Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House In the following essay I will discussing whether or not I believe that Mrs. Linde is right on calling Nora “childish” in the first act of “A Dolls House.” “A Dolls House” was written by Henrik Ibsen in 1879 is based upon the day to day human struggle against the degrading constraints of social conformity.
In beginning of Act One we are introduced into a middle class home setting, it is well furnished and is presented with a pleasant, ordinary feel, “A room furnished comfortably and tastefully but not extravagantly.” We are then introduced to “Nora”, as she walks into her house she arrives with presents, and it is clear that the time of year is Christmas.
Structure – The work is formatted to be a play. It has three acts, each beginning with stage directions.
Henrik Isben?s A Doll?s House is the story of a man and a woman who have been married for eight years but are not really in love. Although at the first of the story we see a typical family, underneath there lies a dark secret. Torvald Helmer, the husband, is a lawyer who has been unsuccessful in the past because he would not accept a shady case. This has put the couple and their children in a great financial struggle and this forces him to turn elsewhere for employment. He ends up working at a local bank, putting an end to the family struggle. At the start of the story we see Nora Helmer, his wife, coming in from town with several small wrapped packages and a Christmas tree. She is a very childish acting woman but on the same note, she is also very deceptive and cunning. Nora has kept a secret from her husband ever since they moved from their last home. Torvald was very sick and Nora was pregnant with their first child. Nora?s father was on his deathbed as well. Torvald?s doctor confided in Nora that if Torvald didn?t move south then he was going to die. Since they hadn?t the money to do so, Nora takes it upon herself to borrow the money, which was not allowed solely by a woman. In order to get the loan she and her father had to sign the papers. Seeing her father?s condition, she forged his signature. She told her husband that the money was a gift from her father so he would not feel indebted to her forever. The money that Nora borrowed is almost paid off at this point and she was excited. Then the story takes a sudden turn. According to Maurice Valency, ?Nora as yet the earnest and innocent child who was sure there could be no harm in forging her father?s signature, provided her motives were good? (253). The man from who...
When attending a masquerade, a person is expected to wear a mask. In fact, it’s looked down upon if a mask isn’t worn. But, what if for some people that mask never came off? In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, each character has constructed their own metaphorical mask that they set firmly in place every morning when exiting their bed. Each character: Nora, Torvald, Kristine and Krogstad all have masks that they put in place when speaking to each other. Throughout most of the play, it is clear that all of the aforementioned characters have multiple facades that they use when speaking to one another; often switching quickly as they begin speaking to someone else. Henrik Ibsen’s use of the masquerade serves as an extended metaphor to show the masks that the characters use in their everyday lives.
In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, a drama written in the midst of an 1879, middle-class, suburban Europe, he boldly depicts a female protagonist. In a culture with concern for fulfilling, or more so portraying a socially acceptable image, Nora faces the restraints of being a doll in her own house and a little helpless bird. She has been said to be the most complex character of drama, and rightfully so, the pressure of strict Victorian values is the spark that ignites the play's central conflicts. Controversy is soon to arise when any social-norm is challenged, which Nora will eventually do. She evolves throughout the play, from submissive housewife to liberated woman. It seems as though what took women in America almost a century to accomplish, Nora does in a three-day drama. Ibsen challenges the stereotypical roles of men and women in a societally-pleasing marriage. He leads his readers through the journey of a woman with emerging strength and self-respect. Nora plays the typical housewife, but reveals many more dimensions that a typical woman would never portray in such a setting.
Weintraub, Stanley. ""Doll's House" Metaphor Foreshadowed in Victorian Fiction." Nineteenth-Century Fiction 13: 67-69. Web. 6 Jan. 2011.
In A Doll’s House, Ibsen portrays his lead character, Nora, who is a housewife in the Helmer’s family. She has undergone a transformation throughout the play that she reacts differently to her husband. Her husband, Torvald, is an example of men who are only interested in their appearance and the amount of control they have over a person. In particular, he has a very clear and narrow definition of a woman's role. At the beginning of the story, as from the title of the play, Nora symbolizes the “doll” in the house, which means that she has been treated as treats Nora like a child or doll. For example, husband called Nora ‘bird’ and it implies that husband treats her like his pet and she is his doll as the title is a doll house. In other words, her husband wanted her to be a ‘lark' or ‘songbird' so he can enjoy h...
The play opens with Nora bringing gifts for her family. She has brought toys for her three children. Her children, Ivar, Emmy and Bob acts as her dolls in the play. She plays with them and dresses them up but eventually pushes them aside in order to save them from herself which can be seen when Nora says "Corrupt my children!– poison my home!" (Ibsen 165). Nora as a stereotypical mother is a strong character for she puts others before herself. This is supported through Eagly and Steffen's statement "According to stereotypic beliefs about the sexes, women are more com...
Krogstad is one of the most complex characters from Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Initially, Krogstad appears to be the villain of the play. Nora owes Krogstad a great deal of money. Krogstad uses the existence of her debt to blackmail Nora, threatening to inform her husband of her debt and her forgery if she does not use her influence to secure his position at the bank. Krogstad serves at a catalyst which brings about the central conflict of the play. However, Krogstad has other roles as well. Krogstad is a foil to Nora. He had been the exact same situation that Nora is in now. He had forged a signature to save the life of someone dear to him. Krogstad is also a foil to Torvald. Whereas Torvald continues to advance in society, Krogstad is at risk at losing his livelihood and reputation. In an unexpected twist, Krogstad becomes the hero of the play by the end. When love and hope is restored to him, he withdraws his threats against Nora and forgives her debt, saving Nora from suicide or from a life of ignominy.
The first act is an exposition. The first act is more or less shows the lifestyle of families in the 19th century and the domestic problems at that time. In my opinion, Nora has gone through a kind of personal awakening. She 's come to the conclusion that she 's not a fully realized person. She has to spend some time figuring out who she is as an individual or she will never be anything more than someone 's pretty little doll. This would be impossible under the smothering presence of Torvald. She must force herself to face the world
The character of Nora, of Isben's A Doll's House, is particularly difficult to interpret. Her character is constructed by the combination of a number of varying traits. Throughout Act 1 her ambiguity is particularly prominent. Her frivolous, playful moments are readily followed by moments of practicality and astuteness. It is not surprising that Nora is such a changeable character for she is constantly interchanging between three main roles: a supporting wife, fundamental mother and sexual being.
It is through these stage directions that Nora’s playful and slightly immature character is revealed. In Act One many of the stage directions written for Nora is her ‘shrieking’ , this overly excited, erratic behaviour is a common theme from Nora throughout the play and emphasises her immaturity and lack of sincerity, most likely stemming from not having the opportunity of independence. A slightly comical action of Nora’s in the play ‘A Doll’s House’ is when she ‘stuffs the bag of macaroons in her pocket and wipes her mouth’ . This could be compared to a child attempting to hide evidence from their parents either in guilt, or in fear of being caught doing something forbidden; for Nora this is brought about by the strict rules of Torvald. Nora also appears very whimsical and is found to be ‘lost in her own thoughts’ and ‘hums ‘. It seems as if she is blissfully unaware and oblivious of the troubles and misfortune her family is receiving and this highlights her role, not as an equal partner in the family but rather a doll on display. However it is not just the stage directions of Nora that give rise to her childish actions. A significant moment in the play that reveals why Nora acts like a child is when Torvald questions Nora about purchasing macaroons. The stage directions state that he is ‘wagging his finger at her’ , this is an action similar to one a parent would make when telling off a
When the door slams at the end of “A Doll’s House” by Henry Ibsen, No one would not believe the woman walking out of her house is the same one who appeared at the beginning of the play. The main character in this play is Nora. Nora goes through a complete transformation, changing from a child like and dependant woman to a self strong woman pushing to become independent. Ibsen portrays the roles of society in the Victorian times in this play. Throughout her whole life, Nora’s husband and father have always controlled her; she has never been able to be independent, and the treatment she receives is not equal to the males around her, and the people around her belittle and patronize her to no end. Finally it goes too far and Nora realizes its time for her to step out of her comfort zone and start anew.
Nora’s life begins to fall apart with the arrival of Krogstad as Nora becomes fearful of him. The life Nora had now begins to slowly change as more people are added to the mix of visitors during the Christmas holid...
In the beginning of the play, the reader is introduced to the Helmer household on Christmas eve; Nora purchases a Christmas tree to be used as the main ornament in the house and brings it in to be decorated. Shortly after, Torvald, her husband, approaches her by referring to her as his “little lark”(12) and his “little squirrel”(12). Shortly after, Torvald criticizes Nora for eating a macaroon: “Not nibbling sweets?..Not even taken a bite at a macaroon or two?”(14). Torvald “was only joking”(15). Perhaps it was the way the couple communicated at all times, but Torvald’s teasing is also manipulative. Nora seems to believe anything Torvald tells her; as naive as she is, she believes Torvald is only playing with her. However, as the man of the house, he does cause Nora to consistently ask for his approval, or fear his rejection: “I should not think of going against your wishes”(15), Nora says.
Societal problems prevail throughout the history of the world and exist within all countries, regions, and cultures. The controversial aspects in societies are based on a large variety of subjects, and have to be identified in order to cause societal change. Therefore, Realism is the portrayal of difficulties in societies that are depicted in everyday life, which includes common situations and actions. Realism allows authors to describe and emphasize the incompetence of some aspects within communities, while enabling writers to call for societal reform. Henrik Ibsen portrays and addresses the concepts of Norway’s society in the 19th century in A Doll House, which is a tragic play translated by Rolf Fjelde. Ibsen desires to challenge assumptions as well as rules of Norwegian life, and most importantly wants to depict society accurately, as he meticulously incorporates everyday life. Therefore, A Doll House represents a Realistic drama due to the issues involving women, illnesses, and laws within the play, while conveying Ibsen’s desire of controversy and change in Norway’s society.