According to Elizabeth Sanford, what is the proper role of women? What forces in nineteenth-century European society merged to shape Sanford's under - standing of ''proper'' gender roles? In Ibsen's play, what challenges does Nora Helmer make to San - ford's view of the proper role and behavior of wives? Why is her husband so shocked? Why did Ibsen title this play A Doll's House?

Elizabeth Sanford's "Women in Her Social and Domestic Character" was written for showing the advice of women's roles in 1842, during the Industrial England. This period used to be a time of full changes from technological to social ones, where the woman role in society did not played an important part in the working class.

Sanford's ideal of the woman was a dependent creature, who needed a husband and has no place in a business environment. So, the woman's place at that time was in the home, where she was expected to be her husband's everything.

Sanford's thought of woman's role in society was shaped due to the influence from society's ideals in the European society during the 19th century. Also, the influences of working class society force many middle-class women to distinguish themselves from their inferior counterparts, the need for a woman to work for financial issues was only for the poorest women and this was highly unacceptable because of this stigma. The working class' ideals during that period led to Sanford's to establish these ideals for woman.

At Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House, the role of Nora Helmer reflects Sanford's ideals. At the play, Nora was blackmailed by Krogstad, an ex-employee of her husband. She did everything to save her husband Torvaldo, in order to mantain his life and dignity but his husband instead of appreciating the great gesture of his wife, he humiliates and judges her. Nora and Torvaldo argue due to Nora's ideal of her role in society and, as well in their marriage. At the end of the play, Nora recognizes her role in society as an independent woman, going against Sanford's ideals.

Henrik Ibsen titled this play as A Doll's House, because the role of women during that period was to treat them like dolls, just for keeping them imprisoned inside the jail-feeling marriage.