A Doll's House Gender Analysis

1491 Words3 Pages

The stereotypical role of gender ideologies in A Doll House
The play A Doll House, by Henrik Ibsen, states a representation of gender roles in society and a blatant statement against the popular beliefs of what it means to be a female and male. The play A Doll House was written in the nineteenth century were women and men were not viewed equally. The female was submissive in her own family and in marriage. As for the man he was considered superiority in all aspects, for example in education, at work, and at his marriage. For a woman to take or have at least a little of freedom was completely wrong back then, it was viewed as a disgrace for the family. The author, Henrik Ibsen, provides in the play, A Doll House, a demonstration of the traditional gender roles of that time and the emphasizes extreme patriarchy. The writing style of the play, A Doll House, by Henrik Ibsen, is a dialogue. The conversions are mostly between the dominant character
Henrik Ibsen used figurative terms of animals to reference Nora. He reveals the themes of female submissiveness and also of male power in the play of A Doll House, that are engraved into nineteenth-century society. Through the considerate insertion of macaroons as well as the frequent use of diminutive names by Torvald. “Is that my squirrel rummaging around?” (I, 712). Throughout the play, Torvald often calls Nora by diminutive names. Ibsen also uses symbolism in the play, for example, Nora represents a doll while Torvald is the controlling husband. He calls her “my Skylark” or “my little squirrel”. This attitude suggests his feeling of superiority towards Nora. He treats Nora more like a doll than like a wife. Indubitable in the play, Torvald is the primary breadwinner for his wife and children. He is also the primary source of income that gives him control to manipulate his

Open Document