Nora Helmer And Women In American Literature Essay

Women were valued very little by nineteenth century society. The treatment of these women was also extremely negative; they were expected to stay home and fulfill domestic duties. Literature of this time embodies and mirrors social issues of women in society. Henrik Ibsen uses Nora Helmer in A Doll House to portray the negative treatment of all women throughout society during the nineteenth century. Many women characters throughout American literature reflect the same conflicts and attitudes of Nora in Ibsens play A Doll House. The role of a woman was inferior to that of a man, especially in marriages. The main duties of a woman were centered around the home. They were expected to fulfill their domestic duties, such as caring for the†¦show more content†¦Economic factors also reflected the discrimination and inferior roles of a woman. The marriage vows that the woman took were supposed to evoke the image of mutual trust, yet a woman entered this marriage in which she did not have the same legal and economic rights that her spouse had. One of the main secrets of a mans domination of the household was his control of money (Longford 45). Nora has the same money issues of other married women. In Act I of the play, Torvald tells Nora that just because he is getting a bigger salary, there still will be no depts and no borrowing. However, he then gives her some money to do a little shopping, but tells her that is all she will have to manage with. When he asks her what it is that she wants for the holidays, she replies, quot;You can give me money, Torvald. No more than you think you can spare; then one of these days Ill buy something with itquot; (Ibsen 784). Nora is very dependent on her husband for money, and he gives her money at his discretion. In Charlotte Perkins Gilmans quot;Mrs. Beazleys Deeds,quot; Mrs. Beazleys dilemma involves her spouse selling land and property that was left to her by her father. Although her signature is required on the legal documents, she only signs them because she feels that she is made to by her husband. When Miss Lawrence asks her why she continues to let her husband sell the property and why she continues to sign her propertyShow MoreRelatedNora Helmer and Women in American Literature2063 Words   |  9 PagesWomen were valued very little by nineteenth century society. The treatment of these women was also extremely negative; they were expected to stay home and fulfill domestic duties. Literature of this time embodies and mirrors social issues of women in society. Henrik Ibsen uses Nora Helmer in A Doll House to portray the negative treatment of all women throughout society during the nineteenth century. 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