Almost everyone knows that there has been a different equality between men through the last centuries. The book a doll's house takes place in a Norwegian town in the beginning of the 18 century. At that time, it was usual for the men to provide the family by working, while the women had to stay home and watch the kids, cook, clean and do laundry. People may not think about how it affects the women by being suppressed of the laws and the man in the family, but this book shows how Nora, the main character, feels about being a woman at that time. In this paper it is discussed the expectations to men and women when there is not equal right, and what it affects how the genders way of thinking.

The play deals with the story of the young woman Nora, her husband Thorvald Helmer, Mrs Linde, Doctor Rank and Krogstad. The play itself takes place in a classic home during this period, when the protagonist Nora lives with her husband Thorvald Helmer and their three common children. We follow the family in the Christmas days, where you as reader / viewer will also be presented to Doctor Rank, Nora's childhood friend Fru Linde and Krogstad. The conflict between the people is based on Nora borrowing money from Krogstad by forging her father's signature, as she was to cover the financial expenses of treating her sick man at that time in the south. She does not tell her husband that she has borrowed the money, as it is very much looked down on during the period, and Thorvald believes that it is shameful to borrow money. Later in the play, Krogstad blackmails the young woman Nora, as he would like to maintain his position in the stock bank. Through the play one follows the characters' mutual development, including Nora's showdown with the time norms of the woman's role and marriage in general.

Henrik Ibsen lived between 1828 and 1906. At this time, there were completely different conditions with regard to equality. For example, in "A Doll's House" one could see that it was common for men to treat women as objects or tools in the home, they were almost like dolls. Torvald had, for example, a nickname for Nora. The "Little squirrel" was the name he used about her. These names indicate that he looked more like Nora than an object. It was not uncommon for men to be like Torvald at this time, but it was also at this time that the women began to take up the struggle for themselves and the struggle for gender equality.

My thesis statement was about the expectations to men and women when there is not equal right, and what it affects how the genders way of thinking. There are different aspects shown in this book, that can be relevant for discussing my thesis statement. First, when women have less rights than men, people obviously think that it is like that for a reason. People grew up to learn that education, and jobs were for men, and women had to do the housework.  Therefore the men may feel better/smarter than the women, and that results in treating them different. In the book a doll's house, the man in the relationship (Thorvald) would give comments like "The child [Nora] shall have her way." (Ibsen) . This is an example that shows how he acts with her and how he only sees her as someone he have to prevent and not his wife. Also, it may show that he do not love her, since people should not act like that with someone they love. However, from Nora's view, she feels that even the person who is supposed to be her husband treats her like she is a child and not a grown up person. 

The fight for equality among men and women is a theme in "A Doll's House" because Nora does something drastically at the end of the play. Having been treated as an object for eight years, she would no longer want to. She did not think it was okay to be treated like that, and she was not allowed to take part in the important issues concerning her family was something she liked very much. It was the man who took responsibility for it, without including the woman. As a symbol that she thought she had been treated unfairly, and that she wanted men and women to be alike, she left her family. During Ibsen's time, this was a very unusual and shameful act, but it was necessary for women like Nora. She  breaks out of the "polished doll's house" when she decides to leave the man and her children. Here she becomes a more independent woman with bones in her nose, as she makes this groundbreaking decision. 

Leading back to my thesis statement “ expectations to men and women when there is not equal right, and what it affects how the genders way of thinking”, I will conclude that this play shows one of the scenarios where the woman feels worthless, while the man sees her as an object. This play may have been incredibly important for women's fight for equality. A doll's house is world-renowned, and is played on many scenes today.

References:

Ibsen. H. (1879). A doll`s house. Skien, Norway