A Doll's House Women
In the play, A Doll House, Nora is having trouble identifying herself, and this reveals how men and women were unequal in that time. During that time, men usually had more power than women. Women were expected to be at home and be a good wife or mother. Men didn’t expect women to run a big business or big loans. During that time, women were struggling to have equal rights.
Throughout the play, she is treated like a child, and Torvald acts like the father. She was capable of getting a loan and saving Torvald. This shows how she is not a child, and she is intelligent enough to handle business affairs. Torvald would call her many nicknames throughout the play. Hooti observes how she was unhappy throughout her life because of her gender:
Although …show more content…
she has always presumed that her brand new life with Torvald would bring her exuberance and elation, it shed a darker cloud of desolation upon her life, and she is treated by her husband as a doll in the way that she used to be treated by her father when he was alive. (1106)
Torvald would control her like a doll, treat her unfair, and treat her like a child. These are some things her father did to her as well. “If I disagreed with him I kept it to myself, for he wouldn’t have liked that” (Doll act 3). Torvald got mad when Nora Throughout the play, she just played along with the names and doll acts. Her existence was just an amusement for them, and she got used to it. She started to treat her children like dolls in the play.
Torvald would rather save his reputation than to listen to his wife. When Nora tried to save Krogstad’s job, he got furious and refused. He wants to be more dominant Nora. Hooti adds that “Nora's painful account to Torvald of how first her father, and then he, used her for their amusement . . . how she had no right to think for herself, only the duty to accept their opinions”(1109). Torvald became unhappy when she tried to convince him to keep Krogstad’s job. He treats Nora like a child’s doll, who he can dress up and control. Torvald believes Nora’s should just be a good wife and mother, and he doesn’t want her to interfere with anything involving him or his image. “You arranged everything according to your taste, and so I came to share it-- or I pretended to” (Doll act 3). He wanted complete control of everything and Nora. He controlled it all to have a fun marriage and good reputation. Women were expected to be at home and be a good wife and mother.
Men would think women were incompetent with doing their roles. Mrs. Linde was able to provide for her family, something a man would do. Nora was able to handle a loan and save her husband’s life. This proves women can also do men’s jobs. Torvald wants to be more dominant than Nora because he cares about his reputation. “Torvald would find it embarrassing and humiliating to learn that he owed me anything” (Doll act 1). Torvald doesn’t want anyone to know that a woman saved him. He thinks people will see him as less dominant than his wife. She wasn’t allowed to have any input, or have a serious conversation with Torvald. This is shown when Nora had her last conversation, “Ever since we first met we have never talked seriously to each other about a single serious thing”(Doll act 3). This proves he doesn’t care about her input, and he’s controlling her for his sake. Since men and women were unequal in that time, she had trouble identifying herself. Nora had to sacrifice her identity to live an unhappy marriage and life. Throughout her whole life, she was being completely controlled by her father and husband. She tried to do her own things in the marriage, but her husband wanted to be more dominant. In the end, she gave up everything in the fake marriage to find her
identity.
Throughout the play, she is treated like a child, and Torvald acts like the father. She was capable of getting a loan and saving Torvald. This shows how she is not a child, and she is intelligent enough to handle business affairs. Torvald would call her many nicknames throughout the play. Hooti observes how she was unhappy throughout her life because of her gender:
Although …show more content…
she has always presumed that her brand new life with Torvald would bring her exuberance and elation, it shed a darker cloud of desolation upon her life, and she is treated by her husband as a doll in the way that she used to be treated by her father when he was alive. (1106)
Torvald would control her like a doll, treat her unfair, and treat her like a child. These are some things her father did to her as well. “If I disagreed with him I kept it to myself, for he wouldn’t have liked that” (Doll act 3). Torvald got mad when Nora Throughout the play, she just played along with the names and doll acts. Her existence was just an amusement for them, and she got used to it. She started to treat her children like dolls in the play.
Torvald would rather save his reputation than to listen to his wife. When Nora tried to save Krogstad’s job, he got furious and refused. He wants to be more dominant Nora. Hooti adds that “Nora's painful account to Torvald of how first her father, and then he, used her for their amusement . . . how she had no right to think for herself, only the duty to accept their opinions”(1109). Torvald became unhappy when she tried to convince him to keep Krogstad’s job. He treats Nora like a child’s doll, who he can dress up and control. Torvald believes Nora’s should just be a good wife and mother, and he doesn’t want her to interfere with anything involving him or his image. “You arranged everything according to your taste, and so I came to share it-- or I pretended to” (Doll act 3). He wanted complete control of everything and Nora. He controlled it all to have a fun marriage and good reputation. Women were expected to be at home and be a good wife and mother.
Men would think women were incompetent with doing their roles. Mrs. Linde was able to provide for her family, something a man would do. Nora was able to handle a loan and save her husband’s life. This proves women can also do men’s jobs. Torvald wants to be more dominant than Nora because he cares about his reputation. “Torvald would find it embarrassing and humiliating to learn that he owed me anything” (Doll act 1). Torvald doesn’t want anyone to know that a woman saved him. He thinks people will see him as less dominant than his wife. She wasn’t allowed to have any input, or have a serious conversation with Torvald. This is shown when Nora had her last conversation, “Ever since we first met we have never talked seriously to each other about a single serious thing”(Doll act 3). This proves he doesn’t care about her input, and he’s controlling her for his sake. Since men and women were unequal in that time, she had trouble identifying herself. Nora had to sacrifice her identity to live an unhappy marriage and life. Throughout her whole life, she was being completely controlled by her father and husband. She tried to do her own things in the marriage, but her husband wanted to be more dominant. In the end, she gave up everything in the fake marriage to find her
identity.