Ibsen here shows men's insecurity over their position in society. Through Torvald's shallow' ideals of women working and unappeasable pride, which are repellent to the audience, he criticises the social ideal of the economically dominant male of that era. Fully aware of Torvald's hurt and humiliation' if he were ever to find out, Nora hides her capability from Torvald, but announcing proudly to Mrs. Linde that it was I who raised the money' for the holiday that saved Torvald's life. .
The tough life led by women who had to learn to support themselves, to struggle along' without a husband to take care of them is shown through the comparison between Nora and Mrs. Linde. Nora's pampered lifestyle is at great odds with Mrs. Linde's difficult working life, described by Mrs. Linde as feeling like she was shipwrecked' and clinging to a spar'. Working has clearly taken its toll, giving Mrs. Linde an embittered air that can be seen through the way she deprecatingly speaks of the luxuries in Nora's everyday existence, remarking that it must be pleasant to have everything you need'. Through these two vastly different female characters, Ibsen juxtaposes the idealistic and at times nave view of independence that Nora holds (in Mrs. Linde's words as knowing so little about the troubles and hardships of life') with the harsh reality, that workingwomen lead hard lives. He also highlights, through Mrs. Linde's plight, how 19th Century society made life difficult for those who dared to be individual. .
Women also covet independence in a physical sense. Torvald's pet names for Nora, such as little songbird', show the generally accepted notion of women as being caged creatures. Through the setting of A Doll's House, a single room in which all events take place, Ibsen may be showing the reader here that, as society expected women to remain in the house, as dolls' to be played with by men, they are often kept in a locked box', this suffocating atmosphere causing women to feel isolated from outside society, and become desirous of freedom.