In Ibsen's A Doll's House and Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, both playwrights shed light about the struggles women face to establish their place in society. patriarchal society. While in A Doll's House women finally triumph over patriarchy, in A Streetcar Named Desire they end up losing because they accept their dependence on men for a better life. By comparing the various characters of both works, one can understand the battle that a woman must fight to free herself from the restrictions imposed in all areas by the patriarchal system. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In patriarchy, men hold complete authority over women. When Nora was a child, she was her father's doll as she says her father "played with me as I played with my dolls" (Ibsen 74; Act 3). She married Torvald and became the doll living in her husband's dollhouse, which is the representation of an ideal family living in patriarchal society. Similarly, Williams portrayed Stella as a stereotypical submissive woman living under patriarchy and Blanche as a woman struggling against patriarchal norms. Loyalty, sexual purity and resistance define the feminine sphere while violence, lust and hostility fall within masculinity. It is proven that women are dependent on men socially, mentally and economically for their marriage and survival. For example, Stella relies on Stanley for household needs, Mrs. Linde married a businessman instead of her love interest Krogstad to support her ailing mother and two younger brothers, and nurse Anne-Marie who sacrificed her daughter for the work given to her by Nora's father. The characters of Nora and Blanche highlight the theme of achieving independence by overcoming all the barriers of patriarchal society. They both fight to gain freedom from men, but it is Nora who ultimately emerges victorious while Blanche ends up oppressed. The reason is that although Blanche forces Stella to end her abusive relationship with Stanley, she allows herself to depend on men like Mitch and millionaire Shep Huntleigh to live a good life. Blanche sees marriage as an escape from all her miseries even after her first marriage ended terribly. Eventually, he enters a state of dilemma, unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy. His last words “Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers” (Williams 178; Scene 11) is a sad truth as men have always taken advantage of his loneliness to satisfy their lust. She challenged the female archetype in a patriarchal society by choosing to live life her own way and fulfilling her desires. Nora fights for independence by breaking the notion that women are weak, incapable and dependent on men. “I must be alone to know myself and my surroundings” (Ibsen 76; Act 3) shows her courage in defending her freedom and fighting male domination. The influence of patriarchy has transformed Nora's character from a docile housewife into a strong, independent, and fearless woman powerful enough to create the life she desires. Torvald is ready to disown her to preserve his reputation. Ultimately, Nora realizes that her husband is not worthy of her love and takes a big step to leave him forever. A Doll's House encourages gender equality and shows a woman's struggle to escape "the restrictive confines of a patriarchal society" (Coller 47). Stanley and Torvald are the epitome ofpatriarchal values. Both are happy that their wives need them for support. Men view women as objects and degrade them to mere labels as Torvald always calls Nora “my squirrel, my sweet lark” (Ibsen 8; Act 1) while Stanley calls Stella darling, baby, or sweetie. Stanley asserts his dominance over Stella through actions such as giving “a sharp blow with his hand on her thigh” (Williams 50; scene 3). Stanley's character becomes more aggressive as the show progresses, for example, throwing away the radio and abusing Stella, breaking the dinner plate, and finally raping Blanche to demonstrate his gender superiority. “Rape is a social gesture, an act of violence that codifies Stanley's misogyny” (Varney 330). On the other hand, Torvald puts honor before love. He is more focused on blaming Nora for the loss of his status in society than acknowledging her love for him. He thinks Nora is a spendthrift, but the reality is that all the money she borrows goes to repay the debt, which she took out for Torvald's well-being. He fired Krogstad for the same reason as he thinks Krogstad will not give him due respect. Therefore, preserving the male ego is the only priority for patriarchal men over love and marriage. In my opinion, women's actions play a vital role in defining a man's character. We see a softer side of Mitch at the beginning of the game as he cares for his mother and respects Blanche's feelings. If Blanche hadn't lied, Stanley wouldn't have been able to manipulate Mitch against her. It also demonstrates the dual nature of men in patriarchy. Mitch refuses to marry Blanche saying she is not "clean enough" (Williams 150; Scene 9) to live in the same house as his mother. But he does not hesitate to make sexual advances to her, adapting to the masculinity present in the patriarchy. Thus, it is Krogstad who is eager to recover the lost reputation, an important characteristic of patriarchal men, by blackmailing Nora. But he gives up his thirst for status after Mrs. Linde decides to marry him and reveals his good side. But Kristine was the reason for Krogstad's bad behavior in the first place because she left him for another man. “A comprehensive investigation into Kristine's life experiences reveals that her selfless and generous nature is nothing more than a calculated facade designed to deceive” (Wang 69). The outcome for the women in both works is different due to the women's discretion in helping others. women. Stella refuses to believe her sister that her husband raped Blanche. Instead, he chose to depend on him, leaving Blanche alone at her lowest moment. In contrast, Kristine helps Nora by manipulating Krogstad into taking back her letter and also encourages Nora to fight for her rights since she "has nothing to fear from Krogstad, but must speak" (Ibsen 64; Act 3). Thanks to Kristine's encouragement of Nora, it's a victory for the women in A Doll's House as Stella sticks to the patriarchy, resulting in Blanche meeting a terrible fate. However, the condition of women is so pitiful that Mrs. Linde must “return to the patriarchy that Nora rejected” (Shideler 189), asking for Torvald's job and marrying Krogstad after the death of her first husband. various other aspects of plays where patriarchal ideology comes into effect. For example, patriarchy rejects homosexuality Furthermore, patriarchy only allows men to drink alcohol while women have to make excuses for it, as Blanche says "Now don't worry, your sister hasn't become a drunkard, she's just all shaken, hot and tired. and dirty!" (Williams 12; Scene 1). Women have to hide their habits and.