Drama

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Recommended: Values and gender roles

During the time period in which Trifles and Doll House were set, values were different than they are now. Women used to be viewed more as property than a person; people treated women so delicately. Because men treated women so gently, they often underestimated them. These underestimations would sometimes lead to conflicts. The men assume the women are feeble minded and are unable to have thoughts independent of housekeeping and taking care of the children. In Doll House, this caused problems between Nora and Helmer because Nora hated how he babied her and treated her like a doll. In Trifles, this caused troubles because the men didn't think the women were capable of deceiving them. This is exactly what led the woman to do so.
In Doll House, Torvald treated Nora in a strange manner. He didn't act toward her as a husband does today. He once said, "Is that my little squirrel rummaging around (Ibsen 1281)?" These pet names show how Torvald dehumanizes Nora and also how he treats her like a child. What Nora was actually doing was eating macaroons. Every time Nora tries to eat them, Torv...

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