The American author Napoleon Hill once stated “think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.” In Henrick Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, the character of Mrs. Linde contributes to the exposition and pivotal moment of the decideding factors of Krogstad, she also has a profound influence on the character development of Nora Helmer. Mrs. Linde directly contributes to Nora’s moment of realization and Nora’s decision to leave her husband at the end of the play.
Woman within Ibsen’s time period were often considered lesser in comparison to men, and typically within a marriage the woman was considered an accessory rather than an equal. But in the case of Mrs. Linde, who as a widow is unable to fill these matronly roles due to inconventient family issues; she is now forced to work outside of the home. Women at the time were not trusted to partake in matters of grave importance such as finances or other issues (Intro to Franz Kalfka). However, growing up in a home where a woman occupied many of the dominant male roles, Ibsen was able to look past the menial labels society placed on women and portray them as the strong, the levelheaded individuals they are, such as Mrs. Linde. In his play A Doll’s House, Ibsen further exemplifies his beliefs through the characters of Mrs. Linde, a hard working independent individual, and Nora Helmer a dependent seeming naive individual.
In the beginning of Act I, Nora Helmer is presented as a somewhat childish and frivolous character. She remains unmoved when her husband tells her that they “can’t spend money recklessly,” her rebuttal is that they can “borrow” until he has received his salary. The audience has no ba...
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.... She often times discards her domestic roles as a mother and wife and takes on “masculine” roles, re-surfacing a trait that has been suffocated by her surroundings. Ibsen uses both the characters of Mrs. Linde and Nora to display the capabilities of women outside of their traditional roles, and uses Mrs. Linde’s influence on Nora to represent the positive influences women can make on society if given the opportunity.
Works Cited
Cassa, Francis. “Introduction to Franz Kalfka.” IB English III. Suncoast High School, Riviera
Beach, FL. 19 Mar. 2014. Lecture.
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. New York: Dover Publications, 1992. Print.
Lifehack Quotes. “Think Twice before You Speak, Because Your Words and Influence Will
Plant The… - Napoleon Hill at Lifehack Quotes." Quote by Napoleon Hill. Lifehack Quotes, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
In Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll House, Ibsen tells a story of a wife and mother who not only has been wronged by society, but by her beloved father and husband because of her gender. Nora left her father’s house as a naïve daughter only to be passed to the hands of her husband forcing her to be naïve wife and mother, or so her husband thinks. When Nora’s husband, Torvald becomes deathly ill, she takes matters into her own hands and illegally is granted a loan that will give her the means to save her husband’s life. Her well guarded secret is later is used against her, to exort Torvald, who was clueless that his wife was or could be anything more than he made her. However, Nora has many unrecognized dimensions “Besides being lovable, Nora is selfish, frivolous, seductive, unprincipled, and deceitful” (Rosenberg and Templeton 894). Nora is a dynamic character because her father and her husband treat her as a child and do not allow her to have her own thoughts and opinions, as the play progresses she breaks free from the chains of her gender expectation to explore the world around her.
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In the play A Doll House, by Henrik Ibsen, Nora and Torvald’s marriage seems to have been torn apart by Krogstad’s extortion plot, but in reality their marriage would have ended even without the events in the play. Torvald’s obsession with his public appearance will eventually cause him to break the marriage. Nora’s need for an identity will ultimately cause her to leave Torvald, even without Krogstad’s plot. Lastly, the amount of deception and dishonesty between Torvald and Nora would have resulted in the same conclusion sooner or later. In this essay, I will argue that Nora and Torvald’s relationship would have ended even without Krogstad’s extortion plot.
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.
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.
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a three-act play significant for its attitude toward marriage norms. In the drama, Ibsen explores idealism between the wife Nora and her husband Helmer. Nora’s and Helmer’s idealism forces the pair to see themselves and each other starring in various idealist scenarios of female sacrifice and heroic male rescue. As a play, the scenes are act out on stage. The staging of a house reveals the dramaturgical aspects and dynamics of the play. The presence of the house is significant to the depiction of women on stage. The action of the play traces Nora’s relationship to the house. Ibsen’s play focuses on the aspect of the expected idealism of the wife and husband, and how the domestic abode can hinder freedom.
In "A Doll's House", Ibsen portrays the bleak picture of a role held by women of all economic classes that is sacrificial. The female characters in the play back-up Nora's assertion that even though men are unable to sacrifice their integrity, "hundreds of thousands of woman have." Mrs. Linde found it necessary to abandon Krogstad, her true but poor love, and marry a richer man in order to support her mother and two brothers. The nanny has to abandon her children to support herself by working for Nora. Though Nora is economically advantaged, in comparison to the other female characters, she leads a hard life because society dictates that Torvald be the marriages dominant member. Torvald condescends Nora and inadvertently forces Nora to hide the loan from him. Nora knows that Torvald could never accept the idea that his wife, or any other woman, could aid in saving his life.
In A Doll's House, Ibsen paints a bare picture of the sacrificial role held by women of different economic and financial standards in his society. The play's female characters demonstrate Nora's assertion that men refuse to sacrifice their integrity. In order to support her mother and two brothers, Mrs. Linde found it necessary to leave Krogstad. She left her true love, Krogstad, to marry a richer man. These are some of the sacrifices that women have to make to provide for there family. The nanny had to abandon her own child to support herself by working as Nora's children sitter. As she often told Nora, the nanny considers herself very fortunate to receive the job as the sitter, since she was a poor girl who was left astray. Isben concerns about women in society are brought up throughout the play. He believed that women had the right to develop their own individuality, but only if they made a sacrifice. Wo...