Societal Views of Women in the Victorian Era in Henrik...

Societal Views of Women in the Victorian Era in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, creates a peephole into the lives of a family in the Victorian Era. The play portrays a female viewpoint in a male-dominated society. The values of the society are described using the actions of a woman, Nora, who rebels against the injustices inflicted upon her gender. Women’s equality with men was not recognized by society in the late 1800’s. Rather, a woman was considered a doll, a child, and a servant. Nora’s alienation reveals society’s assumptions and values about gender. A woman was considered by society to be a doll because she was expected to be subordinate to her husband’s whims. Referring to a ball that she†¦show more content†¦She alludes to a child’s character when she says, â€Å"everything I think of seems so silly and insignificant† (26). Torvald replies with a condescending statement: â€Å"Does my little Nora acknowledge that at last?† (26). Torvald expects only childish talk from her. He even tells her she is â€Å"little,† like a child, and although he expects nothing more than child’s talk from her, he does expect to be obeyed. Nora plays the part of a slave in her subservience to her husband, for she is supposed to abide by his rules and be dependent on him. She is not supposed to think for herself and repeatedly told so by those around her. When speaking about Nora in her presence, Torvald says, â€Å"She is so terribly self-willed† (55). Nora has a conversation with Mrs. Linde, who also tells her, â€Å"Don’t be self-willed† (57). Torvald tells her, â€Å"I will advise you and direct you† (64). Nora is expected to be a dependent slave who follows her husband’s advice and directions. Women were also legally dependent upon men. The society’s laws of that time even required the male to cosign everything that a woman had to sign. Nora’s naivete in forging her father’s signature and trying to pay off the loan further emphasizes Victorian society’s assumptions about women’s inability to deal with a â€Å"man’s world.† These assumptions about women caused their gender value to be vastlyShow MoreRelatedA Doll s House By Henrik Ibsen1135 Words   |  5 PagesIn the play, â€Å"A Doll’s House† by Henrik Ibsen, and the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the two protagonists named Nora Helmer and Edna Pontillier depict feminist ideals during the Victorian era in their struggle for independence, both sexually and emotionally. Nora and Edna are feminists in the late 1800s, trapped in an era and a society dictated by men. Both works parallel together and are significant because they show how Edna and Nora awaken, as their roles and self-realization progressRead MoreHenrik Ibsen s A Doll s House2019 Words   |  9 PagesHenrik Ibsen’s â€Å"A Doll’s House† is a play that gives insight to the way of life in the Victorian era. What starts out as a story of a man and his lovely wife, begins to evolve into a story of Nora and her role as a woman in society at the time. Th e role of gender has always been a means for strife between man and woman. Despite the current times, there is still a wedge between expectations of a man or woman. During Victorian times, that wedge was much larger and the roles of Torvald and Nora were