A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen is a dramatic play that’s set during the Victorian Era in Norway. The play tells the story of the Helmers, Nora and Torvald, whose relationship demonstrates the societal problems of their era as well as exemplifies the stereotypical gender roles of their time. A Doll’s House exhibits themes on gender inequality and presents ideas that show how society dealt with gender inequality during the Victorian era. Most people were unaware of these social ills due to their traditional upbringing. Torvald’s conservative views of the female 's role in society make him ignorant to the wrongs of Norweigan society.
The general population grew up on the notion that the man of the family is capable of taking care of everything …show more content…
He sees her as nonthreatening and too naïve to handle real world issues. For example, Torvald uses phrases such as “The child should have her way,” (49) in order to demean her and to make her ideas seem unimportant. Torvald’s passive way of viewing Nora can relate to the fact that society treats the issue of gender inequality as something that can be put aside and solved later. However, just as children need to be taken care of, so do these issues. In many cases, Torvald brushes off Nora’s opinions by calling her hysterical whenever she tries to stand up for herself or provide any input. He says “My dear Nora, I can forgive the anxiety you are in, although really it is an insult to me,” (36). Torvald views Nora’s comment as not only invalid, but also as an insult. This complete disregard represents society ignoring the pleas of social activists and calling them delusional for something that’s against public opinion. Some may even view these pleas as insulting, as they are disrupting their traditional way of life. However, tradition needs to be broken in order for change to occur. In this case, Torvald’s limited view on the female role needs to be diminished if he’s going to be aware of societal …show more content…
Torvald treats Nora as his personal doll, therefore creating a dollhouse environment. Torvald views Nora as an artificial doll just as society distracts itself with dealing with things that are unimportant. Torvald is obsessed with appearances and ultimately trying to mask all of the inner problems he has yet to face. The more he ignores these issues, however, the harder they’ll be to fix. He says, “…all that concerns us is to save the remains, the fragments, the appearance,” (63) By hiding behind the façade he creates for himself and Nora, he’s ignoring his social responsibilities. He figures that as long as everything looks good from the outside, no one will have to deal with what’s on the inside. This way of thinking, however, leads to a build up of problems that eventually can’t be dismissed any longer. In one scene, Torvald asks Nora what she’s doing, to which she replies with “Taking off my fancy dress,” (64). This symbolizes Nora removing the façade that Torvald has created therefore exposing the issues that for so long were ignored. Torvald’s view on the female role takes a turn once Nora breaks his fantasy. He’s no longer ignorant, ending the play by saying “The most wonderful thing of all—?” (72) followed by Nora’s symbolic slamming of the
The general population grew up on the notion that the man of the family is capable of taking care of everything …show more content…
He sees her as nonthreatening and too naïve to handle real world issues. For example, Torvald uses phrases such as “The child should have her way,” (49) in order to demean her and to make her ideas seem unimportant. Torvald’s passive way of viewing Nora can relate to the fact that society treats the issue of gender inequality as something that can be put aside and solved later. However, just as children need to be taken care of, so do these issues. In many cases, Torvald brushes off Nora’s opinions by calling her hysterical whenever she tries to stand up for herself or provide any input. He says “My dear Nora, I can forgive the anxiety you are in, although really it is an insult to me,” (36). Torvald views Nora’s comment as not only invalid, but also as an insult. This complete disregard represents society ignoring the pleas of social activists and calling them delusional for something that’s against public opinion. Some may even view these pleas as insulting, as they are disrupting their traditional way of life. However, tradition needs to be broken in order for change to occur. In this case, Torvald’s limited view on the female role needs to be diminished if he’s going to be aware of societal …show more content…
Torvald treats Nora as his personal doll, therefore creating a dollhouse environment. Torvald views Nora as an artificial doll just as society distracts itself with dealing with things that are unimportant. Torvald is obsessed with appearances and ultimately trying to mask all of the inner problems he has yet to face. The more he ignores these issues, however, the harder they’ll be to fix. He says, “…all that concerns us is to save the remains, the fragments, the appearance,” (63) By hiding behind the façade he creates for himself and Nora, he’s ignoring his social responsibilities. He figures that as long as everything looks good from the outside, no one will have to deal with what’s on the inside. This way of thinking, however, leads to a build up of problems that eventually can’t be dismissed any longer. In one scene, Torvald asks Nora what she’s doing, to which she replies with “Taking off my fancy dress,” (64). This symbolizes Nora removing the façade that Torvald has created therefore exposing the issues that for so long were ignored. Torvald’s view on the female role takes a turn once Nora breaks his fantasy. He’s no longer ignorant, ending the play by saying “The most wonderful thing of all—?” (72) followed by Nora’s symbolic slamming of the