Comparison and contrast between the female characters

Thesis statement

Even in the scientific circle women are seen in the darklight. Gender discrimination still continues unabated even after so much awareness is generated and legislations enforced to that effect.

Discussion

A play by Henrik Ibsen about a woman who leaves her husband, who has always treated her like a doll rather than a human being, in order to establish a life of her own.

The role and place of women in gendered society used to be popular objects of literary analysis. Dozens of talented writers used the topic of gender discrimination and male superiority to design their stories. Susan Glaspell's Trifles and Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's Housecreate a complex picture of male-female relationships and their effects on women's perceptions about reality. Nora Helmer, the central character of Ibsen's play, seems completely satisfied with her family and social life: she is constantly coddled and patronized by her husband and plays the role of a silly, small girl who cannot take relevant decisions. In a similar vein, Minnie Foster (Wright), the protagonist of Susan Glaspell's Trifles, spends her life in isolation and abandonment, prevented by her husband from realizing her intentions and strivings. Nora and Minnie are two strong females in a male-dominated world, who choose different ways to cope with gender injustices and rebel against gendered standards and expectations of female performance (Stephanie, p24).

Minnie Foster (Wright) and Nora Helmer are two females living in a male-dominated world. They must play doll-like roles of silly girls, who willingly comply with male expectations and demands. Women's feelings in both stories are relatively unimportant. Nora and Minnie spend their lives in isolation and spiritual abandonment, which they often take for granted. Nora's husband does not seem to take Nora seriously. Nora for Torvald is not a personality but a nice, silly supplement to her husband. ...