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 is presented with money by Torvald she becomes excited, like a pet receiving a treat. “Money!” (1259 Ibsen) she yelled in excitement as Torvald hands over money to her. Like a pet he controls her money, and so when she does get some she is very excited.
Nora however was in apart hiding her true emotions. Nora is especially excited to receive money because she has been secretly repaying a