A Woman of Different Ideas

The roles of men and women evolve over time. In 1879 the roles, obligations, and expectations of a man and woman were very different from those today. In A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen illustrates the reproachful role of women in society and how appearances can be deceiving.

A man was considered the head of the house. He brought home the money, supported the family, and took care of anything of business matter. Women were to take care of housework, the children, and their duties as a wife. The man thought that if he could not provide sufficient money a loan still must not be taken out because it would cause debt. Torvald expresses his belief in this by saying, “There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt” (I. 1759). Also, loans were not to be taken out without the man’s permission.

The sacrifice a person makes depends on personal circumstances. In “A Doll’s House” several of the characters make sacrifices for their own reasons. Nora makes a self-sacrifice when she takes out a loan behind her husband’s back. Although she does this behind Torvald’s back, it is to save his life. She must keep her secret because she knows Torvald would never accept the fact that she is the one who saved his life. Mrs. Linde abandons her true love, which turns out to be Krogstad, in order to marry a man with more money. She does this to support her sick mother and two brothers. The Helmers’ nanny had to desert her own children in order to care for herself by working for the Helmers. In the end of the play Nora leaves her husband and children to find herself and grow as a person. One critic agrees that, “Nora does not know what the future will hold, but she realizes that she requires space and freedom if she ...

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...ach other, they each have roles and obligations which society expects them to uphold. As do other citizens of society have different expectations. Women were not to work major jobs and men were to be the person in charge of the home. People may act one way, but turn out to be opposite of what is expected. One person might sacrifice them self for the love of another, but that sacrifice may not be appreciated if it makes the other look corrupt or puts their reputation in jeopardy.

Works Cited

Forward, Stephanie. “A new world for women? Stephanie Forward considers Nora’s dramatic exit from Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.” The English Review Apr. 2009: 24+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.

Ibsen, Henrik. “A Dollhouse.” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 11th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 1758-1804. Print