"Sweat" is the story of an African American woman named Delia Jones who endures the abuse of her husband, Sykes—a man who tortures and frightens her for fun—and eventually bests him, allowing poetic justice to result in his death. A Doll's House tells the story of an upper middle-class white Norwegian woman called Nora Helmer, who realizes that she has only ever existed like a toy for the men in her life to play with; she leaves her husband and family as a result of her epiphany so that she can figure out who she is independently. Both "Sweat" and A Doll's House criticize the restrictions that women—in different decades and countries, of different socioeconomic classes and races—face in patriarchal societies, and both texts feature female characters who are brave enough to act independently in the face of significant opposition.

Delia, for example, continues to work hard and make her home a comfortable one for herself despite her husband's attempts to stop her; she even raises a frying pan against him to defend herself from his abuse. Nora, for example, abandons her marriage and children when she realizes that her husband only wanted a "doll-wife," that she has been prevented from "think[ing] over things for [her]self" and coming to conclusions about herself and the world. She realizes that she does not actually know who she is, and she bravely strikes out on her own to find out. Delia allows her husband's malice to come back to him and destroy him so that no one can be blamed for his death but himself. With Sykes gone, she will be free to enjoy her life on her own. Both women achieve independence by shaking off the patriarchy, as represented by their husbands.