A Doll's House Sexism

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“A Doll’s House”: Reflections on Society
A Doll’s House was prodigious of intimation (remarkably great in extent of an indication) to common society in the 1800’s and today. Henrik Ibsen was able to reflect on society through his vivid characters and their roles in the play. A Doll’s House is a symbol of sexism in society because Kristine plays the role of a common “gold-digger”, Torvald plays the role of the common male provider, and Nora plays the role of a dependent woman. All of these traits displayed by Kristine, Torvald, and Nora are stereotypical of male and female roles today and in the past.

In A Doll’s House, Kristine is perceived as the common “gold-digger”. She left Krogstad for a wealthier man, who could take care of her mother, …show more content…

Women were taught to be dependent at a young age. They depended on the male figure for everyday life. Their main goal was to seek the approval of the male figure. Throughout A Doll’s House, we are given a constant reminder of Nora’s dependency. Nora needed the approval of Torvald in order for her to receive money of her own. Nora needed her father’s money/signature in order to bail Torvald out of death. Because Nora was a woman she wasn’t taught how to “live”. Nora’s character traits reflect the average woman in the 19th century. Galens and Spampinato point out, “Sexism as a theme is reflected in the disparate lives represented in this play. Nora’s problems arise because as a woman she cannot conduct business without the authority of either her father or her husband.” Now the real question is: Did Henrik Ibsen intentionally point out sexism in society through his play? According to S.H. Siddall, “Each takes a painful stand against narrow-minded tradition and hypocrisy. However, Ibsen objected to being appropriated in this way: he saw himself as an artist, not a propagandist. He was writing about people, their motivations, thoughts and feelings, rather than issues.” Although Ibsen did not intentionally write about sexism, his play opened many readers’ eyes to the roles of sexism in society. To feminist, he became a hero in the form of intellectual

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