Symbolism In A Doll's House

“I would never dream of doing anything you didn’t want me to,” Nora explains to Torvald as she stuffs her hidden Macaroons farther down into her pocket. These macaroons are just one of many symbols seen throughout the play, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. Symbolism is important in literature because it provides meaning to the writing beyond what is actually being said or described. Symbolism often times represents the theme of a story on the physical level i.e. objects, people, weather, and setting. A few major symbols from the play are the macaroons, Christmas tree, and the tarantella. These symbols are an important part of the play and enhance the impact and meaning of the play’s themes.

One notable symbol is the macaroons. Torvald

It appears in the beginning and the end of act one and again in the beginning of act two. The Christmas tree is delivered with Nora’s excitement for Christmas. It symbolizes the unity, happiness, and security of the family. The scene of the Christmas tree in the beginning of act one stands for Nora’s happiness and involvement with her children as well as the well-being of the family. In act two, the tree has been stripped of ornaments, the candles have burnt down and the branches look disheveled. This foreshadows the misfortunes that are about to take place in the Helmer family. The tree also represents Nora’s psychological state because she was great in the beginning until problems begin and secrets start to unravel. Lastly, Nora’s part in the household is identical to the tree’s function. She is like a decorative ornament with her various dresses and rooted in one place with no freedom by her husband’s demands and restrictions. This symbol enhances the theme of gender roles during the play’s time period. Back then, women were only really used for their appearances. They were not really supposed to work, they were supposed to keep up the house and take care of children and paint a picture of the perfect family. The husband on the other hand provided for the family with his work and had all the control. The Christmas tree provides this appearance of joy and perfection but with one small flame everything can come crashing

The tarantella dance was named after a very harmful spider, whose poisonous bite was at one time believed to cause an uncontrollable urge for wild dancing. The only way to be relieved of this problem is for whose who are effected to dance until they are completely exhausted. The present belief of what cause this often hysterical behavior was not the spider 's bite but the repressed morals during that time period. The only outlet for wild self-expression was the Tarantella. In this way, it is significant that Torvald tells Nora to practice the Tarantella while he shuts himself away in his office to make as much noise as she pleased. She persuades him to watch her practice the dance in an attempt to prevent him from finding Krogstad 's letter in the mail box. He tries to control her wildness in the way she dances with the demands and comments he makes, but she ignores his words and continues to dance, her hair eventually coming loose. With this dance, an inference can be made that she is dancing in order to have a little bit of freedom for a change and that she is not actually poisoned. Depending on which interpretation of this symbolism, the poison may be the threat posed by Krogstad 's revealing letter, or the poison of oppression and control that characterizes the Helmer marriage. Like the macaroons, this beautiful and wild dance allows the audience to see a side of Nora that she is not able to show in a