In both the works A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen and "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we encounter the conflict of women oppressed and struggling for their role as human beings; they seek freedom from their homes and their husbands. Both Nora and Georgina's husbands were oppressors of their women's choices. They were objects to their husbands and their obligations were home, their families and to become the pride and trophy of their husbands. In A Doll House, although Nora is oppressed, Ibsen gives her the ability to reciprocate roles in the family, which shows the emancipation of women in the just beginning of the 19th century and perhaps the influence of many other emancipatory movements to come. In "The Birthmark", Hawthorne shows the horrific results of husbands' control, how Georgina risked her life to let her husband remove the birthmark on her face that her husband despises. In A Doll House, Nora was a downtrodden woman living with her husband. and three children. Torvald, her husband, was the head of the family. He provided financially, went to work and was the ideal father and citizen of the time. Their family was an example of a traditional family. Nora was the ideal wife who dedicated herself to her husband and children. His time, affection and pride revolved around his family. Torvald fell ill and desperately needed medical help to survive, Torvald not having the money to fund his health needs worried Nora. In her obvious devotion to her husband, Nora goes to raise money for her husband's health. Nora ends up borrowing money from a loan shark, Krogstad, and forges her dying father's signature as her co-signer. Nora had been "a secret slave to the scribe's work"85). At that point... halfway through the paper... a good result all round. A Doll House and "The Birthmark" are two works that profoundly inspired and opened the doors to women's emancipation movements at the end of the 19th century. and throughout the 20th century. Ibsen and Hawthorne comprehensively demonstrated that equality is important in society. These women were oppressed because of their obligation to abide by social norms. Oppressions do not allow them to be themselves and have freedom of expression and speech. Today these works are read, although society has moved away from these oppressions, there are still underlying issues that can be resolved, questioned and reevaluated. Over the years, countries have made great progress in the field of women's rights, but they continue to be looked down upon. In the 21st century, women are still paid less than men, are expected to take care of household chores, and are sometimes expected to conform to social norms.