The A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen

For various reasons, the role of women in society has been analyzed and frequently debated throughout history. Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is no exception to the rule. In Norway, and during the Victorian period in history, women’s responsibilities were simply to keep house or do small jobs on the side such as sewing or light secretarial work. Henrik Ibsen may have had several intentions when writing his play A Doll’s House, but the one that stands out so clearly is the role of women in the time period from which the play takes place and just how doll-like they were treated in Victorian society. Women during this period were by no means the decision-makers of their households. Husbands or fathers were the heads of the household and many times women didn’t even know what state their financial affairs were in. It was often times only when something drastic happened that a woman would become aware of these things. For instance, if a husband should fall sick or even pass away and there were no male relatives to help take care of things, often times the woman would have to step up and distinguish what needed to be done in order to take care of things. We see a variation of this situation in Ibsen’s play. We meet a woman, Nora, and her husband Torvald and in it we witness the deterioration of their life together through Nora’s eyes. Throughout this analysis of A Doll’s House, I will address several things concerning Ibsen’s play. I will give a synopsis of the play, an analysis of three major characters: a.) Nora, b.) Torvald, and c.) Krogstad. I will discuss the language of the play and themes. I will give an in-depth look at the playwright himself as well as information on his creation of the play. I will give an idea of ...

Society’s expectation of how a person should act, specifically, is commonly present in A Doll’s House. Unbalanced relationships in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House are shown through the symbolism of a doll. A doll is a representation of an ideal human being, often used as a toy for children. A doll represents what a human being should want to be and what little girls should grow up to be, this human is considered as the “ideal person.” For example the saying “I got all dolled up for a party,” it is an informal interpretation of one dressing smartly or attractively. Characters in A Doll’s House live according to the assurance and pressure of society in the Victorian era. These characters are all very different and divided as a result of their background, beliefs, and intelligence. These unbalanced relationships shown through the symbolism of a doll are commonly displayed among the main characters, and minor characters, and can also be shown through social class. When first opening this play we meet the main characters, Nora Helmer and Torvald Helmer, these two are husband and wife and are very important in developing theme and character development.

Henrik Ibsen created a world where marriages and rules of society are questioned, and where deceit is at every turn. In A Doll’s House, the reader meets Nora, a housewife and mother trapped in her way of life because the unspoken rules of society. Nora and the people around her decieve each other throughout the entire play, leading up to a shocking event that will change Nora and her family lives forever. Ibsen uses the theme deceit to tell a story filled with lies and betrayal.

In “A Doll’s House” it is shown that “a woman's place was in the home, as domesticity and motherhood were considered by society at large to be a sufficient emotional fulfillment for females” (Abrams). For Nora, marrying Helmer certainly did not signify any type of internal character change. Nora marries Helmer but their marria...

the peoples views on marriage and the roles of men and women – with or

In the year 1879, the infamous and controversial play, “A Doll’s House” was published to the world. The play is about the Helmers, a married couple who seem to have the perfect life of a happy marriage, loving children, and more money coming in from the husband Torvald. However, the audience learns that is not the case.

Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll House examines a woman’s struggle for independence in her marriage and social world. Through the use of character change, Ibsen conveys his theme that by breaking away from all social expectations, we can be true to ourselves. When Ibsen presents Nora Helmer, we see a “perfect” wife, who lives in a “perfect” house with a “perfect” husband and children. The Helmer children have a nanny that raises them. By having the nanny, Nora has the freedom to come and go as she pleases. Torvald Helmer, Nora’s husband, will begin a new job as bank manager, so they will be rich, which will make her “perfect” life even better. Torvald even calls Nora pet names like “my sweet little lark” (Ibsen 1567) and “my squirrel” (Ibsen 1565). These names may seem to be harmless and cute little nicknames, but the names actually show how little he thinks of her. “Torvald uses derogatory diminutives to address Nora” (Kashdan 52). Torvald talks down to her. Nora is “regarded as property rather than a partner” (Drama for Students 112). He isn’t treating her like a real person. In Torvald eyes, she isn’t an equal. “Nora is viewed as an object, a toy, a child, but never an equal” (Drama for Students 109).

...evolution of said behaviors and attitudes. Dominance and submission were quite introvert topics during this time and had its toll on many households in Europe. However, we can note an improvement of these attitudes in present day Europe. As laws were still quite underway in the 19th century, justice and rights of women have clearly improved in judicial systems across not only Europe, but also the world. As important as social and moral values are, women around the world are clearly working towards destroying the stigma and building a new representative, working class for all women, regardless of any limiting factor. A Doll’s House clearly aims to express the stigmas and society and suggest improvements toward a better future for all.

Henrik Ibsen was the first to introduce a new realistic mode in theater when he wrote the play A Doll’s House. The ending of the third act of this play was not accepted due to the controversy that it caused during the nineteenth century, because in this era women were not allowed to act the way Nora did, but through women’s movements society slowly started to accept it.

Identifying a lie can at times prove quite troublesome. Some individuals may occasionally claim to spot deception simply by noticing the behavior of someone accused. This gut feeling is by no standards definite, and could be in fact mistaken. On the on other hand, one possible way to expose a lie concerns the revealing of an idea that is most assuredly true, such as with an article that has been written down. Documents usually are quite accurate, for once an idea is put on paper it becomes quite hard to retract. In effect written words relate to the truth, and if understood by the viewer they may expose the lies of those around him. Taking this a step further involves putting truthful, paper into the hands of someone else, perhaps in the form of a letter or note via the post office. In his drama A Doll House Ibsen included three articles of mail to symbolize the truth, and thereby to reveal some of the lies perpetrated by Nora.

It was at this time that Willie decided to move his family out to the western

Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House is an astonishing, yet accurate portrayal of how women were treated in the 1800s. It is essentially a force runner to women's rights and sets a path for many more feminist works to come. The novel fiercely challenges the modern idea that all women, by virtue of being women, are inclined towards feminist political interests. The roles of women have been a big part of literature and are usually a representation of how the roles of women in real life have evolved and continue to evolve. A Doll's House is an essential part of IBO specifically for the fact that it shows historical realism in the Victorian Era, and continues to challenge the unrealistic expectations of women in marriage.

The “Doll House” is a drama piece bringing to readers the typical occurrences that take place in marriages. At the beginning, Nora, the protagonist of the play and a typical housewife believes that true marriage is based on obedience. She put in illustration the act of being good to her parents as a daughter, obedient as a wife, and responsible as a mother. Torvald the husband of Nora is a man who is extremely successful and also projects on the act of being manipulative. As the breadwinner he is dominant and controlling and shows such characteristics at every given opportunity. In Torvald’s opinion, to have true marriage, a husband should be the model of his wife and breadwinner as it is from the named drama piece, Nora is the Doll in the house; “Doll House”.

A Doll’s House, a screenplay written by Henrik Ibsen during the 19th century showcases Nora a wife who is living, as any other woman, in an oppressed era for woman. A time when men ruled and women were docile obeying their husbands and fathers implicitly. Nora’s life is staged into itself. According to Ibsen’s play, there are little secrets that are told not only to ourselves but to those around us. Therefore, the ability to understand the changes as secrets unfold and the manipulation of lies told, take on new meaning.

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.