Culminating Writing Task II

740 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Show how ibsen develops the dual nature of nora's character in a doll's house

Plato once said: “Honesty is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty.” People are taught from a very young age never to lie or keep secrets. It would be easy for anyone to stand behind the argument: “Honesty is the best policy,” but in times of personal anguish, that decree is quickly disdained. What this argument fails to consider is that keeping a secret or lying is the justifiable in times of crisis.

In the Doll’s House, Nora dutifully lies to save Torvald from dying of illness. The readers are told that Nora’s husband, Torvald, fell sick. Nora lied to him about why she needed to borrow money. Though she told him she want to travel to shop (Ibsen 11), the doctors told her in order to save the ill-fallen Torvald, he needed to go to the South (Ibsen 10). Since she cannot borrow the money, Nora forges her father’s signature to save her husband’s life. It might seem as if Nora’s lying is wrong, but in reality, it was justified because Torvald would not have gone to Italy if he had known he was sick. He thought of her as a child, not capable of making adult decisions (Ibsen 69). Would not it make sense for Nora borrow money to help Torvald, even if it meant forging a signature and keeping it a secret? Krogstad also would not have lent Nora the money if he had known she was the actual borrower, not her father. Nora lies for reasons pertaining to life and death. She is not being deceptive to keep herself out of trouble. For these reasons, her deceit is defendable.

In Lamb to the Slaughter, Mary Maloney, doting housewife pregnant with her first child, commits a heinous crime against her husband. After he tells her that he is leaving, she become distraught and strikes him in the head with a leg of lamb. Afterwards, Mary...

... middle of paper ...

... had not been for that, Mary would have been very complacent to join her husband in the afterlife (Dahl 382). This is why Mary and Nora were right for their actions.

In these stories, lying has been crucial to not only the storyline, but to saving the lives of others. If Mary would not have been pregnant, then her deceit would not have been right. If Nora only wanted to go to the South to shop, she would have been wrong to lie under her dying father name on the bond. In actuality, these were not the cases. As a result, lying is, in fact, justified under the right circumstances.

Bibliography

Dahl, Robert. "Lamb to the Slaughter." 1961. Elements of Literature. Vol. 4. N.p.: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 2007. 379-86. Print.

"Plato Quote." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 030 Mar. 2014.

Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. Green ed. New York: Dover Publications, 1992. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Critical Analysis Of Richard Gunderman And Ericicsson's The Ways We Lie

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    Richard Gunderman asks the question, "Isn 't there something inherently wrong with lying, and “in his article” Is Lying Bad for Us?" Similarly, Stephanie Ericsson states, "Sure I lie, but it doesn 't hurt anything. Or does it?" in her essay, "The Ways We Lie.” Both Gunderman and Ericsson hold strong opinions in regards to lying and they appeal to their audience by incorporating personal experiences as well as references to answer the questions that so many long to confirm.

    Read More

  • Lying vs. Truth-Telling in Genesis, Othello, and The Lie

    1135 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although it is considered wrong to tell lies, it seems that literature has offered us situations where telling lies isn’t necessarily bad. Of course, lying often has a tragic outcome, but not always for the person or people who told the lie or lies. Oftentimes, these unfortunate outcomes are directed at the person about whom the lie was told. Furthermore, these stories have explained that dishonesty can result in success for both the liar and the target. Maybe we have been teaching the wrong values to our children.

    Read More

  • Salt To The Sea Theme Essay

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    It doesn’t take courage, but honesty does. Nevertheless, it could be said that lies protect your mistakes and secrets. While this is a fair point, because lies protect your secrets, it fails to account that if one is not brave enough to take the penalty for their actions, then they are cowardly. This displays that lying to protect yourself is the coward's way out. If someone lies and keeps secrets when people are trying to help you, then they are just building a wall between them. This demonstrates that you are not willing to change. Honesty is courage and reveals that you are willing to try harder and that you trust the person you are telling it to.

    Read More

  • When is Lying OK? Rejecting All Lies: Immanuel Kant by Sissela Bok

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lying is an issue that has been debated on for a long time. Some people believe that lying is sometimes ok in certain circumstances. Some people believe lying is always acceptable. In contrast, some believe lying is always bad. Keeping all other’s opinions in mind, I believe that lying is a deficient way of solving problems and is a bad thing. I claim that only certain situations allow the usage of lies and that otherwise, lying is bad. Dishonesty is bad because it makes it harder to serve justice, harms the liar individually, and messes up records. Furthermore, it should only be said to protect someone from grave danger.

    Read More

  • Mary Maloney In Roald Dahl's Lamb To The Slaughter

    385 Words  | 1 Pages

    All of Roald Dahl’s stories seem to be brimfull of irony and wry humor, and “Lamb to the Slaughter” is no different. Mary Maloney, a pregnant, but cheerful woman is very much in love with her husband and we certainly don’t expect her to be of any trouble. It’s shocking enough to learn that her husband, who seems such a nice guy, is cheating on her and plans to move out. This changes the expectation of the story right off the bat, and we feel a compassion for the poor woman. We’re not sure how she’s going to cope with this news, especially since she’s six months pregnant with his child. So when she acts rather compulsively and strikes him over the head with the leg of lamb that was going to be his supper, we really are shocked. She’s acted

    Read More

  • Examples Of Lying In The Great Gatsby

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    Telling the truth can have some consequences, but a lie can cause more damage in a relationship once it has been figured out. People believe that by just lying, a problem is solved, but problems start when lies are told. Lying destroys relationships and truth builds honest relationships which, can last forever. In both F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Rob Marshall’s Chicago, characters lie because they feel that it is easier. However, lying leads to a downward- spiral. The society we live in can either lead us to a complicated relationship with the truth or easygoing. The problem with constantly telling lies is that it starts off with one, then leads to another until everything you say is a lie. Being truthful

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Ways We Lie

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stephanie Ericsson’s The Ways We Lie, analyzes and reflects on how lying has simply become the norm in our society. We all lie, there is not one person in the world that does not lie. Most people lie because they are afraid of telling the truth, however what they do not know is telling a lie can lead them in the wrong direction because many things can happen when lying to a person. The person can find out when everything unravels that person will not have trust in you and you would be known as a liar. To every action there is a consequence, so why not deal with just one consequence when telling the

    Read More

  • Character Paragraph of Mary Maloney in Lam to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl

    640 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, Mary is clearly shown to have a very manipulative and sinister character because she was a cold blooded murderer who had no feelings for her husband when she killed him, and she made people believe her grieving stories to make them feel sorry for her. But, all she wanted at the end was to cover up all of the evidence so she does not get caught and go to jail.

    Read More

  • Lamb to the Slaughter

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dahl, Roald. "Lamb to the Slaughter." Lamb to the Slaughter and Other Stories. London: Penguin, 1995. N. pag. Print.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Lying In Blackburn's Being Good

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout life, people are faced with moral decisions that will impact not only themselves but also, the people they surround themselves with. One of these moral decisions people encounter daily is truthfulness in their actions and words. In Blackburn’s novel, “Being Good”, he states “It is not easy to find a stable attitude to the stringency of the prohibition of lying.” I agree with his quote because everyone tends to lie no matter the magnitude of the lie, in order to protect themselves and the people they care about. Although Blackburn believes it is only ethical to lie on occasion, German philosopher, Immanuel Kant affirms that lying is always morally wrong, no matter what the situation is. Though lying can be seen as a deplorable action,

    Read More

  • Seeking Truth in A Doll's House

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nora is trying to keep something away from public knowledge and especially away from her husband.  She hides the fact that she borrowed money to save his health.  She was afraid that if Torvald knew that she had taken initiative to borrow money to help him that it would be "painful and humiliating"(Ibsen 501) for him.  She knows that Torvald needs to feel in control of everything.  So she hides her actions from him. & nbsp;      Nora hides the fact that she has done something illegal from Torvald.  She is given the opportunity to tell Torvald and maybe get his support or advise on the situation, and she lies to him to hide the truth.  She claims that the reason that she does not want Torvald to fire Krogstad is that "this fellow writes in the most scurrilous newspapers.he can do [Tor could have told him, but instead she decided to hide the truth from her husband. & nbsp;      She also hides her own strength.  She plays the part that she has come accustomed to, being the doll.  The first time in the play that Torvald refers to Nora, he calls her a "little lark"(Ibsen 493).  Throughout the play, he refers to her as a cute little animal, never with any word that might her indicate that he wishes she were a little plaything of his.  To fit this character, Nora hides her true strength until the end of the play.  Nora says that "[she] must stand quite alone"(Ibsen 546) and leaves Torvald to be alone.  Not only does Nora make the claim that she could stand alone, she follows it with an action, thus the audience knows that Nora can be stronger than she was appearing and that she must have been hiding her true & nbsp;      Nora hides her ability to handle money.  She does not let Torvald know that she is entirely capable of handling debt.  Instead, she leads on that "[she] should not care whether [she] owed money or not"(Ibsen 493).  Although she says that she would not care about being in debt, the audience learns that she is handling her own debt  She leads on that she is the little doll who cannot handle anything.  She hides her abilities from Torvald to be his little doll. & nbsp;      The hiding and seeking of the characters in the play is reminiscent of the game that Nora plays with her children.  In playing games like that with her children, Nora is also hiding from them and her job as mother.  She likes to take off their warm outer clothing because "it is such fun"(Ibsen 506).  She finds the job of mother fun.&nbsp 507).  The job of mother was no longer fun, so she abandons it.  She uses the nurse to hide from the children that she gave birth to. & nbsp;      Torvald also hides from his wife, Nora.  He shares none of his work with Nora.  They speak very little about financial matters.  When they do talk, it is mostly silly talk not seriously about their financial situation.  Their first conversation on stage is about money.  He tries pitifully to talk to her seriously about money, but shillings-a pound-two pounds"(Ibsen 493).  He gives her more money to make her happy instead of trying to work out their financial situation.  Torvald hides business about money from Nora just like she hides from him. & nbsp;      Torvald also hides information about his job from her.  Nora barely knows what he does at his job at the bank.  Nora asks Dr. Rank if "all the people who are employed in the bank dependant of Torvald now"(Ibsen 504).  Nora knows that Torvald has had a promotion, but does not even know really what & nbsp;      Nora knows that they are hiding from each other.  She knows that she must hide from those around her to protect her way of life.  Although she is talking to her children at the time, Nora's words can be applied to her actions throughout the play.  Nora says, "Must I hide?  Very well, I'll hide first"(Ibs hiding. The snares are hidden. & nbsp;      Nora and Torvald both hide from each other.  Although she hides from her husband, Nora starts seeking truth.  She is playing the game on both sides.  She hides and she seeks.  She is trying to learn about life.  Nora wants to find that there can be a life where she does not have to hide from the of another and inferior species, Woman"(Shaw 143).  Nora wants to be able to stop hiding.  To be able to do that, she must be treated like an equal.  That is something that Torvald will not do for her.  He will not "sacrifice his honor for the one he loves"(Ibsen 548).  Torvald will not bear all of Nora's weight, even though him, and when that did not happen and she was abandoned, she must seek another life.  She seeks a life where her sacred duties are "to [herself]"(Ibsen 546) before her husband and children.  M. C. Bradbook acknowledges that "in leaving her husband Nora is seeking a fuller life as a human being"(87).   Nora is leaving a life in hiding to find a life that is richer and more full & nbsp;      The hiding and seeking that goes on in the play is far from over when Nora ends the game with the children.  It started before then and finished only when Nora walked out on Torvald and her marriage.  Nora hides her strength, knowledge and abilities from her husband.  She does this because he could not handle having a peer as a wife.  He given to the nurse and Nora is only left with playing with her children.  The job of wife to Torvald is filled only with a hidden personality.  He wishes something that he can call his own and protect with ease.  Nora becomes a seeker when she realizes what kind of life she is leading with her husband.  When she realizes what he seeks as a wife, she also realizes that she needs to find another life.  The a sense of individuality.  With leaving her husband, Nora gives the indication that she will no longer tolerate a way of life that forces her to hide.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Honesty In The Crucible

    439 Words  | 1 Pages

    In life, mostly everyone’s goal is to be honest and true. Keeping a good name is what many people want for themselves. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, shows many examples of characters showing dishonesty and honesty. Some characters favor their integrity by admitting mistakes and refusing to lie just to save their own lives. Other characters choose to lie to save themselves. I don’t believe it is right to lie to save yourself or someone else no matter the circumstances.

    Read More

  • Virtue Ethics And Immanuel Kant's Virtue Ethics

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyday people are faced with situations that they have to weigh their emotions out and decide if what their actions agree with their own internal moral code. Everyone faces challenges where they want to be successful, but at the same time want to be virtuous. To be virtuous means to have a morally good character. (Webster Dictionary) These issues are something that philosophers have been attempting to find the ethically correct answer to for centuries. One ethical dilemma that people are faced with daily is lying. A lie is an intentional false statement. Many people feel the need to lie to make themselves feel better or to get out of something they have done wrong. It is clear that in those situations it is morally wrong to lie, but what

    Read More

  • Truth Telling in Today's Society

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    Truth-telling has become altered in today’s society. In certain situations it is all right to lie or deceive. People have regarded truth-telling as overrated. It is amazing the words we put with the word lying. We call them so many various things such as; exaggeration, little white lies, half truths, deceptions, and fibbing. Lying has become a very complicated topic today. Lying can be used in many different ways such as; to protect the innocent, for tradition, and the esteem of individuals. On the other hand, lying can be used as a tool of deception and manipulation. When used in this manner lying becomes detrimental to an individual and to a society. “We need to sort out what is and what is not morally justifiable, just as we must sort out moral from immoral behavior in politics, science, and religion (qtd. in hooke, 210)”

    Read More

  • Transformation of Nora in Henrik Isben's A Doll's House

    1301 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the play goes on, Nora seems to transform from her delicate little character into something much more. At the end of act one, Krogstad goes to Nora for the recollection of the money she had borrowed from him. "You don?t mean that you will tell my husband that I owe you money?" (21). Since Nora was wrong in doing so socially, she could not tell Torvald or anyone else about her problem. Not only would that affect their social standard but also Torvald's ego, which inevitably would happen anyway. After Krogstad threatens to expose Nora for forging her father's signature, she realizes that no matter what she does Torvald was going to know the truth. The flaw with...

    Read More

More about Culminating Writing Task II

Open Document