A Doll's House and Tess of the D'UrbervillesAt the end of the 19th century, women began to break out of the usual molds. Two authors from this era wrote two distinct but very similar literary works. Henrik Ibsen wrote the play A Doll's House and Thomas Hardy wrote Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Both Ibsen and Hardy use male characters to contrast with their female counterparts to illustrate how women are stronger by following their hearts rather than their minds. Ibsen uses Torvald to describe a world where men choose to follow their minds rather than their hearts. Ibsen makes Torvald believe that he is truly in love with his wife Nora. Torvald believes that he will "risk my life's blood, and all, for your sake."(63) The author makes the reader believe that Torvald is a chivalrous man who would give life and limb to defend his true love, as the author believes any real man would do. Later in the play, a circumstance arises where he has the opportunity to defend his wife. He turns around and explains to his wife that "no man would sacrifice his honor for the one he loves."(71) The author shows Torvald's stupidity with his erroneous conception of honor. In reality, when a man sacrifices himself for the one he loves, it brings him honor. Torvald is considered a real hypocrite. Torvald also believes that the most important thing is to "save appearances."(65) He follows his mind, only being interested in what is best for society. Ibsen illustrates him as a truly weak human. Unlike Ibsen, Hardy takes an intellectually free thinker, Angel, who shows a very closed perspective on events instead of opening up to his true inner feelings. When Angel's wife reveals to him that she committed the sin of premarital sex as Angel did, he begins to reveal his ignorance to the reader. In his sin, "forgiveness does not apply."(244) Angel's double standard shows the reader that sexism existed even among free thinkers of the time like Angel. He believed that his wife's sin was not "a question of respectability, but a question of principle." » (257) Hardy mocks Angel because he ironically believes himself to be free from the Church, but in reality his mind is a prisoner of their principles..