An Aspect Of Gender Roles In A Doll's House By Henrik Ibsen

In “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen, the aspect of gender roles is explored throughout the play. At the time in Norway, the husband would work, and the wife would stay home and take care of the children. The Helmer household is a stereotypical middle class family, where Torvald represents a typical male who takes control over his wife and the money being spent, and Nora represents a typical female who is there to please her husband and brings up the children. It was also the society’s expectation to follow these roles, and if someone had gone against it, they would be frowned upon.
However, as the play progresses, Nora shows a desire to be free from being controlled, and feels that she does not want her marriage to be completely dominated by Torvald. This rejection of society’s expectation causes her to leave at the end of the play. As a result, the audiences at the time were left in great shock by the fact that Nora left the house, and thought that this was unacceptable.
Nora: “I should not think of going against your wishes.” (Pg. 4) Torvald treats Nora as a child when he is making sure that she has not been eating macaroons lately, which shows that Nora must get Torvald’s permission in order to do something. The male controlling the female is an expectation …show more content…
18) Torvald’s dismissal of the children shows that it is not his job to take care of them. He only works and provides the wealth whereas women must look after the house, take care of the children, and please the men. Nora: “I will sing for you, dance for you.” (Pg. 25) Nora must please Torvald not only because she is trying to cover up her secret, but because that is also the society’s expectations. Back then people worried about their reputations because it followed them everywhere, church, family gatherings, and even the workforce. Nowadays the community is bigger and if your reputation gets so bad you can simply move to a different