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Symbolism In A Doll's House

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Symbolism In A Doll's House
“A Doll House:” Nora’s Doll-like Life
The play “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen opens on Christmas Eve. From the beginning of the play, the audience is introduced to Nora Helmer. She seems completely blissful with her life, and feels fortunate for the way her life she is turning out. She responds with affection to her husband’s teasing; Torvald Helmer. She also feels excited about the extra money her husband will earn from his new job as a bank manager. Nora does not seem to mind her doll-like life. In the play Ibsen portrays the little importance that the sacrifices that the women of all economic classes make by “giving up honor for love” (Ibsen 1359) .Women are seen as delicate, innocent, and uneducated in the business world. Symbolism plays a major role in understanding the play. The Christmas tree, New Year’s Day, and the Tarantella are symbols that weave the life of the characters and what they stand for.
The Christmas tree is a very symbolic in the play. It symbolizes Nora’s position in the household. In the play the Christmas tree is only a decorative object, very pleasing to look at, and adds charm to the home, just like Nora. Ibsen draws many similarities between Nora and the Christmas tree. At the beginning of the play Nora ordered the maid to hide the tree because “the children …show more content…
Ibsen was successful by making a symbolic setting to represent the true meaning of the characters of this story. Scholars tend to agree that ”the overwhelming impression left by this network of verbal/visual images--from the concealed Christmas tree at the beginning of the play to the masquerade party near its close--is that of a symbolic web of deceit in which the Helmets have long been ensnared” (Drake). The Christmas tree, New Year’s Day, and the Tarantella are symbols that weave the life of the characters and help to demonstrate the deceit and hidden lives of the
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