Views on women have changed greatly
since the 19th century. In
previous times, women were regarded as inferior to men. There were many stereotypes attributed to the
female race which included: submissiveness, piety, purity, and
domesticity. Women who strayed from
these characteristics may have been ostracized or looked down upon. A Doll House portrays some of these views of
women through the interactions between Nora and her husband Torvald. Torvold was a puppeteer and Nora was his puppet. He controlled a lot of what Nora did and she
obeyed (at least he always thought so).
Nora behaved obediently at the start of the play, but whenever she did
something that was uncharacteristic of a “woman” Torvald said that she was "not
acting herself". This reference refers to
a societal view that most women should always be obedient and if they are not
then the only explanation is sickness, or temporary madness.
In today’s society, things have changed
dramatically. Women have become more
independent; it has been more socially accepted for them to do so. Also women have branched out in the workforce;
and been given more freedom to do so.
Nowadays, some women are primary providers of their households. This is a huge shift from the 19th
century when men were the sole providers and workers among their families. Women are going further in education as well;
attending colleges. Most colleges have
more female than male attendance (60/40).
While these positive changes have been made in the U.S. other parts of
the world have not been so lucky. In the
Middle Eastern countries, women are still regarded very low. They must cover themselves completely and are
considered inferior to the male race.
Changes will continually be made which
shift the measures of society. There may
be a day when women of all countries get the freedom and equality that they deserve,
but for now it can only be wished for.
