Nothing Gold Can Stay and Marriage In A Doll's House

662 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Husband wife relationship from Ibsen's A Doll's House

If there is nothing intrinsically precious, but only superficially glorious, there is nothing to stay. It is the same with marriage. Just as Robert Frost conveys in his poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay," even gold cannot stay no matter how beautiful it is. Comparing to Robert Frost's masterpiece, we witness how an ostensibly joyful marriage turns out to be a catastrophe in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. In this play, we can perceive honor and pride, but the main qualities a marriage requires are innocence and truth. Between the poem and the play, we can perceive many similar perspectives.

The poem starts by presenting us a scenery of spring sprouts as it indicates in the line: "Nature's first green is gold"(Frost 1). Rather than meaning gold itself, the "gold" here indicates anything that is newborn and beautiful. The word "green" reminds us that a fresh bud leaps out of a gray twig which has endured a cold winter, and now spring is to approach. In A Doll's House, Ibsen depicts the beginning of Act One by introducing a well decorated green Christmas tree. And then the female character Nora comes with a dozen of Christmas presents. All of these settings and plots, as same as in the poem, deliver a beautiful and fresh background. In addition, before reading on, we don't know Frost will amaze us that green will no longer stay, and the warm happy family in A Doll's House will no longer remain.

In the second line, Frost sets the protagonist "nature" of the poem as productive, fertile and gentle. He applies "her" to indicate that mother nature functions as a female. The words "hold" and "flower" portray her as delicate and just like a woman, needing to care and protect. When it comes to the play, Ibsen also uses a lot of ink on his f...

... middle of paper ...

...me, charming wife, robust children, and secure income. Yet turns out to be disastrous that Nora has been sheltered so completely by her husband, as she had been by her father.(Galens)

Indeed, readers are amazed by such tremendous changes, yet left to think deeply about their meaning. If the innocence and truth are to go away, the marriage is not going to stay.

Works Cited

"A Doll’s House." Drama for Students. Ed. David M. Galens and Lynn M. Spampinato. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 106-122. Gale Virtual Literature Collection. Web. 9 Feb. 2011.

Frost, Robert. "Nothing Gold Can Stay." Literature: an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Longman, 2010. 619. Print.

Heller, Otto. "Marriage in A Doll's House." Reading on A Doll's House. Ed. Hayley R. Mitchell. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 1999. 97. Print.

Show More
Related

  • A Doll's House A Raisin in the Sun

    3074 Words  | 7 Pages

    Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll House. The Bedford Introduction to Drama. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus.           Boston: Bedford/ST. Martin’s, 2001. 659 – 688.

    Read More

  • Shirley Chiisholm's Patriarchy: Race, Revolution And Women

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    “A Doll House.” Literature: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardner, Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl, and Peter Schakel. Third edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. 850-908. Print.

    Read More

  • Nothing Gold Can Stay Essay

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    The poem "Nothing Gold can Stay" deals with a real world problem that can't be solved. Things that are good and make people happy, don't always last very long. Of course everyone can remember when times were good, but change is a natural part of life. Some changes can be nice, but some can also lead to disappointment. It's all normal and happens no matter what. For example, The Outsiders and The Teacher Who Changed my Life both have proof of this occurrence. On one case, Ponyboy didn't have a perfect life to begin with, but things just go worse. For Nicholas Gage, he lived in a harsh environment, and when his wonderful mother tried to make it better, things fell. It always happens.

    Read More

  • Investigation of Power in Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’

    1478 Words  | 3 Pages

    children, her husband and what life she had behind, as she slams the door to the family home. A significant transition of power has occurred and this is one of the major themes that Ibsen raises in his dramatic text ‘A Doll’s House.’ However, in examining the underlying. issue of power presented by the text, one cannot simply look at the plight of Nora’s character, three major aspects of this theme need. also to be considered for.

    Read More

  • Marriage in The Ceiling by Kevin Brockmeier

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s society, the notion and belief of growing old, getting married, having kids, and a maintaining of a happy family, seems to be a common value among most people. In Kevin Brockmeier’s short story, “The Ceiling,” Brockmeier implies that marriage is not necessary in our society. In fact, Brockmeier criticizes the belief of marriage in his literary work. Brockmeier reveals that marriage usually leads to or ends in disaster, specifically, all marriages are doomed to fail from the start. Throughout the story, the male protagonist, the husband, becomes more and more separated from his wife. As the tension increases between the protagonist and his wife, Brockmeier symbolizes a failing marriage between the husband and wife as he depicts the ceiling in the sky closing upon the town in which they live, and eventually crushing the town entirely as a whole.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in A Doll’s House

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on A Doll’s House”. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. SparkNotes.com. 20 Mar 2011. http://Sparknotes.com/lit/dollhouse/themes.html.

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Becoming Independent in A Doll's House

    851 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Failure of a Marriage Depicted in Ibsen's A Doll's House

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House", the subject most important to the story is marriage. "Until death do us part" well, not always. Everywhere one looks, divorce is plaguing society. The treasured marriage vows have become nothing but a promise made to be broken. A Doll's House is a prime example of a relationship that didn't work. To keep a marriage alive and well it must hold onto certain qualities: love, communication, trust and loyalty. With these qualities, any marriage is bound to work.

    Read More

  • The Breaking of a Family in A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Gender In A Doll’s House And The Importance Of Being Earnest

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    In its historical context A Doll’s House was a radical play which forced its audience to question the gender roles which are constructed by society and make them think about how their own lives are a performance for Victorian society.

    Read More

  • Personal Liberty In A Doll's House And The Father

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ationship with their plays, by exploring the idea of patriarchy and disproportional power in a marriage. The Doll’s House questions gender roles, specifically motherhood. Marriage to Torvald was no different than living with a stranger. By walking out of her relationship for her own liberty, Nora sends a message that the rights of a woman are often wronged, and women should not be expected to conform to society’s expectation of duty. The Father questions patriarchy by illustrating the struggle between husband and wife. In an exaggerated approach, the play reveals that both husband and wife are equally vital in a marriage. Both plays show the power and potential held by woman in their struggle for personal liberty. By depicting realistic situations and the wives’ reactions, both playwrights offer their progressive commentary of gender roles and power in marriages.

    Read More

  • A Doll's House Sacrifice Analysis

    2126 Words  | 5 Pages

    Henrik Ibsen paints a sad picture of the sacrificial role of women throughout all social economical classes in his play “A Doll House”. The story is set in the late 19th century and all minor female characters had to overcome adversity to the expense of love, family and self-realization, in order to lead a comfortable life. While the main female protagonist Nora struggles with her increasingly troubled marriage, she soon realizes, she needs to change her life to be happy as the play climaxes. Her journey to self-discovery is achieved by the threat of her past crime and her oppressing husband, Torvald and the society he represents. The minor female characters exemplifying Nora’s ultimate sacrifice.

    Read More

  • Easing Out the Ending of, A Doll's House

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Realism and the Significance of A Doll's House." Wikispaces.com. Ed. Tangient LLC. Wikispaces, 2011. Web. 8 Apr. 2011. .

    Read More

  • The Practices of Dr. Rank in A Doll's House

    1741 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the play A Doll House, by Henrik Ibsen, the convention of marriage is examined and questioned for its lack of honesty. The play is set in the late 1800s, which provides the backdrop for the debate about roles of people in society. Ibsen uses the minor character, Dr. Rank, to help develop the theme of conflicts within society. This, in turn, creates connections with the plot. Dr. Rank's function in the play is to foreshadow, symbolize, and reflect upon the truth of life and society and to break down the barrier between appearance and reality.

    Read More

  • The Symbolism of the Christmas Tree in the Transformation of Nora

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    The idea of equality for women has been the subject of countless books, speeches, and performances for decades. The concept of a world in which a woman can be considered equal to a man is not a new concept in today’s society, but it was in that of 19th century Norway. This is the world of noted playwright Heinrik Ibsen, a forward thinking individual with ideas that challenged the restrictions of society time and time again. A forerunner in the women’s rights movement, Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House offers a commentary much before its time on the dangers of a patriarchal society through the evolution of its protagonist, Nora. In his play, Ibsen uses the Christmas tree to symbolize the growing empowerment and independence of Nora, as well as the steady deterioration of Nora and Helmer’s marriage.

    Read More

More about Nothing Gold Can Stay and Marriage In A Doll's House

Open Document