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Symbolism in a doll's house essay
Symbolism in a doll's house essay
Symbolism in a doll's house essay
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What is the ideal home life to live? A Doll’s House is a play written by Henrik Ibsen. The setting of the play is the Helmer’s house in 1879. The main characters are Torvald and Nora Helmer. In this time period women were not considered as equals to men. Nora is treated like a doll living in Torvald’ s doll house because he controls her actions and calls her pet names. He believes Nora’s only job is to please him. Torvald has the power to control Nora’s actions. Since she was a little girl, starting with her father, she is based off his opinions. Nora grew up thinking his way was the only way and that idea transferred to Torvald. He does not trust Nora with money because she is incapable and immature. In the opening of act one, Torvalds thoughts on money shows when he …show more content…
Nora’s main task is to please Torvald in a few different ways. He wants her to take care of the children and clean up around the house. Torvald wants Nora to pleasure him at his command. He gets his way by loving her with his words that admire her beauty. Another reason she is so quickly to do things for Torvald is because she is completely dependent on him. Nora lives in Torvald’s house and without him she wouldn’t have much of a place to stay. One thing Nora does for herself in her spare time is knit. When Nora and Mrs. Linde are talking about the ball she says, “Tomorrow evening there is to be a fancy- dress ball at the Stenborgs’, who live above us; and Torvald wants me to go as a Neapolitan fisher-girl, and dance the Tarantella that I learned at Capri” (Ibsen 1378). Nora asked Torvald to help her pick out a costume, but this expresses exactly how specific in what he wants for Nora. According to the way he thinks, Nora’s presentation at the ball is a reflection of him and their marriage. They spend quality time together at the ball and while Torvald helps Nora practice her
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen is a play written in 1879. At the time of its publishing it received criticism from various sectors of society. One of the most denounced aspects about this play was the character of Nora. Nora’s attitude towards Torvald is an example of female marital submission that leads to her intellectual blindness and dependence; however, through the play, she manages to emancipate herself.
Nora is perceived as a helpless women, who goes out and wastes money that was earned by her husband. To Torvald, Nora is merely a plaything, which could be what the title of the play, "A Doll House", was hinting at. He found her helplessness to be attractive, because he was the one that was in control. For instance, when they received the Bond from Krogstad, Torvolld said, "I wouldn't be a man if this feminine helplessness didn't make you twice as attractive to me" followed by "It's as if she belongs to him in two ways now: in a sense he's given her fresh ...
In “A Doll’s House”, when Torvald learns of her secret affairs concerning Nora forging her father’s signature to get a loan to save Torvald’s life, he began to treat her horribly, insulting her in every way that is possible. In that moment, Nora realized that she could no longer live a life as Torvald’s wife anymore. He wanted to live a life in which no one in the society would know what had happened. They would act like they were a happily married couple in public, but in private they would act as though they were brother and sisters. Torvald cared about his image rather than
This becomes one of the main driving forces of Ibsen’s play. (Quote from Torvald and the money). It immediately distinguishes the differences in gender roles and morals in Norway during the late 1800’s. While Nora is willing to give the porter twice what is owed, we assume she is full of holiday spirit; Torvald has a much more sensible outlook on financial concerns. While he jokingly calls her his little spendthrift, he asserts that her lack of understanding is a result of her gender “Nora, my Nora, that is just like a woman” (Ibsen). Torvald believes that her place in the home is simply ornamental, a trophy that serves as decoration for his home. Torvald is constantly referring to her through the use of pet names such as (quote pet names from book) and only ever refers to her by name when he is scolding her. Not only does Torvald see her as his doll, but also as her child (quote near end of story). By keeping Nora dependent and obedient to him, he plays the role of Nora’s second father. Nora eventually sees that her daughter is being treated in the same manner that she was her entire life, as a
The inferior role of Nora is extremely important to her character. Nora is oppressed by a variety of "tyrannical social conventions." Ibsen in his "A Doll's House" depicts the role of women as subordinate in order to emphasize their role in society. Nora is oppressed by the manipulation from Torvald. Torvald has a very typical relationship with society. He is a smug bank manager. With his job arrive many responsibilities. He often treats his wife as if she is one of these responsibilities. Torvald is very authoritative and puts his appearance, both social and physical, ahead of his wife that he supposedly loves. Torvald is a man that is worried about his reputation, and cares little about his wife's feelings.
Nora is the main doll in the house, but she also refers to the children as dolls. Nora states that Torvald treats her as her own father did. Caring for her but never taking her serious. They treat her as a doll kept for her looks. Although the children aren’t the main idea of the doll in “A Doll House,” Nora sees them as dolls herself.
The problem in "A Doll's House" does not lie with Torvald alone. Though he does not help the situation, he is a product of his society. In his society, females were confined in every way imaginable.
A contrasting difference in the characters, are shown not in the characters themselves, but the role that they play in their marriages. These women have different relationships with their husbands. Torvald and Nora have a relationship where there is no equality. To Torvald Nora is an object. Hence, she plays the submissive role in a society where the lady plays the passive role. Her most important obligation is to please Torvald, making her role similar to a slave. He too considers himself superior to her.
Gender roles are also seen in the rules Torvald for Nora to follow. Torvald is the only one in the family who works and provide for his family who needs to survive in their lifestyle. Because of this, Nora must always go and ask for money from Torvald hoping for his acceptance of her using his income. Nora also had no possessions to her name because when a woman got married, all her possessions were considered ...
At the beginning of the play, Nora is already seen defying Torvald’s wishes by eating some macaroons. Not only that, but when Torvald reminds Nora about last Christmas and how Nora “locked [herself] up every evening, till way past midnight, making flowers for the Christmas tree” (1.125-127). Nora told Torvald that she “wasn’t bored at all” (1.129). This small act of defiance towards Torvald might seem like nothing special, but it is a subtle hint that Nora no longer wants to be Torvald’s plaything. Another instance of defiance happens right after, when Nora discusses her loan with Mrs. Linde.
Nora engages in a mutually dependent game with Torvald in that she gains power in the relationship by being perceived as weak, yet paradoxically she has no real power or independence because she is a slave to the social construction of her gender. Her epiphany at the end at the play realises her and her marriage as a product of society, Nora comes to understand that she has been living with a constr...
She starts to play more attention to Torvald after Krogstad threatens to tell her secret. Nora realizes that Torvald only sees her as a child that needs his help with everything she does. As she said,” I have existed merely to perform tricks for you, Torvald. But you would have it so” (720). She comes to understand that she was merely a doll to him, and that’s all he’s ever going to want her to be. Once Krogstad reveals the secret she decides to leave Torvald when he fails to prove that he truly loves her. As she said, “when the wonderful thing did not happen; then I saw you were not the man I had thought you” (722). She wanted him to show her that he would protect her and instead he got furious at her.
At the beginning of "A Doll's House", Nora seems completely happy. She responds to Torvald's teasing, relishes in the excitement of his new job, and takes pleasure in the company of her children and friends. Nora never appears to disagree with her doll-like existence, in which she is cuddled, pampered and patronized. As the play progresses, Nora's true character appears and proves that she is more than just a "silly girl" as Torvald calls her. Her understanding of the business details related to the dept she incurred in taking out a loan to help Torvald's health shows her intelligence and her abilities beyond being merely a wife. The secret labor she undertakes to pay off her dept demonstrates her determination and ambition. In addition, her willingness to break the law in order to aid her...
We see a woman who is making a bold action against gender inequality and the position society and culture has given her. As for Nora, we see in this first conversation that she seems entirely dependent on Torvald for her money, her food, and her shelter, despite the fact that she is keeping a secret. This secret is the kernel of her individuality and her escape from the doll’s house. While it is easy to paint Helmer as a tyrant and Nora as the naïve wife who suffers under his control, one must not forget that torvald is not aware of any damage he is causing. His greatest sin is perhaps his ignorance. The shock he shows at Nora’s revelation shows that he has no awareness that there is anything wrong with the status balance in his
The women had very little influence on what their husbands thought, how they acted, or what they did. Nora followed many of Torvalds’s commands, allowing him to hear little of what she did behind his back. In a scene where Krogstad asked her for a favor to convince Torvald to let him keep his position at the bank, Nora responds with, “What should make you think I have any influence of that kind with my husband?” (24). This proves that Nora would have little effect on her husband. Many of the times she tried to talk to him, he would easily demean her. He would call her his “little skylark” or other names what would make her feel like a child with little power over him. During the 1870’s women had a hard time finding positions in their home and in life without the influence of their husband. It wasn’t until after the 1870’s that women officially started to gain more rights, such as voting, divorce rights, and property claims.