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Henrik Ibsen as the father of modern dramatist
Henrik Ibsen as the father of modern dramatist
Significance of symbolism in literature
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There is not one child who has not rebelled against their parents in some way. Any little action can be seen as an act of rebellion; whether it is secretly buying a book from the Scholastic book fairs, talking on the phone late at night or purposely leaving the trash to pile up. In the play, A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen presents the ideas of rebellion for indepen¬dence. The main character, a sweet and lovely housewife, name Nora Helmer is married to Torvald Helmer who has been promoted to a new banking position. Torvald expects her to be an obedient wife who will follow him wherever he walks and to stay by his side, no matter the situation. She had fallen in debt to Krogstad, a misunderstood lawyer and moneylender, because she tried to save Torvald when he became bedridden. She works hard to pay all the money back but she cannot live any longer without her husband discovering her secret. With the reoccurring use of pet names, macaroons, and symbolic actions, Ibsen gradually reveals Nora acting more independently than anyone thinks.
Torvald gives Nora seemingly harmless pet names but instead it deprives her of her character. There is irony in the connotation of the pet names since she does not feel special but rather an accessory of his reputation. Torvald calls Nora many different pet names such as skylark, squirrel, and song bird. Each animal has a symbolic meaning that shows evidence of Nora’s character. Instead of having a strong image of a wife and mother she looks and acts like a child.
Skylarks are pet birds who live their life in a cage much like Nora living in Torvald’s doll house. Skylarks, small brown birds, nest in various countries including Europe. Skylarks can be kept as pets that sing for the pleasure of its owner...
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...men to devote themselves to their husbands. But she becomes a strong woman when she realizes that this is not life she wants to live and decides to leave. The act of eating macaroons in secret were the first tiny steps towards a rebellion. Nora is one of the few women who want to fight for independence. There are people who believe men are much stronger than women should be more open-minded. Women endure many hardships so they would not have to depend on men despite society’s expectations. Without women, men would be lost like a flower without a butterfly to spread its pollen to survive.
Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Four Great Plays, Trans. R. Farquharson Sharp. Print.
New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc, 1959. 3-68
Venefica, Avia . "What's Your Sign?”. Saperaude, 1 Jan. 2005. Web. 1 Jan. 2014.
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Upon the first glance of Torvald and Nora’s relationship, Nora is returning from a day of Christmas shopping. She is acknowledged by her husband’s greetings of belittling pet names that he uses in an inconspicuous thus unnoticed form of verbal oppression and a verbal stake to claim her as his property “But if Helmer considers Nora his property, as he apparently does, Nora encourages him to do so. To him, she calls herself his little squirrel and his lark” (Dukore 121). These actions are not Nora’s fault, it appears Nora does not fight his degrading pet names because she knows no difference and also it benefits her in the ability to manipulate Torvald w...
Minnie Foster and Nora Helmer are two females living in a male controlled world. They must play mindless girls, who voluntarily obey with male expectations and requests. Women's emotions in both stories are rather trifling. Nora and Minnie spend their lives in seclusion and religious neglect, which they repeatedly take for granted. Nora's husband does not seem to take Nora sincerely. Nora for Torvald is not a person but a nice, trivial object to her husband. Torvald acts, as if Nora cannot have her view but needs to be continually belittled: "Bought, did you say? All these things? Has my little squirrel been wasting money again? ... Come, come my little skylark must not drop her wings. What is this! Is my little squirrel out of temper?" Torvald treats Nora like a small, silly girl who cannot take personal decisions. He ranks himself as the head of his family and always infers that Nora is a minor element in their family re...
Throughout A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen illustrates through an intriguing story how a once infantile-like woman gains independence and a life of her own. Ibsen creates a naturalistic drama that demonstrates how on the outside Nora and Torvald seam to have it all, but in reality their life together is empty. Instead of meaningful discussions, Torvald uses degrading pet names and meaningless talk to relate to Nora. Continuing to treat Nora like a pampered yet unimportant pet, Torvald thoroughly demonstrates how men of his era treat women as insignificant items to be possessed and shown off. While the Helmer household may have the appearance of being sociably acceptable, the marriage of Torvald and Nora was falling apart because of the lack of identity, love, and communication.
In A Doll's House, Torvald Helmer's attitude toward his wife Nora can be seen in the ways in which he refers to her. In line 11 of the first act, we come across the first instance of Torvald's bird references to Nora with "Is that my little lark twittering out there?" This reference is the first of many in which Torvald refers to Nora as a lark. Often this referencing is preceded by diminutive terms such as "little" and "sweet, little." Torvald also refers to Nora as a squirrel, a spendthrift, a songbird, and a goose, these terms also preceded with a diminutive. The significance of this nicknaming is to show Torvald's attitude toward Nora. Torvald sees Nora as small, sweet, unobtrusive and therefore easily controlled. This position is one he would like Nora to continue to occupy. In line 257, Torvald refers to Nora as "my richest treasure" denoting his attitude toward her as his possession.
An underlying theme in A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, is the rebellion against social expectations to follow what one believes in their heart. This theme is demonstrated as several of the play's characters break away from the social norms of their time and act on their own beliefs. No one character demonstrates this better than Nora. Nora rebels against social expectations, first by breaking the law, and later by taking the drastic step of abandoning her husband and children.
Torvald Helmer is the stereotypical Nineteenth-century husband, as he is a controlling, condescending patriarch. By referring to his wife with diminutive names, Torvald propagates the "women are lesser that men" stereotype and keeps his wife in a position of subservience. In line 11 of the first act, we come across the first instance of Torvald's bird references to Nora with "Is that my little lark twittering out there?" This reference is the first of many in which Torvald refers to Nora as a lark. Often this referencing is preceded by diminutive terms such as "little" and "sweet, little." Torvald also refers to Nora as a squirrel, a spendthrift, a songbird, and a goose, these terms also preceded with a diminutive. The significance of th...
Nora and Torvald's relationship, on the outside appears to be a happy. Nora is treated like a child in this relationship, but as the play progresses she begins to realize how phony her marriage is. Torvald sees Nora's only role as being the subservient and loving wife. He refers to Nora as "my little squirrel" (p.1565), "my little lark" (p.1565), or "spendthrift"(1565). To him, she is only a possession. Torvald calls Nora by pet-names and speaks down to her because he thinks that she is not intelligent and that she can not think on her own.
In this passage of “A Doll’s House” by Ibsen, the reader is presented with a decisive moment in the play. It provides the crucial turning point in which Nora’s changes her outlook towards Helmer by being independently decisive. Nora’s requirement to obtain freedom from her accustomed lifestyle, demonstrated so precisely here, is depicted from her search for what can be found in the world in accordance to her conflict. It gives her an authoritative position in holding the reins to her life. This is the climatic part within the play, due to its illustration of Nora’s character and opposition to remain under the control of her husband. The belittlement of Nora is also seen, which will lead to her final decision of walking out on her family to explore what the world has in stock for her.
Torvald is not only demanding mentally and physically, but also financially. He does not trust Nora with money. He feels that she is incapable and too immature to handle a matter of such importance. Torvald sees Nora as a child. She is forever his little "sparrow" or "squirrel". On the rare occasion that Torvald does give Nora some money, he worries that she will waste it on candy, pastry or something else of Childish and useless value. Nora's duties, in general, are restricted to caring for the children, doing housework, and working on her needlepoint. But overall, Nora's most important responsibility is to please Torvald. This makes her role similar to that of a slave.
“A principal tenet of Marxist criticism is that human consciousness is a product of social conditions and that human relationships are often subverted by and through economic considerations.”(Witham and Lutterbie) A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, can be interpreted and critiqued in many different ways. One of these ways is the Marxist approach. This way of thinking can basically be summed up by saying this: Money changes people’s thinking and actions. The main characters in A Doll’s House are all affected by this idea and it makes the acquisition of money and a higher social status the most important thing to them. Therefore, a Marxist theme is shown throughout the play through the speech and actions of Nora, Torvald, Mrs. Linde, and Krogstad.
Torvald even calls Nora pet names like "my sweet little lark" and "my squirrel”. These nicknames may seem harmless and cute, but in reality, the names actually show how little he thinks of her and how he’s the one harnessing the power in the relationship. When Torvald says "my little squirrel" he is suggesting that he in fact owns Nora and that she is second-rate to him, since she is seen as little and as a squirrel which are usually frightened, non-threatening creatures. Torvald sees women as both child-like, helpless creatures detached from reality and who are responsible for taking care of the chores and children while staying inside the house. Gender roles are also seen in the rules Torvald for Nora to follow.
Torvald's continual reference to Nora using bird names not only tells the reader his opinion of her, but also parallels Nora's image of herself. In the second act, Torvald calls Nora his "little featherbrain," and his "little scatterbrain" (1178). This presents an image of weak, unorganized birds and thereby defines Nora as weak, unorganized and stupid.
In Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll House Ibsen describes the perfect family and the conflicts within. Ibsen examines the normal lives of the Helmer family through the eyes of the wife, Nora Helmer. She goes through a series of trials as she progresses through the play and with each trial she realizes something is missing in her life. Ibsen examines the struggles within the house.
She is lighthearted and enjoys when her husband talks to her or “claps” back (meaning “having something for everything she throws at him”) at her about any little thing. Torvald constantly calls Nora his “doll” wife. Being called a “doll” indicates that she is like his “object” or “possession” that he has power over. She has a wild personality of her own. The reaction from Torvald hypes Nora making her feel good about herself. Nora does not take life or the risks that she takes very seriously. In the story, A Doll’s House, “Torvald says, “Is my little squirrel out of temper” or “my little skylark must not droop her wings” (Ibsen 1347) When Torvald compares her to those pet names that eventually became very insulting. She accepts it happily with no emotion behind it. He would treat her like a father would treat his baby girl. She acts more of a child than anything at the moment. Mr. Helmer says, “Nora! The same little featherhead!” (Ibsen 1346) This is due to her doing things out of spell or just by the reason of her feeling the need to. Nora gives him a lot of attention, but not the kind he is really looking for from her. Torvald does not think of her as a “smart” human being when it comes down to this. He believes that Nora is incoherent, but this will all
Ibsen desires to challenge assumptions as well as rules of Norwegian life, and most importantly wants to depict society accurately, as he meticulously incorporates everyday life. Therefore, A Doll House represents a realistic drama due to the issues involving women, illnesses, and laws within the play, while conveying Ibsen’s desire for controversy and change in Norway’s society. A common woman in Norway, such as Nora, experiences a daily life of oppression, fear, and unjust authority, which exposes societal mistreatment. Society and Torvald Helmer force Nora to look pretty and happy, although “she laughs softly at herself while taking off her street things. Drawing a bag of macaroons from her pocket, she eats a couple, then steals over and listens at her husband’s door” (Ibsen I. 43), which portrays oppression.