...Encaged Gender roles throughout the years have greatly progressed in the right direction. However compared to their counterparts of today, women in the 19th and 20th century were restrained by a metaphoric glass ceiling. Nora Helmer from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Minnie Foster from Susan Glaspell’s Trifles are both victims of falling into gender roles of their time and trying to challenge or break out of the cultural mold made for females. Nora’s husband Torvald continually treats Nora as an inferior and she accepts the treatment to conform to his needs. This is common for the time as the story takes place in Norway in 1879. Minnie Foster also known as Mrs. Wright, is also treated as an inferior by her husband, Mr. Wright. However, unlike Nora, Mrs. Wright’s story takes place in the Midwest. Mrs. Wright had no one to gather support from due to isolation. By today’s standards, both women were subject to conforming to gender roles, but both women were also able to challenge these ideas. Both stories closely relate to each other in a way that disputes gender roles of the time. Nora Helmer seems to have conformed to her gender role. It seems that everything she does must get Torvald’s approval. She is a house wife, Torvald provides her with everything. For example, he gives her money and he even has hired a nanny to watch after their children. Torvald is a man that is deeply concerned with public image; he is very worried about his and the family’s reputation. When she...
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...Mickala Stewart 7th Period/ Gassett/ AP Lit Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is filled with many instances of irony, mainly dramatic. Dramatic irony is when a situation is understood by the reader or audience and not by the characters in the play. Examples can be found in the most famous plays by William Shakespeare. Throughout the play, dramatic irony is mainly displayed in the conversations between Torvald and Nora, with Torvald portraying the character that is “out of the loop.” Irony is sometimes made obvious to readers and sometimes you have to read a little deeper. For example, in the beginning of the play when Krogstad threatens to tell Nora’s secret, Nora tells him that it is her “pride and joy.” Its funny how her pride and joy is something that her husband would despise. Then later on in the play when Nora finally tells Torvald about the debt she owes, Torvald describes her as what used to be his “pride and joy” just as Nora described her secret. Another example would be when Torvald tells Nora “No debts! Never borrow! There’s something inhibited, something unpleasant about a home built on credit and borrowed money.” What Torvald doesn’t know is that the home he described, was his own. Nora, in fact, has borrowed a significant amount of money and is deeply indebted to Krogstad and because of Nora’s forgery he is also now living in that “home built on credit and borrowed money.” Nora feels very accomplished because she has borrowed money on her own. In that time period...
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...Torvald Helmer Torvald Helmer is the only character that has not changed throughout the entire play. Torvald, in the beginning of the play, is a controlling narcissistic middle aged man who plays and controls with his wife, Nora, and his three children to conform to the ideals of him and the society. As Nora is pleading to Torvald for Krogstad to keep his job at the bank, Torvald tells Nora, “And just by pleading for him you make it impossible for me to keep him on. It’s already known at the bank that I’m firing Krogstad. What if it’s rumored around now that the new bank manager was vetoed by his wife.” This shows that Torvald makes a lot of his decisions based on the opinions of his peers. Also this is showing that he wants to make all the decisions and does not want Nora calling any of the shots. Because Torvald is controlling, no matter what Nora told him he would not change his mind and let Nora control him. Towards the end of the play after Torvald gets the second letter from Krogstad, explaining that he is no longer going to blackmail the Helmers anymore. After Torvald reads this his is stricken with joy and tells Nora, “For a man there’s something indescribably sweet and satisfying in knowing he’s forgiven his wife- and forgiven her out of a full and open heart. It’s as if she belongs to him in two ways now: in a sense he’s given her fresh into the world again, and she’s become his wife and his child as well.” Even after everything that Nora has went through, all that...
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...A Doll’s Transformation: Henrik Ibsen’s feminist heroine in A Doll’s House Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, written in 1879, is often considered one of the first feminist plays ever written, exposing, among other social commentary, women’s oppression and subordination through “the anatomy of a marriage where the wife was no more than a legal infant and her husband’s virtual slave” (Fjelde 475). Through one of history’s first female protagonists, Nora, Ibsen challenges the Victorian ideal of a woman’s role in her marriage and in society, painting a bleak picture of living life as a woman at the time. In A Doll’s House, Ibsen explores the sacrificial role of women in society, women’s oppression, and chauvinistic 19th century marriage customs through the life and transformation of his heroine, Nora. One tool Ibsen uses to present his feminist ideals is the theme of the sacrificial role that the play’s female characters must play. Nora has made a huge sacrifice in taking out a loan in secret and working to pay it back without allowing Helmer to find out; she has become a prisoner of her secret and of her necessity to pay off the loan with what little legal rights she possesses as a female in her society. Mrs. Linde, similarly, has made sacrifices as a woman, having found it necessary to abandon her true love and marry a wealthier man. The nanny, Anne-Marie, who proclaims she is a “poor girl “ and insinuates she had no other options, was forced to abandon her child to support...
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...A Doll’s House * Based upon the day to day human struggle against the degrading constraints of social conformity NORA & TORVALD’S RELATIONSHIP * T heaps many incessant diminutives on N which she happens to deserve initially * N’s desire for macaroons without T’s knowledge ensures her as a child who needs to grow up; she is after all a “willing doll” * Hiding macaroons in her pocket points out that she is not supposed to be eating them for T’s reasoning – the fact that she’s hiding it points out a sign of child-like behaviour * Virtually twitters as she throws things around for the servants to pick up, coyly flirts with husband, and childishly plays with her children: living up to the childish names T calls her such as my little squirrel, a little skylark, and a little featherbrain * T treats N like a personal pet, N responses confidently shows she enjoys these names * Playful world in stark contrast to T’s cautious, ordered world of business * Prefers sanctuary of study/work merely using N as an occasional diversion for entertainment * T doesn’t allow N to read mail, locks in a box to which only he holds the key – shows how far he keeps N from the outside world so she remains under his control * Marriage=no sense of equality, T can’t imagine such a relationship * Selfishly runs their lives according to his notions & does not feel it necessary to consider wife’s feelings * N aware their relationship is based on appearance...
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...In past times, women were not seeing as suppliers of the household. In “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen the two female roles are Nora Helmer and Mrs. Kristine Linde; these two ladies have to deal with the struggle of being a woman during these times. In many ways both are very sexual and dominant, but at the same time very different. And given the twist to this story, Nora is definitely the more heroic female character. In the beginning of the play, Nora is powerless. Her husband Torvald Helmer treats her as if she is a brainless doll, Ibsen writes: “Has my little spendthrift been out squandering money again?” (1259). This quote shows how terrible view Torvald has of his wife. Just like Nora, Mrs. Linde begins the play in a place of just about no power, and no control over things. She has no money, no job, and is a widow. Is when she shows up at the Helmers, that Nora realizes she has power in her household, because she was able to talk her husband into, perhaps giving Mrs. Linde a job at Torvald’s place of work: the bank. This power sensation persists when she realizes the effect she has on Doctor Rank. Her eternal beauty has a bigger effect in men that she ever thought. His confession “Now you know it, Nora. And now you know that you can trust me more than you can trust anyone else” (1149). On the other hand Mrs. Linde never had that amount of power. At the beginning, in Act I, Nora is presented, as if she is a child. This comes off as not sexual or appealing way. Same...
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...A DOLL HOUSE A Doll's House is a three act play about a seemingly typical housewife who becomes disillusioned and dissatisfied with her condescending husband. Nora represents the 'doll' in this 'perfect doll house' with decorated Christmas trees and fancy parties. The realization that her life is a sham, she spends her whole life in a dream world. In this dream world, Nora does not take life seriously, an attitude that led to many of the plot’s complications. Nora and Torvald Helmer believe they are happily married and on the brink of a blissful new phase of life. Nora's lie is exposed and Torvald first blames, then forgives her and is finally abandoned as Nora recognizes the truth of her situation. She accuses her husband, and her father before him, of having used her as a doll, and declares herself unfit to be a wife or mother until she has learned to be herself. Nora's position in her own household, as well as Nora's perception of the world. Not only have the men in her life treated her like a "doll", to be dressed up and played with, but she herself has lived as that doll. She has played into the role, and she has always viewed the world from only the perspective of her little house. She is treated like a child and is not taken seriously. She is belittled by Torvald and doesn't listen to her feelings, wants, and desires. In Nora world she takes a back seat approach to life and becomes like an object, reacting to other’s expectations rather than advancing herself....
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...Explain how you would perform the role of Dr Rank in his first and final appearances in order to highlight how the character develops over the course of the play. A Doll’s House is a naturalistic polemic written by Henrik Ibsen in 1879. Depicting the life of a 19th century housewife, Nora, the play entails how she goes behind her husband’s back in order to borrow money. Ibsen wanted to convey naturalism in order to connect with his audience as he dealt with controversial subjects (of the time) and the running themes of marriage, the treatment of women and deceit. It is these aims I will acknowledge when exploring the development of Rank’s character through Act 1 and Act 3. One perspective of viewing Rank’s development in the play is as the mutual mediator between Torvald and Nora; presenting a neutral perspective of society for both the Helmer’s and the audience throughout. Through this progress he demonstrates his initial confidence of happy visitor and friend; to a reflective and sensitive man with cynical views on his approaching death. I would cast Rank as an older man in order to represent his impending death, keeping true to naturalism by making his illness more believable for the audience. His age would be reinforced through his soft facial features – whether they be cast or enhanced by stage make-up. I would also cast him as a tall, slim man in order to convey his high status of being a well-respected doctor in society. For Rank’s first appearance I would dress him...
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...Literary Essay: A Doll’s House Rachael Shannon 2015-07-24 Ms. Behiel ENG3U Life for a housewife in the 1800s was very different from what it is in the 21st century, but what remains true is the difficulty in having a good marriage. The play, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, represents the struggles one might have went through, but he really challenged the typical marriage back then. In the play, Nora is a loving mother of three and a caring wife who has been misunderstood and mistreated. Nora’s decision at the end of the play to leave Torvald Helmer is justifiable because, he makes her perform by singing and dancing, he treats her like a doll and he dictates her whole life. Firstly, Torvald treats Nora as his own doll and makes her sing and dance for his pleasure. For example, before she must dance the Tarantella for the party and has to practice for Torvald, “Now, you must go and play through the Tarantella and practise with your tambourine.” (II, 41) Torvald makes Nora practice for the dance, he even commands her. This is a misuse of his power over her and he treats her like a subordinate. In addition Nora is able to bargain with her husband by offering her services, “I would play the fairy and dance for you in the moonlight, Torvald.” (II, 38) He has used her for his own entertainment as if she was a servant to him and not his wife. In conclusion, Nora had to leave Torvald and the children because her husband was mistreating her as a performer. Secondly, he treats...
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...Is Anything Really as it Seems Marion Graham Eng 125 Dr. Dolores Kiesler February 18, 2013 Is Anything Really as it Seems “A Doll’s House” is a play where nothing is as it seems; the play written by Henrik Ibsen was an extremely controversial play in that time. Many thought that Ibsen wrote as part of a feminist movement but when asked about this, Ibsen said that this wasn’t so he meant it to be about humanism. He saw it as, every person has the right to be who they wanted to be no matter what their gender was. In “A Doll’s House” everyone is keeping some kind of secret from some other character, that is till the very end where everything comes out and it causes hard feelings between some characters and some to come together. “A Doll’s House” is set during the holiday season. The Helmer is in the midst of getting ready for the Christmas season, buying presents and Christmas trees. Christmas and New Year’s celebrate the birth of Jesus and the renewal of the New Year. This is symbolic of the rebirth that the characters go through during the course of the play. Nora is awakened and brought to a realization that her marriage is in some ways, what one might call a sham. She realizes that to her husband she is not another person, not really. She is seen as most women at that time were as a second rate human being, somebody to satisfy man and take care of his needs, as well as help him in reproducing more human beings. She is unable to be her own person as long...
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...After reading A Doll’s House I read one of the alternate endings to the play. In the alternate ending instead of Nora is almost forced to stay with Torvald because of her children. The reason Ibsen abhorred rewriting the ending in this way was that it fundamentally undermined the message behind this play. The message behind this play was what is most important in marriage is that one truly loves the one they are with. He showed this by giving two examples of what may happen if one ignores this rule and one example of what should happen in a marriage. The foremost example is between Nora and Torvald. For years Nora has deluded herself into thinking she was in love with Torvald. Her and Torvald’s relationship was built on only skin deep interactions,...
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...In the play, “A Doll’s House”, by Henrik Ibsen, the drama deals with the underlying issue of parental obligation and its effect on the lives of the children involved. The play was written in 1879, during a time where it was believed by society that a mother should stay home and take care of the children, while the father provided for the family but had little or no responsibility at home. Although the story is centered around the unhappy, controlled life of Nora, who chooses to leave her family and her role as a mother in order to find herself, her concealed problems stem from her father. Nora’s husband, Torvald, hints at the true issues with fatherhood when he states, “It seems most commonly to be the mother’s influence, though naturally a...
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...“A Dollhouse” is a representative play by Henrik Ibsen. This is a realistic problem and modern tragic type of play. In this play, Nora Helmer is the main protagonist, a middle-class wife and mother. Even though, without the description of her appearance, we can know she is a pretty and young lady by her witty action and dialogue. She appears to the other characters more like an ignorant child who doesn’t have any social experiences; moreover, Torvald, her husband, treats her like a kid. However, Nora provides us a lot more information to understand her character than the first impression. As the play goes on, Nora shows such a drastic change which from a submissive housewife to a liberated woman. At the beginning of the play, Nora seems a very happy and careless housewife. Maybe the audience will view her as a minor role who is not necessary at this play. After the conversation with Nora’s old friend, Mrs. Linde, we found out Nora spare no expense to sacrifice her honor just for her husband and family. Nora keeps the secret to her husband and working every evening until late night to pay off the huge amount of debt, she said “Many a time I desperately tired; but all the same it was a tremendous pleasure to sit there working and earning money. It was like being a man” (pg.1496). We immediately changed our first image of this character and know Nora also went through a hard life, but she feels proud of what has been done and grateful the work; Nora is a strong woman with...
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...Relationships are one of the greatest juxtaposed idea that faces man. As humans with completely different experiences and thoughts, we will never fully agree with anyone on everything, so that greatly plagues a relationship. But you also are filled with happiness and joy when you are with someone you love. In the passage, “Rosamond and Tertius Lydgate” by Mary Ann Evans, it shows the complex mechanisms that exist in a relationship through their argument over financial matters. The fight begins with varying opinions on what they should do over their financial problems. Lydgate believed that their only option was to sell some of their belongings and not tell their family, but of course Rosamond had the opposite opinions. Through a feminist perspective, you can see that Evans highlights Lydgate’s use of his masculine nature to try to control Rosamond, by inserting harsh and blunt toned comments like “I insist upon it that your father shall not know”. To combat his behavior, Evans takes the other side to show that Rosamond utilizes her female sensitivity of being quiet and somber to make Lydgate feel horrible for what he said. In a situation of anger, those who are loved get lashed out at because we try to do what is best in our own minds, but Lydgate realizes that he was too hard on Rosy, and “her tears cut him to the heart”. Evans exemplifies this situation to show that although they are fighting, Lydgate feels deep remorse and guilt for showing this “young creature that had known...
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...You've likely heard the saying that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This scientific theory mirrors human behavior where individuals often mask their true feelings and insecurities. Joyce Oates’ story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is about a self-centered girl, named Connie, who only cares about her appearance and how others see her. She spends her time hanging out with friends and boys and hopes to gain their acceptance. One day, an unexpected man from an earlier night shows up at her home and she grows terrified after recognizing him. She then agrees to leave with him to avoid his demanding threats. Oates story suggests that it can be dangerous when we try to seek our self-worth through the approval and acceptance of others. Connie’s vanity and search for approval demonstrates that seeking one’s self-worth through society can be dangerous both mentally and physically. Connie has a very prideful and self-absorbed personality, but her vanity is a major characteristic that serves to enhance the central idea of the story. For example, Connie clearly makes it known that “she was pretty and that was everything” to her (Oates 1). However, this caused Connie to explore her sexuality by expressing it in society, which lead to her first encounter with the unexpected man, Arnold Friend. A more specific example of this is when she “[wears] a pull-over jersey blouse” in a “different” way when away from home (Oates 5). The pride and confidence Connie...
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