For almost all of human history, women have struggled to gain equal footing with men. Widely viewed in society as the inferior, and even fragile sex, one may almost think women are a whole separate species. In Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, he criticizes the treatment of women in a married relationship status. Ibsen explores the social issue of womenś degradation in married relationships by portraying the main character, Nora, as a wife that is consistently talked down to and dehumanized, treated as a possession rather than an independent being, and exploited - all by her husband, just like many other women during this time period and even in modern society.
Nora’s husband, Torvald Helmer, consistently is demeaning toward Nora. He thinks of her as helpless and claims she has "become both wife and child" (1.3.257). This treatment can be linked to the fact that like most other people in the world, Torvald is a product of society. Torvald dehumanizes Nora with pet names used very often. The only instances of Torvald calling Nora by her name are when he is scolding her: “Is my little squirrel bustling about?” (1.1.18). He scolds her on many occasions, even for something as small as eating macaroons. He uses his language to “other” her, especially to her face. When speaking to her, Torvald generally uses the third person. Rarely
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LINDEN. Why, a wife can't borrow without her husband's consent.”
(1.8.3).
Nora has restrictions that her husband places on her to follow family values of the time period and to maintain his masculinity. Nora states, “How painful and humiliating it would be for Torvald, with his manly self-respect, to know that he owed anything to me!” (1.8.42).
Her responses to Torvald turning her down and treating her like a child that does not seem responsible with money is one that comes off as flirtatious and almost playful. Nora seems to know after experience what buttons to press to manipulate Torvald. She has adapted to her sexist
Upon the first glance of Torvald and Nora’s relationship, Nora is returning from a day of Christmas shopping. She is acknowledged by her husband’s greetings of belittling pet names that he uses in an inconspicuous thus unnoticed form of verbal oppression and a verbal stake to claim her as his property “But if Helmer considers Nora his property, as he apparently does, Nora encourages him to do so. To him, she calls herself his little squirrel and his lark” (Dukore 121). These actions are not Nora’s fault, it appears Nora does not fight his degrading pet names because she knows no difference and also it benefits her in the ability to manipulate Torvald w...
The problem in "A Doll's House" does not lie with Torvald alone. Though he does not help the situation, he is a product of his society. In his society, females were confined in every way imaginable.
Torvald is the typical husband of the time of the play. He tries to control his wife and expect her to submit to him. He manipulates her through many different ways. First, he calls her pet names such as "little lark" (3) and "squirrel" (4) and speaks to her in a condescending tone, as if she is a child. He then tries to control her habits so he will not let her eat sweets or spend too much money. In fact, all the money she gets comes from him. He demands that she is subservient and treats her as almost a dog later on in the play. At the end, when Nora's secret is out, he lashes out at her and kicks her out of the house. When he wants her back after he realizes that he will no longer get into trouble for what she did, she does not want to come back, he finally realizes that she does not love him anymore and that his manipulation of her is over. This leaves him in a pickle because he now has to take care of his children without Nora, hardly a good position for him.
Torvald is constantly referring to her through the use of pet names such as (quote pet names from book) and only ever refers to her by name when he is scolding her. Not only does Torvald see her as his doll, but also as her child (quote near end of story). By keeping Nora dependent and obedient to him, he plays the role of Nora’s second father. Nora eventually sees that her daughter is being treated in the same manner that she was her entire life, as a doll. In comes Mrs. Linde, Nora’s childhood best friend, whom she greats rather hesitantly.
He uses many imperatives and speaks to her in the 3rd person. The difference in each characters’ use of language is a personification of the power they have in their relationship. While Nora uses general descriptors indicating a lack of finite knowledge. Torvald delivers commands in a belittling way, a constant affirmation. to his wife (and himself) that he is the man of the house, and.
Torvald, calls his wife by immature names such as, “my little squirrel” (n.p. Ibsen) and “my little lark” (n.p.). This shows that he thinks of her as his small adorable pet. John calls his wife “a blessed little goose” (Gilman 2). Calling her by this name shows that he thinks she is inferior to him. She is his pet that he is master of. Torvald commands Nora, “Don 't disturb me” (n.p. Ibsen). He generally regards women in lower esteem “That is like a woman!” (n.p.). He constantly refers to her as a “little person” (n.p.) while thinking of himself as great. When Nora is having a serious conversation with Dr. Rank about his scientific investigation, Torvald, who believes Nora to be incapable of thinking, says sarcastically, “Just listen!--little Nora talking about scientific investigations!” (n.p.). Torvald refuses to acknowledge Nora as a thinking
“A Doll’s House” written by Henrik Ibsen dates back to mid-19th-century Norwegian society. During this time, men and women maintained strict gender roles. Gentlemen ruled society with laws and masculinity while women brightened households up with their gentle looks and admiration towards their husbands. In 1879, the author of the play presented his work to an audience who held these specific traditions in their lives. Negative reactions rose to the controversy but also introduced a new perspective that encouraged support for social progress.
Today women are being mistreated for just the gender roles and stereotypes that revolve in the human society. Depending on the time period and culture, women are expected to act in a certain way. Throughout history, many relationships can be found in different cultures regarding the way women were treated. In Ibsen’s A Doll’s house, Nora reflects the responsibilities and roles of Norwegian women during the late 1870s. Torvald, Nora’s husband, also shows the way men treated women and what roles they played in a marriage. Here, women are portrayed as dependent on men, they don’t have much freedom, and they are not allowed to have opinions. Women are taught to rely on men and be acquiescent to their husbands. Many stereotypes and gender roles found in A Doll’s House can also be observed in
Henrik Ibsen paints a sad picture of the sacrificial role of women throughout all social economical classes in his play “A Doll House”. The story is set in the late 19th century and all minor female characters had to overcome adversity to the expense of love, family and self-realization, in order to lead a comfortable life. While the main female protagonist Nora struggles with her increasingly troubled marriage, she soon realizes, she needs to change her life to be happy as the play climaxes. Her journey to self-discovery is achieved by the threat of her past crime and her oppressing husband, Torvald and the society he represents. The minor female characters exemplifying Nora’s ultimate sacrifice.
He is a smug bank manager. With his job comes many responsibilities. He often treats his wife as if she is one of these responsibilities. Torvald is very authoritative and puts his appearance, both social and physical, ahead of his wife that he supposedly loves. Torvald is a man that is worried about his reputation, and cares little about his wife's feelings.
Gender roles are also seen in the rules Torvald for Nora to follow. Torvald is the only one in the family who works and provide for his family who needs to survive in their lifestyle. Because of this, Nora must always go and ask for money from Torvald hoping for his acceptance of her using his income. Nora also had no possessions to her name because when a woman got married, all her possessions were considered ...
Torvald explained to Nora that keeping Krogstad on at the bank would appear to others that he is easily swayed by his wife. Torvald has also complained about Krogstad’s use of his first name at the bank. Of course, Torvald’s true feelings about his appearance come out explicitly during his fit of rage in the end. Torvald is excessively consumed with how others view him and has no moral objections to having his wife perform sultry dances in front of other men.
In "A Doll's House", Ibsen portrays the bleak picture of a role held by women of all economic classes that is sacrificial. The female characters in the play back-up Nora's assertion that even though men are unable to sacrifice their integrity, "hundreds of thousands of woman have." Mrs. Linde found it necessary to abandon Krogstad, her true but poor love, and marry a richer man in order to support her mother and two brothers. The nanny has to abandon her children to support herself by working for Nora. Though Nora is economically advantaged, in comparison to the other female characters, she leads a hard life because society dictates that Torvald be the marriages dominant member. Torvald condescends Nora and inadvertently forces Nora to hide the loan from him. Nora knows that Torvald could never accept the idea that his wife, or any other woman, could aid in saving his life.
We see a woman who is making a bold action against gender inequality and the position society and culture has given her. As for Nora, we see in this first conversation that she seems entirely dependent on Torvald for her money, her food, and her shelter, despite the fact that she is keeping a secret. This secret is the kernel of her individuality and her escape from the doll’s house. While it is easy to paint Helmer as a tyrant and Nora as the naïve wife who suffers under his control, one must not forget that torvald is not aware of any damage he is causing. His greatest sin is perhaps his ignorance. The shock he shows at Nora’s revelation shows that he has no awareness that there is anything wrong with the status balance in his
Torvald’s manipulation over Nora can be seen in the beginning of Act II, when he sends Nora to practice dancing Tarantella:“That’s right. Well, we will share it. Caressing her. Are you content n...