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Obstacles In Jane Eyre And A Doll's House

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The Obstacles In nineteenth century, women were placed in a position of being inferior to the male genders. They were not independent and autonomous individuals, but appendage to the male-dominated society and were also regarded as possessions of their families. Requirement for women contained taking care of the family members and concerning housework. Such disadvantages at the time appear in “Jane Eyre” and “A Doll’s House”, which have reflected the ideal role and expectation toward women as well as the limitation imposed while developing to independence for the characters. One of the significant disadvantages of female genders in the two works is oppression. Women were expected to be “incapable of making their own decisions” that required …show more content…

As metaphor is used by Ibsen, Nora is depicted as a doll kept for recreation both in her father and her husband’s houses. Nora’s father calls her as “his little doll baby” and plays with her as the way she plays with her dolls. After Nora gets married, she becomes the “doll wife” of her husband. Torvald plays the role of a traditionalist, who regards Nora not as an individual with independent thoughts but a part of his own possession, while Nora has also accepted her position—“I wouldn’t do anything to displease you”. Before marriage, Nora was dependent on her father’s affording of life. After getting married, her husband became her mainstay. She is like a vine attaching to the luxuriant trees, building her life around them and absorbing nutrient to survive. Nora also suffers as a mother figure from victimization throughout the drama. The victimization results from “a powerful social norm equating anatomy with destiny”. Her husband, Torvald, is “given to statements about feminine helplessness and childishness versus manly strength and resourcefulness”. She cannot decide for her own and her right for taking care of the children is easily deprived after Torvald knows about the forgery. Her husband reprimands her and avers “I dare not trust you with

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