Post 14

Nora is described at the opening of the play as a normal 19th century woman who is obedient to her husband, as seen by the terminology used by her husband, Torvald, to characterize her. Nora has been dubbed "squander bird," "skylark," and "squirrel" by Torvald (Ibsen 26). He appears to dehumanize Nora by continuously referring to her as a pet. Nora is viewed by Torvald as a worthless person who is utterly reliant on him. Nora's function as a wife, he argues, is to amuse and serve as a trophy, which mirrors the majority of nineteenth-century marriages. A typical wife in the nineteenth century functioned like an Angel in the House. Women were viewed as assets or objects by males at the period, and they were heavily ruled by men. People who worked, mainly men, earned money, therefore having power over others. Men used money to dominate their women, as Torvald's character expresses when he says, "it's astounding what an expensive pet she is for a guy to keep."  As previously said, men see women as things or pets, and the quote represents how they spend money to retain them. The role of woman today is very different. Women are more independent and self-reliant.