William Shakespeare once said, "This life ... is but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more" ("William Shakespeare Quotes"). As Shakespeare suggests, gender expectations compel people to play roles according to their society. Fulfilling roles negatively influences humans, as it clouds their true identity and they lose individuality. In Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits and Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, the controlling portrayal of men and the independent portrayal of women conveys the effect of a patriarchal society on gender roles. The depiction of men as controlling reveals how the misogynistic society conditions them to act without empathy. In The House of the Spirits, after Esteban finds out about
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When Esteban strikes Clara simply because she confronts his own behavior, Esteban shows how he expects respect and resorts to violence if his wife does not agree with him. Esteban's anger about Blanca and Pedro Tercero's relationship emanates from society's traditional view of having relationships within one's own class. Esteban rejects the idea of his upper-class daughter in a relationship with a peasant, and fails to consider Blanca's true feelings. As shown through Esteban, men allow society's standards to dictate their thoughts and expect women to comply with their wants without question. Similarly, men in A Doll's House reveal their own overbearing nature. After Nora begs Helmer to reconsider his decision about giving Krogstad's position to Mrs. Linde, Helmer says, "Of course!- if only this obstinate little person can get her way! Do you suppose I am going to make myself ridiculous before my whole staff, to let people think that I am a man to be swayed by all sorts of outside influence? I should very soon feel the consequences of it, I can tell you" (Ibsen 45). In labeling Nora as an "obstinate little person", Helmer establishes his authority over his wife by belittling her
When Esteban strikes Clara simply because she confronts his own behavior, Esteban shows how he expects respect and resorts to violence if his wife does not agree with him. Esteban's anger about Blanca and Pedro Tercero's relationship emanates from society's traditional view of having relationships within one's own class. Esteban rejects the idea of his upper-class daughter in a relationship with a peasant, and fails to consider Blanca's true feelings. As shown through Esteban, men allow society's standards to dictate their thoughts and expect women to comply with their wants without question. Similarly, men in A Doll's House reveal their own overbearing nature. After Nora begs Helmer to reconsider his decision about giving Krogstad's position to Mrs. Linde, Helmer says, "Of course!- if only this obstinate little person can get her way! Do you suppose I am going to make myself ridiculous before my whole staff, to let people think that I am a man to be swayed by all sorts of outside influence? I should very soon feel the consequences of it, I can tell you" (Ibsen 45). In labeling Nora as an "obstinate little person", Helmer establishes his authority over his wife by belittling her