The play opens with Nora and the porter, and it immediately puts the
spotlight on money, which emerges as one of the forces driving the
play’s conflicts
Analysis
The play opens with Nora and the porter, and it immediately puts the
spotlight on money, which emerges as one of the forces driving the
play’s conflicts as it draws lines between genders, classes, and moral
standards. Though Nora owes the porter a shilling, she gives him a
pound, twenty times the value, presumably because she is infused with
the holiday spirit. While Nora likes to spend and allows the idea of
buying presents to block out financial concerns, Torvald holds a more
pragmatic view of money, jokingly calling Nora a spendthrift and
telling her that she is completely foolish when it comes to financial
matters.
Torvald’s assertion that Nora’s lack of understanding of money matters
is the result of her gender “Nora, my Nora, that is just like a woman”
reveals his prejudiced viewpoint on women. He quickly makes it known
that appearances are very important to him, and that Nora is like an
ornament or trophy that serves to his home and his reputation.
Nora’s first conversation with Mrs. Linde plays a key role in
establishing Nora’s childlike, self-centered, and insensitive
character. Though she claims to be interested in Mrs. Linde’s
problems, Nora repeatedly turns the conversation back to her own life
with Torvald. Nora’s self-centeredness is further demonstrated in her
revelation that she failed to write to Mrs. Linde after her husband
passed away. It is only now, three years after the fact, that Nora
expresses her sympathy; up to this point, she has made no effort to
think beyond herself, and the fact that she does so now seems ...
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...ut her husband in a good mood by mentioning the costume that she
will be wearing at the dance. The thought of Nora dressed up and
looking beautiful excites Torvald, who takes great pleasure in the
beauty of his house and his wife.
Torvald’s remark about Krogstad—“I honestly feel sick, sick to my
stomach, in the presence of such people”—illustrates his deep contempt
for moral corruption of Krogstad’s sort. While he thinks that such a
bad character is in direct contrast to his “sweet little Nora,” we are
aware that Krogstad and Nora have committed exactly the same
crime—forgery. Torvald, then, has unwittingly referred to Nora when he
scorns “such people.” Torvald’s unknowing condemnation of the actions
of the woman he loves is an excellent example of dramatic irony, a
device that makes the audience see details of which certain characters
are ignorant too.
Doris in Alan Bennett's A Cream Cracker Under the Settee In play 'A Cream Cracker Under the Settee' Alan Bennett uses many techniques and dramatic devices to make his script seem real, believable, and also enjoyable. I am going to study the statement, 'Doris is just a moaning old woman.' I will then investigate and explore how Bennett manages to maintain our sympathy for the lead protagonist in the script, Doris. I will cover many points such as Doris' relationships, the use of the cameras, lighting, music and other significant techniques he uses to gain his audiences interest and to uphold their sympathy for Doris.
Throughout the play we never get to know who the real Nora is and what her true personality consists of. Nora also realizes that she does not know who she is, and decides to leave her life. She comments that she needs to discover who she is separate from her husband, children and more importantly society. Nora feels she is not respected, and she is a “doll” to her husband.
So Nora throughout the story her personality and how she handles certain things through the story changes a lot. From being a happy person and having a very loving family with her husband Torvald, but as the story escalates the small lies during the story starts the beginning of a very tough road. From the lies from Torvald and doing things behind his back like breaking the law, and the blackmail threats. All the drama escalates to her ending up wanting to kill herself, but in the end she needed to be on her
Throughout her life Nora had spent her time pleasing the men around her, first her father and then Torvald. As the reality erupted that her marriage to Torvald was loveless and not salvageable, she ignored Torvald's demand that she not leave him. He even made attempts to sway her decision by insinuating they could go on in the house as brother and sister. Her need to be a valued human in society had prevailed over the dependent, frail, creature that once belonged to Torvald. She set out to find her independence in spite of the limitations that society had placed on women. Her displeasure had burned a path beyond her little, secure world and the burden of being a plaything was lifted.
Throughout the change from a carefree doll into an independent woman who is finally finding herself, we see that Nora is acting the way she does due to society. She has lost herself due to being a wife and a mother. Society is typically male dominant and because of the roles she has to fulfill, she lost herself.
At first our protagonist, Nora, seems like a bit of a ditz. When her husband, Torvald, calls her things like his "little squirrel," his "little lark," and, worst of all, a "featherhead," she doesn't seem to mind. This is not her true personality however. She merely plays into this role in order to appease he...
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 imply a situation of his peer.
The theme of the play has to do with the way that life is an endless cycle. You're born, you have some happy times, you have some bad times, and then you die. As the years pass by, everything seems to change. But all in all there is little change. The sun always rises in the early morning, and sets in the evening. The seasons always rotate like they always have. The birds are always chirping. And there is always somebody that has life a little bit worse than your own.
Nora spent most of her life as a toy. Her father would be displeased if she had separate opinions from him. The masquerade and costumes are her own masquerade; their marriage is a decorated Christmas tree. She also pretends to be the doll, letting Torvald dress her up and tell her to dance. Her husband's use of words, names l...
During the time in which the play took place society frowned upon women asserting themselves. Women were supposed to play a role in which they supported their husbands, took care of their children, and made sure everything was perfect around the house. Work, politics, and decisions were left to the males. Nora's first secession from society was when she broke the law and decided to borrow money to pay for her husbands treatment. By doing this, she not only broke the law but she stepped away from the role society had placed on her of being totally dependent on her husband. She proved herself not to be helpless like Torvald implied: "you poor helpless little creature!"
...ome from different worlds, yet they still share the same type of sadness and pain in their everyday lives. What Nora does is considered courageous in that time in history, where women were not treated as equals and were always looked down on and ignored. Women speaking out and taking matters into their own hands was unheard of and often risky. They want to be independent so they do what they believe is necessary to accomplish and reach their goals, so that they can once again be happy for eternity.
Nora 's character is a little bit complicated. she is a representative of women in her time and shows how women were thought to be a content with the luxuries of modern society without worrying about men 's outside world. However, Nora proves that this idea is entirely wrong. Nora is not a spendthrift as all people think specially her husband. on the contrary, she has a business awareness and she is mature
Patriarchy's socialization of women into servicing creatures is the major accusation in Nora's painful account to Torvald of how first her father, and then he, used her for their amusement. . . how she had no right to think for herself, only the duty to accept their opinions. Excluded from meaning anything, Nora has never been subject, only object. (Templeton 142).
Torvald even calls Nora pet names like "my sweet little lark" and "my squirrel”. These nicknames may seem harmless and cute, but in reality, the names actually show how little he thinks of her and how he’s the one harnessing the power in the relationship. When Torvald says "my little squirrel" he is suggesting that he in fact owns Nora and that she is second-rate to him, since she is seen as little and as a squirrel which are usually frightened, non-threatening creatures. Torvald sees women as both child-like, helpless creatures detached from reality and who are responsible for taking care of the chores and children while staying inside the house. Gender roles are also seen in the rules Torvald for Nora to follow.
...dlike mentality and needs to grow before she can raise her own children. Her defiance of Torvald, when he refuses to let her leave, reflects her epiphany that she isn't obligated to let Torvald dictate her actions. The height of Nora's realization comes when she tells Torvald that her duty to herself is as strong as her duty as a wife and mother. She now sees that she is a human being before she is a wife and mother and she owes herself to explore her personality, ambitions, and beliefs.