Gender Roles In Trifles And A Doll's House

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Society’s gender roles have been changing and evolving, though not necessarily a positive change. Women’s expected and defined role have changed and broken by women who refuses to follow their expected roles in society and decide to rebel against the norm. The pages of history have their own evidence of evolution of these female gender roles into the roles they are following now. Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles” and Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” both contain a female protagonist and make us observe and understand how society in their period of time expects of them and their roles. Both these plays let us rethink and compare a female’s role in their period of time with our modern time through points and events that led them into realization of their roles and identity. The protagonist of “A Doll’s House”, Nora Helmer, has a perfect life that has been made up, planned, and all done for her by the society and her husband, Torvald. Nora is trapped in a “dollhouse” that is her physical and actual home. Her husband has made and built a perfectly arranged life for his doll wife, and their dolly children. Nora’s relationship with her husband appears lovely and pleasant at first. Indeed she loves Torvald, at least that was what is expected of her. Women are supposed to love their husbands and their husband’s opinion is usually prioritized and superior towards the women’s. It was the custom of that time that women are expected to love their husbands and follow what they say. In the play, Torvald pampers Nora and talks to her as if she was a little baby. He treats her with no respect and sees her as nothing more than a doll, a pet, and a property he owns. Torvald sometimes puts up money above Nora’s head and lets her jump for it like a pet. In t... ... middle of paper ... ...es, and arguably she is the “problem-solver” of the play. Nora told her about the secret loan from Krogstad and told her about his plans on ruining her life by exposing her lies to Torvald because Torvald did not know anything about it. Eventually, Kristine helped Nora by meeting up with Krogstad and convincing him to retrieve the black mail he sent to Torvald about Nora’s crime. However, Kristine then decided that it would be better to let things be and let Nora and Torvald settle things in their own way. It can be argued that Kristine’s decision actually helped Nora. This is because, after Torvald found out about the mail and the crime, Nora comes into realization that all this time she was living in a dollhouse where everything was made ready and simple for her to live in. All these times, she has allowed her husband to speak for her and define who she really is.

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