What Are Gender Roles In A Doll's House By Henrik Ibsen

1987 In the literary world Henrik Ibsen could be considered a realist, through his novels plays and poems which deal objectively with problems in society and everyday people. In his play A Doll's House, he examines the relationships between men and women and how stereotypical gender roles impact the characters. In A Doll’s house, Henrik Ibsen pointedly captures a time period where female oppression was prevalent and frequent through the character Nora and her development. The author uses interactions and dialogue between characters to emphasize a need for social change and encourage the female audience to find their own sense of identity. In the play the author uses interactions and conversations between characters to explain his view of societal gender roles. A Doll’s house was written in the late 1800, which was a time where women were …show more content…
Act 3 of the play A Doll’s House greatly demonstrates the idea that Henrik Ibsen wants young women to have. The idea that women can have a an identity without having someone to share a life with. Nora sticks up for herself in regard to the way Torvald treats her saying that “I believe before all else I a a human being, just as much as you are” (Ibsen 1490). Here, Nora finally recognizes that she is equal and can have the same rights as Torvald does, figuring out that she has the capability “to do something for myself (herself) first” (Ibsen 1492). Nora also understands that she also has a duty to herself not only those people around her, this can be shown through Torvald when he says “you are a wife and a mother above all else,” however Nora “no longer believes that.” (Ibsen 1491-1492). By the end of the play the audience recognizes that Ibsen wishes that women find the strength and courage to stand up for themselves in situations like these, as well as going against the common acceptability in