Complex Relationships Between Characters in A Dollhouse by Henrik Ibsen

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Complex Relationships Between Characters in A Dollhouse by Henrik Ibsen A Dollhouse by Henrik Ibsen is the story of one woman’s struggle to free herself from a world of guilt and false livelihood. The story is based on the author’s own account of a fellow friend and journalist named Laura Peterson Kieler who was burdened with a hidden crime just as Nora, the main character, is(Ibsen, 1785). According to Ibsen, Kieler illegally borrowed money with the help of a bank associate by forging the signature of her wealthy father. The money was used to pay for her ailing husband’s medical needs. Ibsen’s storyline in A Dollhouse is an exact replica of the events of Kieler’s conflicts, but the character of Nora is based on another figure, Ibsen’s wife Suzanna(Ibsen, 1787). Nora’s doll-like demeaner and appearence is how Ibsen supposedly viewed his wife. This doll/independent woman identity crisis harbored by Nora becomes the other main conflict in the story. This false personality is based on the dependence she has on her husband and her fear of being alone. This doll appearance becomes more prevalent after her crime is committed because she feels she has to keep everything in perfect, “dollhouse” order or her secret will be revealed. Because her true self, strong and independent, is held back and baracaded with with lies and fear, she almost loses her mind as the story unfolds. Although her main conflicts are held within her trapped and confused mind, other main struggles are created through her numerous and overbearing relationships with the other characters in the play. These relationships along with the relationships between other characters evolve into continuous strains on the already puzzled mind of No... ... middle of paper ... ...ships give the play its overall appeal and significance. Each character has at least two different relationships with other characters in the play that help the reader identity the character’s true personality and feelings toward events in the story. The main character, Nora, has conflicts with every character in the story including the ones that she seems to be the closest too. Ibsen uses this diversity in character traits to explain the theme and moral of the story. Also, these complex relationships give each characters reasons for reacting and analizing the main events of the story including Rank’s confession of love and the letter being found in the mailbox. In essence, the relationships the characters endure give them not only roundness and dynamic qualities but a true sense of the severity and complexity of the dollhouse and all thing therein.

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