Patriarchy in Ibsens A Dolls House - 647 Words

Gender roles and norms are challenged, critiqued, and ultimately shattered in Henrik Ibsens play A Dolls House. Because Torvald has too much vested in his patriarchal role as sole provider, he cannot bear the fact that his wife Nora borrowed money on the sly to help him. Her act represented a breach of social codes, a subversion of the gender norms that Torvald and his sympathizers have come to count on for their identity and worldview. Whereas Nora feels it fully natural for a human being to help another, Torvald views Noras act as a violation of his trust in her to remain a passive, impotent little girl. Whereas Nora believes that change and growth are not only possible but positive, Torvald prefers the comfort and predictability of the status quo. Nora ultimately realizes the sickness inherent in a loveless marriage such as hers and courageously extricates herself from it. Therefore, Ibsens social commentary definitively promotes gender equity. In A Dolls House, Ibsen reveals the painful process by which gender equality is achieved. Gender equality is not achieved overnight and in an instant, because it requires changes to individual psyches. It takes women like Nora Torvald to make seemingly small and self-centered decisions to take a stand for human rights. When Helmer tells Nora, in his typically condescending way, Before all else, you are a wife and a mother, Nora responds coolly, I dont believe that any longer. I believe that before all else I am aShow MoreRelatedThe Power of Relationship in Hemingways Cat in the Rain and Ibsens A Dolls House651 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿The power of relationship is a major theme in both Hemingways Cat in the Rain, and in Ibsens A Dolls House. In both stories, patriarchy is the pervasive social structure under which the individual relationships develop. Relationship therefore defines and reinforces gender roles and norms. The heterosexual dynamic also constructs and reinforces indiv idual identity. Romantic relationships have the power to perpetuate social norms and values, especially those related to gender. Furthermore,Read MoreThe Struggle with the Glass Ceiling Essay1167 Words   |  5 Pagesdominate the vast majority of these positions. Men also, in general, lead their households by making the most income for their families and make the most financial decisions. It is clear that we still live in a patriarchal society. Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart show us that the effects of the gender gap are still evident in current times and women are burdened by the glass ceiling. Women struggle to achieve high level positions. A glass ceiling exists that limitsRead MoreAnalyzing CS Lewis We Have No Right to Happiness and Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House648 Words   |  3 Pages 1. In We have no Right to Happiness CS. 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Patriarchy and fatherhood are generally associated with dependence, affectionRead More Analysis Of Ibsens A Dolls House Essay1839 Words   |  8 PagesA Doll House A critical Analysis When Nora slammed the door shut in her dolls house in 1879, her message sent shockwaves around the world that persist to this day. I must stand quite alone, Nora declared after finding out that her ideal of life was just a imagination of her and that all her life had been build up by others peoples, specifically her husband and her dad ideas, opinions and tastes. Nora is the pampered wife of an aspiring bank manager Torvald Halmer. In a desperate attemptRead MoreAnalysis of Doll House Play Essay1916 Words   |  8 PagesMrs. Mary Rorke English 102 1st Nov. 2005 A Doll House A critical Analysis When Nora slammed the door shut in her dolls house in 1879, her message sent shockwaves around the world that persist to this day. I must stand quite alone, Nora declared after finding out that her ideal of life was just a imagination of her and that all her life had been build up by others peoples, specifically her husband and her dad ideas, opinions and tastes. Nora is the pampered wifeRead MoreJane Austens Novel Sense and Sensibility: An Analysis1492 Words   |  6 PagesMarianne never locks herself up and away from patriarchy. She is far more interesting of a character than the dowdy and depressing Elinore, and yet Marianne is no feminist role model. Austens Sense and Sensibility show that women are as much to blame as men for perpetuating patriarchy. Marianne does not have any ambitions as far as political activism or career fulfillment is concerned. She is content to live the life proscribed to her by the prevailing patriarchy. That is, Marianne is obsessed with gettingRead MoreAnalysis Of Franz Kafka s The Metamorphosis, And Henrik Ibsen s A Doll s House1965 Words   |  8 Pageshusband of a family. 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