A Doll’s House : The ways in which societal expectations restrict women

Introduction:
● Simone de Beauvoir, the French author and feminist, once said “One is not born, but rather
becomes, a woman.”. In other words, ‘femininity’ is nothing more than a social construct.
Women are not born with predetermined characteristics, but it is our society and culture that
impose generalised patterns of behaviour and sexuality upon them, which moulds them into
fixed gender roles.
● In his play A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen explores how women are often limited by the
conventions of a male-dominated world through a range of characters, chiefly Nora, the
protagonist of the play and the wife of Torvald Helmer, and Mrs. Linde, Nora’s childhood
friend.
● Thus, this comparative essay will look at the ways in which societal expectations restrict
women by comparing and contrasting the characters of Nora and Ms. Linde.

BP1: Firstly, in one way or another, both Nora and Ms. Linde are “slaves” to their husbands.
● Ms. Linde: During their first conversation together, Nora asks Ms. Linde why she married
her husband if she didn’t love him. After explaining to her that she had to take care of her
bedridden mother and her two younger brothers, she asks “How could I not accept?”. Ms.
Linde was evidently in a very difficult situation with limited opportunities. The fact she felt
obligated to marry him goes to show the extent to which women were dependent on men.
Since women at the time were not allowed to work independently, if she wanted to take care
of her family, Ms. Linde had no choice but to marry a man.
● Nora: Similarly, Nora is a symbol for oppressed women who are restricted from living a free
life. At the beginning of the play Nora is presented as a passive, childish woman, who enjoys
being treated in a condescending manner by her husband. Torvald refers to her as his “little
featherbrain”, “squirrel
● However, Ms. Linde seeks independence
● And Nora demonstrates some rebellion
● Childlike behaviour, passive, sweet, subservient, irrational
● She illegally obtains a loan to save her husband’s life and then keeps this loan a secret in order
to placate his manly pride. Both characters lead self-sacrificing lives, preventing her from
attaining this freedom with.
● “Torvald doesn’t like when”
● “A wife can’t borrow without her husband’s permission” - Ms. Linde
● “Dance for you”
○ Doll
Furthermore, women at the time were unable to work
BP2: Next, both characters demonstrate adherence to certain societal characteristics which
delineate what a woman should be.
● Firstly, as mentioned previously, Ms. Linde tells Nora that she spent three years working
arduously to take care of her mother and her brothers. After adding that her service is no
longer needed since her mother had “passed on” and her brothers have jobs, Nora assumes
that, since she no longer has to support her family, she must “feel so relieved”. In response,
Ms. Linde tells her that she feels “Empty” with “No one to live for”. Ms. Linde feels
miserable without other people to take care of, thereby fitting into the traditional role of
women as caretakers and nurturers. Mrs. Linde adheres to this role so strongly that she does
not know what to make of her life once she has no one to serve.
● Similarly, Nora’s confinement to the role of Torvald’s sweet, innocent wife prevents her from
acting independently.

● Childlike behaviour, passive, sweet, subservient, irrational

● “A wife can’t borrow without her husband’s permission” - Ms. Linde

● “But it was thrilling too, to be sitting there working, earning money. Almost like a man.” -
Nora

- “Nora capitalates to the social and sexual roles put upon her my Torvald’s male fantasy”
- Nora acquiesces to Torvald’s power
- “They are restricted by the roles of wife, mother, daughter and lover, and are rarely permitted
to act independently.”
- “Society has developed a whole range of “masculine” and “feminine” characteristics.
Feminine ones include sweetness, passivity, modesty, subservience and irrationality.”