Henrik Ibsen Has Written the Dramatic and Ironic Work “a Doll’s House”

By experimenting with self-discovery and inner revelation, Henrik Ibsen has written the dramatic and ironic work “A Doll’s House”. A gold mine of imagery, Ibsen foreshadows his story with macaroons, syphilis, and Christmas trees. Most prevalent of this author’s sneaky symbolism is one character’s description of another. The connection made between the heroine and her child-like behavior sets the scene and triggers a clear ripple effect. At the beginning of the play, Nora exhibits obvious adolescent behaviors. She adores Torvald with such a blind disposition. She worships him as a small child would idolize his or her parent or dearest friend. Her faith in him is unwavering and unquestionable. Nora holds Torvald in extremely high regard as misinformed children usually do, blind to anything besides what they choose to see. Though responsible for her own actions, Torvald can be considered as the primary cause for Nora’s nature. Her husband puts her in the place she has, a toy doll, like one of her toddler’s. Torvald continuously refers to Nora with ridiculous pet names such as skylark and squirrel, and never as his equal or his spouse. This grants Mrs. Linde a perfect reason to criticize her friend, pointing her out as “a child.” The silly rules Torvald instills upon his wife also are reminiscent of the relationship between father and daughter. He restricts her money-spending and her macaroon-eating. He expresses his worry for Nora’s teeth, due to poor eating. He gives her little responsibility, leaving Nora careless like a happy-go-lucky child. Nora’s life is overflowing with rules that are typically saved for a five-year-old. Whether the reason for Nora’s child-like behavior is at the fault of her husband, or herself, one cannot deny that she is indeed a puppet in her “picture-perfect” life. Torvald dictates her every mood, down to the last macaroon. Until she is free from his interfering hands Nora will never grow up. Perhaps her mature decision to take out the loan for her husband in the end set her free.