In Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Torvald treats his wife more like a machine which only receives commands. The play is set in a time when the gender roles were better defined unlike in these days when the gender roles are changing. Nora stays home while Torvald stays home. Torvald scolds her for almost everything she does. Nora herself seems to be very respectful. When she is scolded for spending money buying Christmas gifts, at the end she says, “As you please, Torvald”. Torvald on the other hand treats her like a child. He calls her names like little lark,” “little squirrel,” “little spendthrift,” “little featherhead,” and “little skylark. Every word has little in it meaning Nora is a little thing that needs to follow instructions just like a child.

Torvald scolds her for eating macaroons because it was a rule not to eat them. The couple had agreed that she will not be eating macaroons mainly to save money. Torvald says, “Hasn’t Miss Sweet-Tooth been breaking rules in town today”? (Ibsen 108-109) Nora is smart when it comes to getting money from Torvald but poor is management of the money. She is suggesting borrowing in anticipation of a huge salary to come in the New Year. It is understandable given she stays home and has no knowledge of the risks involved. Maybe this is why Torvald views her like a child.

Work Cited

Ibsen, Henrik. “A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen.” : Act 1. N.p., 1879. Web. 11 May 2016.

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