The Stereotypes Against Women in the Early 20th Century in the Plays A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen and Trifles by Susan Glaspell

Ibsen‘s ‘A Doll House’ and Glaspell‘s ‘Trifles‘ are feminist plays that portray the stereotypes against women in the early 20‘“ century. This essay compares Mrs. Nora Helmer and Mrs. Minnie Wrights, female characters from both plays, and how the authors use them to depict the perception of feminism at the time. To begin with, Mrs, Nora Helmer in the ‘A Doll House‘ comes out as a happily married woman, who enjoys life with her children In her joyous role, Helmer depicts a woman seeking to gain her freedom from her restrictive paternalistic relationship, with her husband. Helmer‘s emergence is quite evident throughout the play, particularly on her constant emphasis to assume her own independent action. Her dramatic rebellion in her attempt to break free is notable when she commits a crime of forgery.

Following the incident, Helmer is proud to admit that she is responsible, and refuses to peg the accusations on someone else For instance, she shares her secrets with her friend Kristine Linde by maintaining “...1 tell you...nobody knew...l alone was responsible...”. The clarity and preciseness of her sentiments, together with its simplicity in vocabulary, and straightforward manner, suggest her desire to communicate freely, Moreover, her repetition of “I” and “nobody knew” demonstrate how important it is for Linder to recognize that her actions were entirely independent In addition, Mrs. Helmer shows her own desire to regain her freedom. As the play ends, Helmer discards everything she knew in her attempt to rediscover new self This is evident in the manner in which she address her husband, Torvald, she tells him that she is an individual just like him, she adds that she does not believe in what people or books say about her, because she was ready to find out for herself.

This illustration reveals how she compares herself to her man and how she distances herself form society and knowledge. In her speech, Helmer represents a woman who is discovering her individual rights, and motivated to abandon the traditional female figure of a mother and wife. On the other hand, Mrst Wright in Glaspell’s “Trifles” comes out as a woman who is unhappy, tortured and miserable, and who has no way out from her trapped marriage In the play, Mrs. Wright endures a loveless marriage and lives under the shadow of a vicious husband, who constantly abuses her physically, emotionally and mentally It is obvious that Mrs. Wrights hates her husband, as she admits that she gave everything to build a “pleasant homentout of a lonely and dark houseu." Before her marriage, Mrst Wright was lively and independent woman, who found herjoy in singing.

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However, hell broke loss immediately she after her marriage, symbolized by her house, which is “down in a hollow" and where you “can‘t see the road”. Moreover, to makes matter worse, her husband kills her canary, her only source ofjoy, as she love music very much In addition, the play portrays Mrst Wright as a hopeless woman, and one who resorts to murder, in order to escape her miseryl As the play begins, Wright‘s farmhouse kitchen is messy with unwashed utensils under the sink, towel in the table, and bread outside the box. The state of this dirty kitchen, where the women spent most of their time, symbolizes Mrs, Wrights fear and confusion Moreover, her newousness and refusal to assume her own independence is further evident when she kills her husband, John, in her attempt to escape his abuse.

In spite of the profound distinction between Mrs. Helmer and Mrs, Wright, it is noteworthy that both women find themselves in a male dominant society, where they are despised and oppressed, and thus, decide to take action, In ‘A Doll’s House’, Helmer faces male authority in her marriage, exhibited through her husband, Torvald, who constantly belittles herr For example, Torvald describes Helmer as his little pet that it is expensive for a man to maintain (Ibsen 4), His utterances reveal how he considers Mrs. Helmer as an inferior female object compared to men. However, as the play proceeds, Helmer acquires her voice and a sense of feminine agencyl Her desire to assume her own independent action is evident when she decides to leave Torvald.

Similarly, Mrs, Wright also marries a man who oppresses her, treating her as a mindless puppet, Her husband dominates her life and mistreats her repeatedly. Mr. Hale even recognizes that “... women are used to worrying about trifles". Nonetheless, Mrs. Wright decides to take action, in her effort to gain her feminist indentify, by killing her husband. In conclusion, based on the discussion above, it is evident that although Mrs. Helmer and Mrs. Wright assume different roles, both depict the theme of feminism, and the attempt by women to towards their own independent freedom in society.

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