Samantha Alwood
Mrs. Rutan
AP Literature and Composition
17 January 2017
The Societal Roles of a Woman
Women today and in the past decades have always been treated poorly, whether it be not allowing women to play a sport or not receiving the same amount of pay for the same kind of work. However, one of the main growing issues today and in the past, is how women have been becoming more dehumanized. For example, men are now showing off their significant other either using jewelry or making them wear revealing clothing to show others how beautiful their woman is. Henrik Ibsen’s play, “A Doll’s House”, argues this issue and how women are being treated like dolls in society.
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The play first illustrates how a woman named Nora deals with her mistake of forgery to save the life of her beloved husband, Torvald Helmer. She believes she did the right thing to save her husband’s life, even though she had to lie to his face. In the beginning of the play, we first notice how Nora completely adores Torvald and loves him deeply. She responds to Torvald affectionately by smiling and teasing him. When Nora speaks with Mrs. Linde, she takes pride in him and tells Mrs. Linde that her “husband’s been made manager of the Mutual Bank” (Ibsen, 1098). By taking pleasure in Torvald, Nora doesn’t seem to mind her doll-like self.
However, as the play progresses Nora begins to notice how Torvald dehumanizes her by using pet names like “little songbird” (Ibsen, 1094), “squirrel” (Ibsen, 1094), and “lark” (Ibsen, 1141). By using these pet names, Torvald shows how he has more power and authority over her. This power that he has over her creates a struggle between the two characters and shows their struggles as a married couple. These differences between them create a huge conflict and shows Torvald that he can do whatever he pleases to get what he desires.
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When Nora decides to confront Torvald about taking out a loan from Krogstad, she begins to notice Torvalds real personality. Torvald immediately goes from calling her a “little songbird” (Ibsen, 1145) to a “wretch” (Ibsen, 1145). This instantaneous change in word choice deeply shows how Torvald truly feels towards Nora. Although, ironically just before Torvald wished to save Nora from some great danger, so he could risk his “life and blood and everything—everything” (Ibsen, 1144) for Nora’s sake. Once Torvald accuses Nora of ruining his “happiness” (Ibsen, 1146), Nora then comes to realization that all her teasing and games that she was putting up through her whole marriage was just a show for Torvald. After Nora realizes her doll-like self, she abruptly changes her “doll’s” dress and decides it is best she leaves her husband in order to be free from Torvalds authority and power.
"Women Belong in the House"
-Says Every Man in Control
-Says Every Man in Control
This idea of a "doll" dehumanizes the ideal role as a woman in society. There have been many instances where the woman has been treated as a possession and accessory to a man. However, as history has evolved the role of a woman has changed for good and bad. Women still today are being treated like maids and will always be treated differently, whether it is based off of looks or the roles we as women possess. After all it is up to us as the future generation to get rid of these horrible society ideals and to start treating both women and men as equals.