lain a very big and noticeable gap in the roles that both women and men play in the everyday societal developments. The issue according to most of the renowned researches is more elusive to the women as they are the ones that are mostly faced by the double standards in the society and this could include very harsh challenges as far as economic and financial status is concerned. Some of the roles of women in the society and more typically, in the house-hold, were very much considered inferior as compared to that of the men who in addition, were given an upper hand

A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, portrays a young married woman, Nora, who plays a dramatic role of deception and self-indulgence. The author creates a good understanding of a woman’s role by assuming Nora is an average housewife who does not work; her only job is to maintain the house and raise the children like a stereotypical woman that cannot work or help society. In reality, she is not an average housewife in that she has a hired maid who deals with the house and children. Although Ibsen focuses on these “housewife” attributes, Nora’s character is ambitious, naive, and somewhat cunning. She hides a dark secret from her husband that not only includes borrowing money, but also forgery. Nora’s choices were irrational; she handled the

The enforcement of specific gender roles by societal standards in 19th century married life proved to be suffocating. Women were objects to perform those duties for which their gender was thought to have been created: to remain complacent, readily accept any chore and complete it “gracefully” (Ibsen 213). Contrarily, men were the absolute monarchs over their respective homes and all that dwelled within. In Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, Nora is subjected to moral degradation through her familial role, the consistent patronization of her husband and her own assumed subordinance. Ibsen belittles the role of the housewife through means of stage direction, diminutive pet names and through Nora’s interaction with her morally ultimate

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen is a close examination of prevalent conventional roles of men and women during the 19th century. Many have purported that Torvald receives his comeuppance. To some, Torvald’s use of degrading language and other inappropriate means of engaging in a marital relationship justify Nora’s severe decision to leave her husband. Torvald regards himself as emotionally and intellectually superior to Nora. To him, Nora is someone who must be looked after, instructed and censured.

As the story of Nora Helmer, and her struggles against societal norms begins to unfold, the reader is able to conclude many personality traits about Nora and her husband Torvald. Through the inclusion of timeless issues, the author, Henrik Ibsen, effectively portrays a female protagonist battling a male dominated society. Although the historical setting in A Doll’s House depicts a patriarchal society much different from today, underlying issues such as the search for one’s identity continue to pose a problem in the modern and more accepting world today. Through intentional inclusion of patriarchy, gender norms, as well as historical aspects, Ibsen introduces Nora’s journey of self-discovery and its progression throughout the play.

In Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, Nora is the wife and mother. This play was considered so extreme because of the problem of women’s rights outlined in this play, something that was not openly showcased in plays during the 19th century. Women were thought by most to be mothers and housewives. Nora chose to abandon her children at the end of the play to find out who she really was and to find freedom for herself. The play would be considered so extreme in the times, because a marriage in the 19th century was considered the true form of commitment. Such a play showing that a woman could be herself, “find herself,” or leave a marriage and responsibilities of her children because she did not want to feel like a

The representation of deception and social oppression through the use of symbols in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House

Henrik Ibsen's widely regarded work, A Doll's House, was first introduced in 1879 as a theatrical presentation of human rights. Today, Ibsen's work remains as such, although often conveyed as more focused on women's rights. The Norwegian playwright's vision of a seemingly common home is quickly translated through Ibsen's use of symbolism, setting, and diction.

This “doll house” image mainly lies within Nora, the doll of the play. Nora represents the

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House caused a sensation in 1879. During the 19th century, theatergoers were used to plays with fanciful plots that led to happy ending. Ibsen revolted against this and created a play A Doll’s House, which was the first modern drama. It was so shock to people, because it showed women’s inner life and their different, true side from what people wanted to believe and what they thought of. With his exclusive play, he shows his views of women’s struggles, strengths, and desires.

The central theme of A Doll House is a true marriage us a joining of equals. The entire play centers in on the crumbling of a

In Victorian England, “the bourgeoisie has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation” (Engels). This upper middle class, the bourgeois, was divided into separate spheres determined by their “natural characteristics” such as being male or female (Gender 1). The bourgeois society’s main concern was their outward appearance and materialism while gaining respectability among their social class. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, criticizes Victorian bourgeois society and their strict adherence to gender roles. As Nora Helmer walked away from her family, she generated a “door slam heard around the world” (“A Doll’s House” 1).

This essay focuses on Ibsen’s way of representing women, it explains why does he represent them in that specific particular way and how the time, era and context he lived in affected this aim.