A Doll's House Women

Today a woman can be strong, independent, or powerful; in many cases she is all three. However, up until very recently it was incredibly rare for a woman to be defined by any one of these “masculine” characteristics. In the play “A Doll’s House,” written by Henrick Ibsen, the female lead Nora Helmer, possesses all the trappings of feminine weakness. Women were seen as dependent, emotionally unsteady, and unintelligent, causing them to be significantly weaker than men. This weakness was an ingrained mindset that both men and women held throughout history, “I should not be a man if this womanly helplessness did not just give you a double attractiveness in my eyes.” (Ibsen, Act 3) . Women from the past are almost polar opposites of women of the

From the type of work they did, to the education they got, to what they desired to pursue, there have been drastic changes in the ways that women live their lives. Women of the present day live better lives, are more capable, and are significantly more respected than those in the past, specifically compared to those in “A Doll’s House.”
Women in the late 18th century were considered to be worth far less than men. They were spoken to with a lack of respect, respect that should have been given to any human being. Wives were viewed as property and as such they were to only be allowed the rights that any typical piece of property would have. These “pieces of property” did not have an opinion worthy of being heard or respected, much less adhered to. In “A Doll’s House”, Nora finally comes to the realization at the very end of the play that she has not been treated as a significant partner in her marriage. Nora sits down with Torvald, her husband, and explains how they have never, in eight years of marriage, sat down and discussed anything serious. Torvald downplays her concern and questions what good it would have been to bring her in on any serious concerns. This mentality proves that he did not think enough of her