Question

Read the passage from A Doll’s House.

Helmer: That's right. Well, we will share it, Nora, as man and wife should. That is how it shall be. [Caressing her.] Are you content now? There! There! Not these frightened dove's eyes! The whole thing is only the wildest fancy! Now, you must go and play through the Tarantella and practise with your tambourine. I shall go into the inner office and shut the door, and I shall hear nothing; you can make as much noise as you please. [Turns back at the door.] And when Rank comes, tell him where he will find me. [Nods to her, takes his papers and goes into his room, and shuts the door after him.]

Read the passage from A Room of One’s Own.

She picked up a book now and then, one of her brother's perhaps, and read a few pages. But then her parents came in and told her to mend the stockings or mind the stew and not moon about with books and papers. They would have spoken sharply but kindly, for they were substantial people who knew the conditions of life for a woman and loved their daughter—indeed, more likely than not she was the apple of her father's eye.

Based on the language in these texts, what viewpoints would both Ibsen and Woolf most likely agree on?

Nora and Judith should be happy with the treatment they receive.
Marriage is an institution that is central to every woman’s life.
People who oppress women are not necessarily motivated by a desire to harm them.
People have all the same reasons for discouraging women’s intellectual contributions.

Answer 1

People who oppress women are not necessarily motivated by a desire to harm them.

Both passages show controlling behavior coming from apparently affectionate, well-meaning figures: Helmer's caressing, gentle commands and insistence on “how it shall be” are patronizing rather than openly cruel; Woolf’s parents “spoke sharply but kindly” and are described as loving and substantial people who nevertheless discourage the girl’s reading. Each text depicts oppression rooted in norms, habit, or care—the oppressors aren’t presented as malicious but their actions still limit women.