Torvald Helmer Impact On Society

19th Century Society and Its Impact on Torvald Helmer
Arthur Miller says in his novel, The Shadow of the Gods, “Society is inside of man and man is inside society” (Miller, Arthur). This means that people act in a way that best fits the norm of society. Society is constantly evolving and therefore, so are the people within that societal era. 19th century society in comparison to 21st century society is vastly different in many aspects. Although, in Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, the character of Torvald Helmer seems to be a misogynist or antagonist in reference to the 21st century, his actions were merely a reflection of societal norms in the 19th century. Throughout the play, Torvald Helmer makes a number of demeaning remarks towards Nora, insinuating that she is incapable of thinking for herself and making decisions on her

Nora pays for Helmer’s treatment and keeps it a secret during the majority of the play because, as she points out, “how painful and humiliating it would be for Torvald, with his manly independence, to know that he owed me anything! It would upset our mutual relations altogether” (Act 1). Men of the 19th century were expected to provide the money in the relationship, and marriages were heavily centered around money. Before a woman’s father would give away her hand in marriage, the man “needed to be able to show that he earned enough money to support a wife and any future children before the girl’s father would give his permission” (Hughes, Kathryn). Although love usually came later, this reiterates central focus of marriage as seen from a 19th century standpoint: money. Torvald is not against Nora, he is merely a man with a severely distorted view of true marriage trying to live up to the masculine standards in the 19th