Women’s roles in the home in 19th century Europe are the same as to the roles that were seen in the play A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. Nora represents the roles that women had in the home and the rights that they had in the 19th century. There are not a lot of rights for women, and they have roles at home that they are to follow; like taking care of the kids or making sure the husband is also taken care of. Women are not seen to be equal to men. Nora stays at home and has a nurse that will take care of her kids. Nora is not to spend or have a bunch of money hidden from her husband like she does because the men are the source of income for the home and they expect to know where the money is going. They are to follow the rules that the men find to be acceptable. Nora works in the home and sometimes helps the children learn the right morals in life if the nurse is not already done so. Alana Barton states in her research, “Wives and mothers took responsibility for the domestic management of the family and ‘spiritual leadership’ in the home power in the household lay with men although this was contingent on the willing compliance of wives and children” (90). Torvald is the head of the home and expects Nora to follow his rules and tell him everything he needs to know. The women of the play A Doll’s House, represent the women of the 19th century, the life that they had, and how they were expected to live.
Nora is expected to be married to Torvald to have a happy life and a source of income. Nora had to follow the rule that Torvald wanted and she had to ask him for money or else she would have none to spend. Torvald has many names for Nora like “squirrel” and “spendthrift” (Ibsen 229). The names that Torvald calls Nora shows that he ...
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...Alana. “A Woman’s Place: Uncovering Maternalistic Forms of Governance in the 19th Century Reformatory.” Family & Community History. 14.2 (2011): p. 89-104. Academic Search Premier. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
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Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Literature: The Human Experience. Ed. Karen S. Henry. Massachusetts: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2002. 228-283. Print.
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Wojtczak, Helena. "Women's Status in Mid-19th-century England a Brief Overview." English Women's History. Hastings Press, 2003. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
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The 19th Century is an age that is known for the Industrial Revolution. What some people don’t realize is the effect that this revolution had on gender roles in not only the middle and upper classes (Radek.) It started off at its worst, men were considered powerful, active, and brave; where as women were in no comparison said to be weak, passive, and timid (Radek.) Now we know this not to be true, however, back in the day people only went by what would allow ...
French, Katherine L., and Allyson M. Poska. Women and Gender in the Western past. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Print.
The industrialization of the nineteenth century was a tremendous social change in which Britain initially took the lead on. This meant for the middle class a new opening for change which has been continuing on for generations. Sex and gender roles have become one of the main focuses for many people in this Victorian period. Sarah Stickney Ellis was a writer who argued that it was the religious duty of women to improve society. Ellis felt domestic duties were not the only duties women should be focusing on and thus wrote a book entitled “The Women of England.” The primary document of Sarah Stickney Ellis’s “The Women of England” examines how a change in attitude is greatly needed for the way women were perceived during the nineteenth century. Today women have the freedom to have an education, and make their own career choice. She discusses a range of topics to help her female readers to cultivate their “highest attributes” as pillars of family life#. While looking at Sarah Stickney Ellis as a writer and by also looking at women of the nineteenth century, we will be able to understand the duties of women throughout this century. Throughout this paper I will discuss the duties which Ellis refers to and why she wanted a great change.
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Balls, formal dinners, and social gatherings dominate people’s view of the nineteenth century. Upper-class women lived a life of splendor and grandeur, and the white, gentle hands of those women hardly lifted to do any work. Most would strive to attain such a life because of its outward appearance; however, masked behind the smiles and parties, suppression ran high. Men dominated their households, and they repressed their wives. Life did not live up to the expectation of many women as they struggled against the controlling and authoritative male figures in their lives.
DuPont, Kathryn. The encyclopedia of women's history in America. New York: Facts on File, 1996. Print.
Two hundred years ago, during the reign of Queen Victoria in England, the social barriers of the Victorian class system firmly defined the roles of women. The families of Victorian England were divided into four distinct classes: the Nobility or Gentry Class, the Middle Class, the Upper Working Class, and lastly, the Lower Working class . The women of these classes each had their own traditional responsibilities. The specifics of each woman’s role were varied by the status of her family. Women were expected to adhere to the appropriate conventions according to their place in the social order . For women in Victorian England their lives were regulated by these rules and regulations, which stressed obedience, loyalty, and respect.
Nora is portrayed to be representative of women of this time. The social distinction between men and women were very well-marked in the home. As W. E. Simonds said in his review of Henrik Ibsen’s work, “She is happy in her “doll-house,” and apparently knows nothing outside her home, her husband, and her children.” Women were expected to handle the household affairs and staff. Men were expected to work outside the home as the primary breadwinner, but the home was his castle run by his wife. Nora's responsibilities include the management of the household staff, and household expenses but as expected of the time, Nora’s husband gives her a household expense budget as well as in...
Petrie, Charles. “Victorian Women Expected to Be Idle and Ignorant.” Victorian England. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2000. 178-87.
Without love a relationship would never even begin. The basis for Nora and Torvald's relationship appears to be centered around love, but this was not exactly obtained. Torvald doesn't really love Nora in a mature way; he just looks at her as another child. He has many nicknames for his wife including "lark" and "squirrel" which are small animals and used as symbols of foreshadowing. By using these symbols, Torvald looks at his wife as being smaller than himself and therefore easy to control. He always refers to Nora as my something. "Is that my little lark twittering out there?" and "Is it my little squirrel bustling about?" (438) He emphasizes the my' which makes him think that he owns his wife and he is in control of her. Calling his wife names such as skylark', squirrel', and spendthrift', Torvald does not love his wife with the respect and sensitivity a man should. He gives Nora an allowance but thinks she spends it frivolously. "What are little people called that are always wasting money? It's a sweet little spendthrift. One would hardly believe how expensive such little persons are" (439) Here, Nora is referred to as a small subordinate creature once again. Torvald is so concerned about...
Wojczak, Helena. “English Women’s History.” English women’s history. Hasting Press. n.d. Web 24 Nov 2013
In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Nora Helmer is a traditional “angel in the house” she is a human being, but first and foremost a wife and a mother who is devoted to the care of her children, and the happiness of her husband. The play is influenced by the Victorian time period when the division of men and women was evident, and each gender had their own role to conform to. Ibsen’s views on these entrenched values is what lead to the A Doll’s House becoming so controversial as the main overarching theme of A Doll’s House is the fight for independence in an otherwise patriarchal society. This theme draws attention to how women are capable in their own rights, yet do not govern their own lives due to the lack of legal entitlement and independence. Although Ibsen’s play can be thought to focus on the theme of materialism vs. people, many critics argue that Ibsen challenges the traditional gender roles through his portrayal of Nora and Torvald. Throughout the play Nora faces an internal struggle for self-discovery, which Ibsen creates to show that women are not merely objects, but intelligent beings who form independent thoughts.
During the time in which Henrik Isben's play, A Doll?s House, took place society frowned upon women asserting themselves. Women were supposed to play a role in which they supported their husbands, took care of their children, and made sure everything was perfect around the house. Nora is portrayed as a doll throughout the play until she realizes the truth about the world she lives in, and cuts herself free.