...Critical Analysis of "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House was a controversial play for its time because it questioned society's basic rules and norms. Multiple interpretations can be applied to the drama, which allows the reader to appreciate many different aspects of the play. This paper examines how both Feminist and Marxist analyses can be applied as literary theories in discussing Ibsen's play because both center on two important subject matters in the literary work: the roles of women in a male-dominated society, and, the power that money has over people. In Marxism it is believed that a person's thoughts, behaviors and relationships with others are all influenced by the individual’s social class and economic conditions. In addition, the Marxist approach looks at the mechanics of the system where the working class or the subordinates of society are kept powerless and dependent upon the higher classes. A common theme found in A Doll's House, is the exploitation of the weak and the poor by the strong and the rich, and an obsession with material possessions and social status. The characters in the play are all affected by the lack or acquisition of money, and their entire lives and way of thinking are based upon it. In the beginning of the play, Nora’s outlook on life and her desires are completely consumed by wealth and material things. For instance, in Act I when Nora returns home from a shopping trip, she asks her maid to hide the Christmas...
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...In the play, “A Doll’s House,” by Henrik Ibsen, we see a man and a woman who have a seemingly wonderful life together in their home with their children. Soon into the play, we learn the strength of her love that she has for her husband through her actions. She proves her love for Torvald by forcing her father’s signature on the promissory note, stating that she would pay back every penny that she owed from borrowing money to move her husband south to Italy when he fell ill. Throughout this story, it is no surprise that Nora is deeply in love with Torvald, considering how much she has done for him and to hide her secret to protect his “manhood.” However, Torvald sees Nora as nothing more than a trophy wife, just a puzzle piece to the picture of a perfect family. In my opinion, I prefer the original play’s ending, where Nora ends up leaving Torvald, her children, and her entire life behind to start a new one. She feels she has become too alienated from religion and law and that for years she has lived for her husband and now it’s time she live for herself. This ending, rather than the ending where Nora decides to stay, makes the play. The entire play is just building up to this moment, when Nora, who has done nothing but love Torvald, retaliates and stands up for herself. “…I was simply transferred from papa’s hands into yours. You arranged everything according to your own taste, and so I got the same taste as you-- or else I pretended to, I am really not quite sure which--I...
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...Drama Essay 01 May 2011 The Doll in A Doll House The play "A Doll House" was written by Henrik Ibsen in 1879. In the nineteenth century, women's rights were hardly restricted. The role of the woman was to stay at home and take care about the children and her husband, while the male figure in the home acted as the dominating role. The man made almost all decisions for the family. Nora Helmer is the woman of this period and is portrayed as a victim of her environment, society and male dominance. Throughout her entire life, Nora has been emotionally controlled and treated like a doll by both male characters in her life, her father and her husband. She has believed them without any questions because she is afraid to offend them, "When I lived at home with Papa, he told me all his opinions, so I had the same ones too; or if they were different I hid them, since he wouldn't have cared for that" (1213). Her father shaped her life, her opinions and her thoughts. He played with his "doll-child," spoiled and treated her like a toy and not like an individual (1213). When Nora married Torvald Helmer, she simply passed from her father's hands into her husband's hands with no changes. Nora says: " ...our home's been nothing but a playpen. I've been your doll-wife here, just as at home I was Papa's doll-child" (1213). Torvald takes Nora's father role and treats Nora as a child, controlling everything from her movements to her thoughts. He dresses up his "doll-wife", teaches...
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...In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, a woman named Nora is facing a life altering situation that stands to both ruin her social and private life. In dealing with the potential outcomes of the scenario, Nora comes to find that she has been living a convenient mistruth. Nora’s greatest and most damaging lies are lies she tells to herself. As is seen numerous times throughout the play, Nora hides, withholds, and distorts the truth in order to please everyone around her, including herself. Nora is presented almost immediately as a person of questionable character, wherein the first scene she conceals from Torvald having eaten macaroons. Torvald says to Nora “Not even a bite at a macaroon?” after suggesting she had been to the confectionaries’ (I.11). Nora replies by saying “No, Torvald, I assure you really” (I.11). Forward points out in her critical essay “It becomes clear that she is humouring Torvald, and we soon gather that she is capable of deceitful behavior when she eats macaroons surreptitiously, despite knowing that he would disapprove.” (2009) Nora further compounds this same lie by telling Dr. Rank that she was given macaroons by Ms. Linde. Dr. Rank states “what, macaroons? I thought they were forbidden here” (I.35). Nora replies “yes, but these are some Christine gave me” (I.35). Again, when presented with the opportunity to be a genuine person, Nora chooses the opposite. When she initially greets Ms. Linde and is catching up on old times, Ms. Linde asks Nora “You spent...
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...The statement “a society defines ‘conformity’ as ‘that which is sane’” from Literature: The Human Experience can be analyzed through Henrick Ibsen’s drama A Doll’s House. This play allows the audience to examine the life of a woman under pressure to conform to a society’s standards, of whose manipulation she is unaware. As her eyes are opened to the dehumanization and self-serving nature of her friends and family, Nora finds that what she thought to be “sane” all along, really is quite the opposite. Webster’s Dictionary defines “conformity” as “action in accordance with some specified standard or authority.” This definition validates that those around Nora dictated her way of living. Torvald Helmer, Nora’s husband, views her as a child, or incapable of independent or intelligent thought which causes Nora to not delve into deeper issues and to “grow” into an adult. Toward the end of the play, Nora says to Torvald, “I was your little skylark, your doll, which you would in future, treat with doubly care, because it was so brittle and fragile.” Torvald never saw her as anything more than a play-thing, a doll, or someone that lacked knowledge or depth. It is as if society has ingrained in Torvald that women are to be treated as children and as though they cannot think for themselves. The term sane, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, means “mentally sound, able to anticipate and appraise the effect of one’s actions.” In Nora, Ibsen creates a woman who is mentally sound and...
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...In A Doll’s House Nora Helmer appears completely happy, in the beginning. She reacts lovingly to Torvald’s teasing; she speaks with enthusiasm about the extra money his new job will provide. Nora does not seem to mind her lifestyle. She is spoiled and belittled by Torvald. As the play develops Nora uncovers that she is not a “silly girl” as Torvald calls her. She comprehends the business details associated to the debt she sustained by taking out a loan to save Torvald’s health reveals that she is intelligent and possesses the aptitudes beyond measly wifehood. Nora illustrates her years of secret labor that was taken on to pay off her debt demonstrate her intense willpower and aspiration. Furthermore, the fact that she was prepared to break the law in order to guarantee her husband’s health proves her bravery. Krogstad’s blackmail and the trauma that follows do not change Nora’s nature, they open her eyes ti her unfulfilled and underappreciated potential. “I have been performing tricks for you, Torvald,”(I) she says during her climactic confrontation with him. Nora comes to realize that in addition to her literal dancing and singing tricks, she has been putting on a show throughout her entire marriage. She has pretended to be someone that she is not in order to fulfill the role that Torvald , her father and society at large have expected of her. Torvald’s severe and selfish reaction after learning of Nora’s deception and forgery is the final straw for Nora’s awakening. But...
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...Zubeda Begum Professor Keenan English 102- 0014 July 11, 2011 A Doll’s House The role of women has evolved since the 19th century. Generally, our social norms and outlooks on males and females have changed dramatically over time compared to the daily lives we now live. These changes have especially been more significant toward women. The only obligation women had to fulfill when Henrik Ibsen wrote A Doll’s House was to take care of the house and bring up the children. Nora does not realize her decision can lead to breaking her marriage with Helmer who meant the world to her, but we can assume that Nora’s decision has a tremendous negative effect on the people close to her. Nevertheless, her decision benefits her in the end because it gives her a chance to discover herself and see what she is capable of after having to deal with lies and deception she has put up with to keep Helmer from finding out her secret. Along with lies and deception, hypocrisy plays a major role in how Helmer treats Nora, and sexism is a major part of the play because both genders are looked at very differently. Nora’s decision to leave her “doll’s house” does not only affect her but also the people around her including her husband, Kristine, Anne Marie, and most importantly, her children. She is oblivious to the hardships her children will have to endure without her presence. They will be missing a mother figure and certain facets of the children's lives will be greatly affected in a negative...
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...Techniques of a Well Made Play in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest End of Term Project Ivy Koranteng Saint Peter’s Insurance Page 1 Techniques of a Well Made Play in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest A well-made play usually opens with a discussion where the actors reveal essential information to the audience. This is set up in way where information logical to the plot is brought up in a conversation. The techniques of a well-made play include revelation of a secret, suspense, conflicts, mistaken identity and a climatic scene resolving all the problems in end. Majority of well-made plays are comedies, however Ibsen’s A Doll house, although it is a drama, it has most of the characteristics of a well-made play. In the beginning of the play, Ibsen uses conversation between Nora and Mrs. Linde to set up the plot of the play. Mrs. Linde, an old school mate of Nora, pays her a visit to see if her husband Torvald could help her secure employment at the bank where he works. During the visit, the two of them catch up on what has been going on in each other’s life, which is perfectly logically for two old friends to do. It is through their conversation that Nora’s secret that she took out a loan to go on a trip to help save her husband’s life without his knowledge is revealed to the audience. She had to keep the secret from her husband because he does not believe in taking out loans...
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...Ashley Griffin Professor Paulette J. Marek ENC1102 81 30 October 2013 Metaphors A Doll’s House is a play that is significant for its attitude toward the 19th Century Marriage norms. There is lots of controversy that talks about protagonist, Nora, Leaving her husband and children because she wanted to find out who she is as a person. Metaphors are use all the time in writing. The Pet name that torvald uses for Nora are metaphors for how women were treated during the Victorian era. I feel that the main idea of the author Ibsen’s work is all about metaphor that he uses in this drama The Doll’s House. In the begging Nora follows her childlike or housewife role that she plays. After sometime Nora speaks to Torvalds and realizes that he feels that Nora should only be the housewife and mother of his children. She should not be able to know or find out who she is as a person. Nora goes from a very immature person or just went along with what she was told to a very dependent, and very self-sufficient person. She now shows the idealized “doll” role of a woman but also keeps away from the limitations and social constraints of that time period. In the beginning of this drama Nora is a house wife and very childish person that she feels she needs to be. Growing up she had a father that was very dominant. She then married Torvalds who was also very dominant towards Nora. With the way Torvalds was it showed Nora’s Physical growth but her immaturity and emotional dependence hasn’t changed...
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...1. To what country did Tovarld need to travel for his health? Torvarld traveled down south to Itlaly for a whole year because of his health. 2. From whom did Nora borrow money? Nora borrowed money from Nils Krogsted. 3. What does the black cross on Dr. Ranks’s calling card signify? The black cross on Dr. Rank’s calling card signifies that he is dying. 4. How many children do Torvald and Nora have? The Helmers have three children, Ivar, Bob, and Emmy. 5. List at least three nicknames that Torvald uses for Nora. Torvald calls Nora his little skylark, his little spendthrift, and his little squirrel as nicknames. 6. Whom did Mrs. Linde abandon for a richer man? Mrs. Linde abandoned Krogsted for a richer man. 7. Whom did Mrs. Linde work many years to support? Mrs. Linde worked many years to support her helpless mother and two little brothers. 8. How did Dr. Rank get his disease? Dr. Rank has consumption of the spine from his father who committed excesses that made him sick from his childhood. 9. Who helped raise Nora? Anne, the nurse helped raise Nora. 10. What does Nora eat against Torvald’s wishes? Nora eats macaroons against Torvald’s wishes, he is afraid that they will spoil her teeth. 11. Where is the play set? The play is set in the Helmers apartment. 12. Whose signature did Nora forge? Nora forged her father’s signature on the bond from Krogted in which she borrowed money to go to Italy for Torvald’s health. 13. What is Mrs. Linde’s first name? Mrs....
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...PEnglish 102-5 March 29, 2011 A Doll’s House Nora is the main character all throughout the first act of A Doll House. She has several different qualities that both work together and against one another to build up her character in this play. The two most prominent are her as a child, and as both a manipulator and one who has been manipulated. Nora is seen as a “doll” or child throughout this play. She is treated this way because of the way she “acts”. She will clap her hands when she gets excited about something, and is often humming and moving all around. Nora’s character can be controversial. Nora’s attitude toward her husband Torvald Helmer is very young as well. Torvald had always treated her this way because he regarded for her as a squirrel, which demonstrates that he does not believe her capable of dealing with adult matters such as finances and health crises. Instead of treating her as a wife or adult, Torvald lectures her on posturing, child rearing, and even dancing. By the end of the story, when he is hit with the knowledge of Nora’s complicated efforts—to save his life, he chooses to take aim and talk at her, rather than discussing her reasoning and emotional state when she made the choice she did by getting a secret loan. Throughout the play I felt that she couldn’t take care of herself without her husband by her side. I didn’t really know what to think of Nora at the beginning of the play. Nora’s “hidden” strength is shown the most toward her husband. She is...
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...Professor Samios-Uy English 102-E1A October 22, 2007 Essay #4, Draft Title In Henrik Ibsen play “A Doll’s House, Norma Helmer, one of the main characters is a woman who does immoral and unjust actions in order to save her husband’s life and then realizes her actions were done under false pretenses. She thought that she has committed a crime for love and find out the she really does not know what love is. The other characters attitude in the story toward Nora plays a major role in understanding Nora and significance of the play. One character, attitude toward Nora is that she is a simple woman. She walks talks and think as a child according to her husband Mr Torvald Helmer. In the beginning of the play Norma stuff her mouth with macaroons and when she hears her Torvald comes in she hides them. Like how a child would do if they would sneak and eat something after their parents not to. Torvald also had many pet names for his wife such as my little squirrel, or my little sky lark. Nora and Torvald never have and adult converstions. They talk about the children or Nora going shopping. Torval always say be a good little wife. However, toward the end of the play Mr Helmer attitude changes about Nora. He upset with her that she decides to leave him. He said that she is ungrateful Another character is Ms Kristine Linde who is a friend of Nora’s attitude toward her is the the same as Torvald simple minded. However, Kristine call relate to Nora because she was in a similar...
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...English 102 How A Doll Became A Master Henrik Ibsen, author of A Dollhouse, creates a play that reflects a woman, named Nora, who when faced with certain difficulties decides to choose a path according to her own particular fulfillment in life. Nora is determined to venture upon a journey at the end of the play with a sole purpose of finding her true identity and meaning in the world. Ibsen illustrates what appears to be a typical marriage of love and loyalty during a time when women were restricted from certain actions and tasks. This marriage between Nora and Torvald Helmer, appeared on the surface to be quite normal, but beneath the surface lingered deceit and self-fulfillment thus providing Nora with the personal growth required to become an independent adult. Nora possesses a conscious where individuality and independence lie dormant, and as a result of a three day experience that stemmed from a secret business loan, her conscious is provided with the ability to flourish. Nora’s childish demeanor, naiveness and inexperience in life is clearly represented early in the play, but as the story unfolds, Nora evolves and becomes an individual adult due to the problems which include the secret business loan, as well as the realistic lessons and impact Krogstad, Mrs. Linde, and Dr. Rank unknowingly contribute in her life. The business loan Nora acquired from Krogstad, behind Torvald’s back, and the threats he made upon her is the beginning of her evolvement to becoming...
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...Reflection Paper and Fiction: Drama 1 Reflection Paper and Fiction: Drama A Doll’s House by: Henrik Ibsen Judy Headlee August 10, 2014 ENG/125 Literature in Society Natasha Whitton Reflection Paper and Fiction: Drama 2 This play was written in a time when it was considered outrageous for a woman to leave her husband to gain her freedom as well as show she had a mind of her own. That is just what Nora does in the end. Nora was breaking the way women were supposed to behave to show she could take care of herself and her family. Henrik Ibsen wrote this play in 1879. It was considered one of his more realistic problem plays. At the time women were not really allowed to think for themselves or go against their husbands. Nora does both by fixing a problem that arises without the assistance of her husband. Nora has found a way to help her husband overcome a situation that is taking a toll on his health. She does so without the help of Torvald or her father. She did not go to her father because he is dying and she does not want to make his life seem less important than that of her husbands. When the play first begins the audience seems to think Nora and Torvald have a great marriage and they love each other. They seem to be a happy couple. Torvald speaks to his wife in a demeaning way but she does not seem to mind. So they go on with the charade of a happy couple who love each other. In a way Nora does love her husband just as...
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...A Doll’s House – Being More Than Just A Doll June 15, 2015 Dr. Ozichi Alimole A Doll’s House – Being More Than Just A Doll In A Doll’s House, Ibsen uses many literary conventions such as realism and symbolism to convey his message about marital inequality and the rights of individuals. His play is powerful, requiring imagination on the part of both the author and reader to experience wholly. Additionally he very effectively shows the conservative way in which women were treated and expected to behave, as well as the consequences for standing alone or taking action. In addition to feeling that Mr. Ibsen’s depiction of marriage in 1870’s Norway was likely very relatable for women I also agreed with a description of A Doll’s House in his biography where it says: This 1879 play set tongues a-wagging throughout Europe for exploration of Nora's struggle with the traditional roles of wife and mother and her own need for self-exploration. Once again, Ibsen had questioned the accepted social practices of the times, surprising his audiences and stirring up debate. (“Ibsen,” n.d., para. 9) He uses realism in delivering his ideas as evidenced by the fact that there are limited numbers of similes and a dearth of flowery language, and in capturing a subject that is accepted as an every day norm ("Realism," n.d., para. 4). The effect this has is to cast a fairly strict tone, one free from enhancement with a very matter of fact representation. The strong social criticism issued...
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