<em> </em><em>The conflict between Nora and Helmer shows how gender roles were defined, as Helmer has complete control over everything, including what the couple discusses.</em>
Explanation:
<em>Doll`s House</em> written by Henrik Ibsen gives us exact social picture of that age. Nora and Torvald Helmer are married. He has a high position in society and he is the leading man of the house. Nora`s role is to be sweet, pretty wife with whom he can show off to the society. Their roles are predestined with expectations of society, if they want to be accepted, they have to play them. Helmer calls Nora with names like <em>squirrel</em> or <em>little bird</em>, in one moment he even marks her as his pet who spends a lot of money. He decides what she will eat or dress or even talk. We can say that Nora even uses her inferior position to get some power. She acts like a damsel in distress so to challenge him to help her in some meaningless activities in which he will feel like a man in charge, but for the biggest part of the play, she was not aware that using her subordinate position for some little and short term pleasures leaves her in that same position which is just being someone`s mannequin.
