Gender studies refers to masculinity and femininity in a cultural standpoint without referring to the biological side of things. It deals with the breakdown of binaries, which refers to typical “masculine” and “feminine” behavior.
We can see how society has embedded and emphasized typical behaviors relating to gender in A Doll’s House. A man is supposed to be the leader of the family and usually makes the most money in the family. The woman in the relationship is supposed to take care of the kids and put her work and desires second to her needs and wants. In the following quote, Nora shows us that her relationship with her husband would end if he found out that she got money without asking him because it would make her seem more powerful and successful: “...how painful and humiliating it would be for Torvald with his manly independence to know that he owed anything to me! It would utterly upset the relation between us...” (Ibsen 21). This quote also shows us that their marriage is only alive if there is the dominancy of a male. Later, when the nurse brings the children home, Torvald says “Come, Mrs. Linden; only mothers can have such a temperature”, implying that only married women should take care of the children (Ibsen 31). Throughout the book, Nora is unable to fulfill her desires and is living under Torvald’s dominancy. These occurrences in the book show us the different roles and expectations of women and men in our world. If any person doesn’t follow their socially-constructed gender roles, they are judged and shamed by society. …show more content…
It causes us to think: “who am I actually?” And “do I have to act like I should act?” We can reinvent the terms of our sexuality with queer theory. Queer theory also states that there is a difference between what a character does and who they actually
We can see how society has embedded and emphasized typical behaviors relating to gender in A Doll’s House. A man is supposed to be the leader of the family and usually makes the most money in the family. The woman in the relationship is supposed to take care of the kids and put her work and desires second to her needs and wants. In the following quote, Nora shows us that her relationship with her husband would end if he found out that she got money without asking him because it would make her seem more powerful and successful: “...how painful and humiliating it would be for Torvald with his manly independence to know that he owed anything to me! It would utterly upset the relation between us...” (Ibsen 21). This quote also shows us that their marriage is only alive if there is the dominancy of a male. Later, when the nurse brings the children home, Torvald says “Come, Mrs. Linden; only mothers can have such a temperature”, implying that only married women should take care of the children (Ibsen 31). Throughout the book, Nora is unable to fulfill her desires and is living under Torvald’s dominancy. These occurrences in the book show us the different roles and expectations of women and men in our world. If any person doesn’t follow their socially-constructed gender roles, they are judged and shamed by society. …show more content…
It causes us to think: “who am I actually?” And “do I have to act like I should act?” We can reinvent the terms of our sexuality with queer theory. Queer theory also states that there is a difference between what a character does and who they actually