Similarities Between Trifles And A Doll's House

During the 19th and 20th-century, women ’s main roles were in the household. They were to provide for the family and participate in activities such as cooking, cleaning, quilting, and singing. They were often seen as inferior to men and treated as objects. In Trifles and A Doll’s House, the authors portrayed the stereotypical man in the time period. Both Glaspell and Ibsen write their man characters as controlling and arrogant. In Trifles, it is clear there is a prominent line drawn between the men and the women. In the play a murder takes place and they head to the home to try and find clues as to who killed John Wright and why. In the opening scene, the men come in and “all are much bundled up and go at once to the stove. They are followed
The men going into the home first to make sure they are warm and letting the women freeze give a clear indication of who is viewed as more important. But the message that the men are in control does not stop there. The attorney looks for clues to find a suspect in the murder of Mr. Wright. Focusing his search of the area to the upstairs he fails to look at the one place where actual evidence is located, the kitchen. Even Though the kitchen only has “ kitchen things”, it is in the kitchen where Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters finds the evidence that proves Mr. Wright’s wife killed him. The breadbox, bird cage, and quilt help Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters understand who and why Mr. Wright is hung in his sleep. But since the men view anything revolving around women as “trifles” the men fail to look in the most important place. According to Shih, “ because of gender differences and the men’s sexiest attitude, which looks down upon women’s everyday trifles, the men cannot find evidence or a motive”(243). The men’s failure to put aside their ego
The major conflict of the play becomes apparent to the audience when Nora’s childhood friend comes and visits.While visiting Nora shares a secret with Mrs. Linde that she has borrowed money from someone.Everything seems fine until Krogstad blackmails Nora and threatens to expose her to her husband. When talking to Mrs. Linde, Nora expresses how hurtful and embarrassing for Torvald and his macho self-reliance if he was to find out he is in debt to his wife (Act I). Being emasculated because his wife helps him in a situation shows Torvald’s arrogance. Since the women are seen as a weaker being, it will be damaging to his own self-worth if he finds out his wife helps saves his life. Because of Torvalds arrogance, Nora privately receives a loan of money necessary for the treatment of the illness. Realizing that Torvald is too imperious ask someone else for the money, she fakes her father signature to collect money from Torvalds employee (Burt). If it was not for Torvald’s arrogance Nora would not have forged her father’s signature. Not only is male arrogance clear throughout the play, but also male dominance. Unlike Trifles where male dominance is forced on the women, in A Doll’s House male dominance is allowed by the women. Once again Nora’s action of going behind her husband’s back shows a male portrayal. When Mrs. Linde finds out about Nora’s secret she is not too