Pranav Sethi
During the 19th century, the state of gender equality was extremely different than it is today. During the 1800s, women had fewer rights than men. For instance, they couldn't vote, finish college, nor could they go appear in court. Additionally, socially, they were considered to be inferior to men. Most women were housewives, taking care of their male partners, and therefore, it was considered to be egregious for women to work in higher class jobs. In contrast, men were considered to be the leaders, brave, and generally were considered to have a higher status in society than women. They had all of the rights they have today, but back then, they were considered both socially, and legally superior to women. This aspect of the state of society in the 19th century is perfectly portrayed throughout the book, "A Doll's House."
An example of this occurs in the very beginning of the novel, when Nora eats and hides a bag of macaroons when Helmer specifically banned them from coming in to the household. This is a clear example of how Helmer is considered to be the, "man of the house," and is shown to be superior to Nora. However, this example also shows how Nora reacts to his rules, and why she can be considered, "a rebel."
Additionally, the gender role of men being leaders, and women mostly being considered to be heavily dependent on men is portrayed in the novel. An example of this occurs during the most crucial moment of the plot, which is when Nora takes out a bank loan to pay for a vacation intended to improve Torvald's health. When Nora informs Ms. Linde about this secret, Nora goes on to say, "[it] [would] [be] painful and humiliating ... for Torvald, with his manly independence, to know that he owed me [something]! It would upset our [...] relationship altogether." This example shows that even Nora knows the role of men in the 19th century because of her use of the words, "with his manly independence." She also knows that if Torvald realizes what she did, their relationship would drastically change because of the gender roles they play. This direct statement made by Nora during the play shows the reader how different society was back then, when compared to today.
Although gender roles can be created through statements made by the different characters created by Ibsen, their actions also contribute to this reoccurring theme of, "gender roles". For instance, throughout the play, Nora is seen to be spending most of her time with her children, entertaining, and taking care of them. However, neither Helmer nor Torvald are seen taking care of the kids. This can be interpreted by the reader as a symbol used by Ibsen to portray the gender role of work in the 19th century, and how taking care of the children was a, "woman's job", and working at an office was a, "man's job".
Ibsen creates many gender roles in his play, but one of the most notable ones is the influence of a woman on the household. The reader can see this portrayal when Nora requests Helmer for a new job. This shows how much influence a woman had on their husbands during the 19th century, and to some extent, even today.
Finally, one of the most evident gender roles Ibsen creates in, "A Doll's House", is the role of women being talkative, and at times, a gossiper. Ibsen shows the reader this during the time when Nora has a conversation with Mrs. Linde. In this conversation, Nora talks about certain events that should not have been communicated with Mrs. Linde, which creates this stereotype. However, this is one of the gender roles that can also, to a certain extent, be associated with women today.
Ibsen, through many parts of the novel, has conveyed the types of gender roles that both men and women played in the 19th century, which helps the reader to understand the differences in society back then, and today.
During the 19th century, the state of gender equality was extremely different than it is today. During the 1800s, women had fewer rights than men. For instance, they couldn't vote, finish college, nor could they go appear in court. Additionally, socially, they were considered to be inferior to men. Most women were housewives, taking care of their male partners, and therefore, it was considered to be egregious for women to work in higher class jobs. In contrast, men were considered to be the leaders, brave, and generally were considered to have a higher status in society than women. They had all of the rights they have today, but back then, they were considered both socially, and legally superior to women. This aspect of the state of society in the 19th century is perfectly portrayed throughout the book, "A Doll's House."
An example of this occurs in the very beginning of the novel, when Nora eats and hides a bag of macaroons when Helmer specifically banned them from coming in to the household. This is a clear example of how Helmer is considered to be the, "man of the house," and is shown to be superior to Nora. However, this example also shows how Nora reacts to his rules, and why she can be considered, "a rebel."
Additionally, the gender role of men being leaders, and women mostly being considered to be heavily dependent on men is portrayed in the novel. An example of this occurs during the most crucial moment of the plot, which is when Nora takes out a bank loan to pay for a vacation intended to improve Torvald's health. When Nora informs Ms. Linde about this secret, Nora goes on to say, "[it] [would] [be] painful and humiliating ... for Torvald, with his manly independence, to know that he owed me [something]! It would upset our [...] relationship altogether." This example shows that even Nora knows the role of men in the 19th century because of her use of the words, "with his manly independence." She also knows that if Torvald realizes what she did, their relationship would drastically change because of the gender roles they play. This direct statement made by Nora during the play shows the reader how different society was back then, when compared to today.
Although gender roles can be created through statements made by the different characters created by Ibsen, their actions also contribute to this reoccurring theme of, "gender roles". For instance, throughout the play, Nora is seen to be spending most of her time with her children, entertaining, and taking care of them. However, neither Helmer nor Torvald are seen taking care of the kids. This can be interpreted by the reader as a symbol used by Ibsen to portray the gender role of work in the 19th century, and how taking care of the children was a, "woman's job", and working at an office was a, "man's job".
Ibsen creates many gender roles in his play, but one of the most notable ones is the influence of a woman on the household. The reader can see this portrayal when Nora requests Helmer for a new job. This shows how much influence a woman had on their husbands during the 19th century, and to some extent, even today.
Finally, one of the most evident gender roles Ibsen creates in, "A Doll's House", is the role of women being talkative, and at times, a gossiper. Ibsen shows the reader this during the time when Nora has a conversation with Mrs. Linde. In this conversation, Nora talks about certain events that should not have been communicated with Mrs. Linde, which creates this stereotype. However, this is one of the gender roles that can also, to a certain extent, be associated with women today.
Ibsen, through many parts of the novel, has conveyed the types of gender roles that both men and women played in the 19th century, which helps the reader to understand the differences in society back then, and today.
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