A Doll's House Identity Essay

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One’s identity is formed by the experiences one has and it is a culmination of one’s opinions and beliefs. Everyone has an identity because it is a defining feature of who you are. Knowing who you are, gives you a purpose and it makes your life fulfilling and meaningful. Some people know who they are with absolute certainty, but for others, figuring out who they are can be hard, especially if they are under the constant judgment of society. In Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll’s House, Nora had to ignore society and go on a journey of self-exploration to find out who she is. Nora shows that the only way for someone to discover their true identity is if they disregard how society would respond to their actions. One way Ibsen’s literary work supports the idea about the importance of finding your identity is through characterization. In the very first …show more content…

At the start of Act III, Ibsen writes “THE SAME SCENE.” This reveals that the entire play has taken place in the same room. On the surface, this information shows that the characters don’t travel anywhere during the play. When analyzing this further, however, it takes on a metaphorical meaning that symbolizes Nora's oppression. For the majority of the play, Nora has been confined to Torvald’s house. She wasn’t able to develop because she has been around Torvald all the time. At this point in the play, she hasn’t gone outside so she doesn’t know what the world is like. The only way for Nora to have an idea of how the world works would be from conversations with Torvald but she reveals that she has never had a serious conversation with him. He has limited her in that they never engaged in conversation about important things so she lacks knowledge in basic and fundamental things such as the laws that govern the society she lives in. Only when Nora physically leaves the house does she gain knowledge about the

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