A Doll S House 1

Powerful Essays

Open Document

Open Document

View Writing Issues

3762 Words

Grammar

Grammar

Plagiarism

Plagiarism

Writing

Writing

Score

Score

A Doll S House 1

A Doll’s House
Themes
Marriage
Women and Femininity
Men and Masculinity
The Home
Respect and Reputation
Love
Lies and Deceit
Money

Love and Marriage
As a play focused around the marriage between Nora and Torvald, A Doll 's House can be seen as an exploration of love and marriage, or even, more profoundly, on whether there can be love in marriage. At the beginning of the play, Nora and Torvald appear to be very happily married, even to themselves. Nora talks joyfully about her love for Torvald, and Torvald refers to Nora using affectionate pet names. Their loving marriage stands in stark contrast with the lives of the other characters: the marriages of Krogstad and Mrs. Linde were based on necessity rather than love, and were unhappy. While Dr. Rank was never married, and, it is revealed, has silently loved Nora for years. Yet although Nora and Torvald’s marriage is based on love (as opposed to necessity, as was the case with Krogstad and Mrs. Linde), it is nonetheless still governed by the strict rules of society that dictated the roles of husband and wife. It is clear that Nora is expected to obey Torvald and allow him to make decisions for her; meanwhile, it is important for Torvald’s career that he is able to show off a successful marriage to a dutiful woman.
At first it seems that Nora and Torvald both enjoy playing the roles of husband and wife in a way that is considered respectable by society. However, Nora soon reveals to Mrs. Linde that she went behind Torvald’s back by borrowing the money from Krogstad, and therefore has already broken both the law and the rules of marriage at the time. This creates a dilemma: Nora broke the rules of marriage, yet did so in order to save her husband’s life—a true act of love. Yet this is an act of love that society condemns, thereby placing the rules of marriage above love. In the final moments of the play, it 's revealed that Nora 's fear of the secret getting out is not a fear that she will end up shamed and

Continue Reading

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

Good Essays
Nora's Relationship In The Unhappy Wife And Child
- 592 Words
- 3 Pages
Nora's Relationship In The Unhappy Wife And Child

Nora and Torvald are a married couple and been taking on many challenges in their relationship.Torvald basically takes care of and provides for Nova and their children. During their conversation in Act 3 it talks about how she was been transferred from her father’s hands to torvald hands. Nora feels like torvald is treating her like a poor women from hand to mouth. This means that he is treating her like she can’t do for herself. Torvald is taking over her life and when her father was alive he did the same that’s why her life consist of nothing. Torvald is very physically controlling, treats Nora like she’s a child and doesn't trust her with money. The expression Nora used as “ doll child” and “doll wife” is that her life was controlled by her husband and father. By expression her feelings she tells torvald how she feels. She says, “You and Papa have committed a great sin against me. It is your fault that I have made nothing of my life.”. She doesn’t have anything to fall back on besides what her husband gives her. She can’t do anything on her own without getting an approval from Torvald.…
- 592 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays

Read More
Good Essays
Essay On Nora's Relationship With Her Husband Torvald
- 582 Words
- 3 Pages
Essay On Nora's Relationship With Her Husband Torvald

Nora is in an interesting relationship with her husband Torvald. When readers first get an image of how their relationship is, it would not seem that bad. Once further into the play you see that it is just because Nora is submissive, and lets it be that way. The only reason she is loving her husband is because that is what she thinks she is supposed to do. Her husband will not let her expand as a person, and she just lets it happen. Women are constantly treated as a lower class among men. Nora is just as capable as her husband Torvald, with all of the talents that could lead her into being an important or meaningful person to society just like her Husband. Throughout the play Torvald says over and over again that his wife cannot possible understand…
- 582 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays

Read More
Good Essays
A Doll's House By Henrik Ibsen Analysis
- 607 Words
- 3 Pages
A Doll's House By Henrik Ibsen Analysis

An ideal marriage consists of communication and honesty, but in A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen the Helmer marriage is quite the opposite. At the beginning of the play, Nora conformed to obeying her husband and she was naïve in hoping that her husband would sacrifice his reputation for her. She even forged a check to borrow money from the bank to help Helmer with his illness. She thought that this would be a good way to show her love and ability. Their weak marriage later revealed that Helmer never really understood her and he was ashamed that she had concealed this secret. This event awakened Nora’s true personality and she finally realized that their marriage was fake and weak. In the play A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen uses symbolism to portray how Nora is forced by societal norms to mask her true personality through her lies and secrecy, which shows her transition into an independent woman, further emphasising that self knowledge is needed for an authentic life.…
- 607 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays

Read More
Better Essays
Analysis of a Doll's House
- 815 Words
- 4 Pages
Analysis of a Doll's House

As you first read into the play, a perfect “trophy wife” scenario is portrayed. It’s the typical male working and the wife taking care of the kids and other affairs. The time this play was written, it was more common for the woman to stay home while the man worked. Today it isn’t rare to see the woman working and making more than the man. They are experiencing the normal money issues most married couples have and Torvald is expecting a higher salary after the New Year. As the other characters present themselves, you start to pick up on some uneasiness from Nora whenever Krogstad visits their home and one instance from Mrs. Linde whenever she was present.…
- 815 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays

Read More
Good Essays
A Doll's House Analytical Essay
- 678 Words
- 3 Pages
A Doll's House Analytical Essay

Nora made the right decision to leave a man who controlled and treated her like an object. While talking seriously to her husband for the first time, Nora admits, “I’ve been your doll-wife” (Ibsen 1120), which she used to show how he controlled her every move. Aside from being a “doll-wife” (Ibsen1120), Nora also confesses, “You arranged everything the way you wanted it, so that I simply took over your taste in everything” (Ibsen 1120). All these things demonstrate how since the beginning of their marriage, Torvald controlled Nora’s everything.…
- 678 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays

Read More
Good Essays
How Realism Reflects On the Ways of Human Beings in A Dollhouse
- 1555 Words
- 7 Pages
How Realism Reflects On the Ways of Human Beings in A Dollhouse

In the play A Dollhouse by Henrik Ibsen realism plays a major part in how the ending played out. Most stories have that happily ever after feel, but in A Dollhouse things are not as they seem. In the beginning it looked like it is going to be one of those stories with a happy family who seems to be the ideal couple with money, kids, and a nice house. However, as time goes by the plot starts to become more realistic; Nora starts to question her marriage and her sanity. In Brian Johnston’s essay, “Realism and a Doll House,” he discusses how verbal irony plays an important role in the play. The word ‘wonderful’ is used in a different context in each part of the book. The use of the word ‘wonderful’ in three different ways is a good way of foreshadowing the decline of Nora and Torbert’s relationship. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus starts out a proud man and then finds out that he slept with his mother, killed his father, and as a result was dethroned and banished. The mood of the play goes from light to darker as the play goes on and more is revealed. That is realism it is about the human condition; people’s mistakes, lies, and problems without sugarcoating it. Some people do not like reading books inspired by realism because it gives them a magnified look at themselves through the characters. So therefore, the human condition is what inspires plays like A Dollhouse and Oedipus the King into a metaphorical rendition of how human beings really are, and using the different context of words to create a sense of foreboding for the characters.…
- 1555 Words
- 7 Pages
Good Essays

Read More
Satisfactory Essays
Womanist vs Feminist
- 320 Words
- 2 Pages
Womanist vs Feminist

According to Bernard Shaw, A Doll’s House strictly enforces the role of the man and woman in the marriage as well as what roles they play in a household. The play was typical to family life with drunks and lunatics. Shaw advises that Torvald Helmer is the King of the house and worshipped like a God by his wife. The plot and controversy surfaces by the lies that Nora tells and the secrets kept from her husband. This perfect doll (Nora) changes form and the King (Torvald) is no longer running things and woman’s rights arise. (Shaw)…
- 320 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays

Read More
Good Essays
A Doll's House
- 368 Words
- 2 Pages
A Doll's House

In A Dolls’ House the stories’ two main protagonists Nora and Torvald Helmer which is a married couple experiences many things while being married. And in most cases money brought forth the bulk of their problems, which eventually caused the relationship to split apart. However many people looked at the couples’ relationship from the exterior and thought it was legit. Another character in the play, Nora’s close friend Ms. Linde views the Helmers as a married couple who lives comfortable enough to afford things that she usually cannot. Even though the Helmers’ household is taken care of financially, it is in disarray due to lies, and deceit. On the outside it looks fine as Nora could be compared to a doll; looking nice and well kept together. In reality Nora has hid from her husband that she have been repaying a debt for years from when her and her husband took a trip to Italy. The reader also learns that Nora secretly forged the signature of her deceased father. Out of all the things that happened within the story Torvald eventually finds out about what’s been going on and is outraged. He calls Nora a hypocrite and a liar and complains that she has ruined his happiness. He declares that she will not be allowed to raise their children. And as a result the married couple are separated. The symbol “doll house” really help functions in the work of revealing the characters because it shows Nora as a doll who you would think is squeaky clean and flawless, but deep down inside is…
- 368 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays

Read More
Good Essays
What Is The Role Of Women In The 1800's
- 1102 Words
- 5 Pages
What Is The Role Of Women In The 1800's

You must submit to your husband, you must let him talk first and wait to put your input in until he has gotten settled in the house, and you must be ready for whatever his needs are; the roles of women in the 1800’s. In the play A Doll’s House author Henrik Ibsen wrote about a married couple named Nora and Torvald their relationship from the start had readers very uncomfortable and feeling emotions towards their dynamics. Nora shows that she has a secret side by going behind Torvalds back and getting a loan, in doing so forging her dad's signature which in turn puts them secretly in debt that only Nora knows about. Through the play one goes through a whirlwind of how this secret plays out in the lives of other characters and how Torvald finding out about this lie shows his other side. Nora is very submissive to Torvald and Torvald loves his doll Nora.…
- 1102 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays

Read More
Good Essays
In a doll's house summary
- 1058 Words
- 5 Pages
In a doll's house summary

The theme that women have a low status in society is one of the main aspects of the play. Though Nora is economically advantaged in comparison to the play’s other female characters, she still lives a difficult life because society dictates that Torvald be the marriage’s dominant partner. Torvald issues decrees and condescends to Nora, and Nora must hide her loan from him because she…
- 1058 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays

Read More
Better Essays
A Doll's House- Why Nora Shouldn't Leave
- 1908 Words
- 8 Pages
A Doll's House- Why Nora Shouldn't Leave

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen was first performed in 1879 when European society strictly enforced male supremacy over women. The play consists of a middle class couple, Torvald and Nora Helmer, who seem to have the perfect marriage, three children, and a pending respectable income with the husband’s recent promotion to bank manager. Torvald treats Nora like a doll, manicuring and manipulating her looks and actions. Although his controlling demeanor is concealed by innocent nicknames and monetary allowances, the affects of his domination over his wife are eventually exposed. At the end of the play, Nora leaves in a haze of anguish after her husband fails to defend her when she is accused of legal fraud in a loan she had taken to save Torvald’s life. Some people say that Nora was right to leave and flee the control of her demeaning husband to seek her individuality, but many argue the contrary when considering what she left behind, what she could have demanded and changed at home, and what she would face as an independent woman defending herself in a 19th century, male biased society. Although some may assertively argue that Nora was right to leave her home, others suggest the she was not right to leave considering the abandonment of her children, the responsibility she could have demanded from her husband, and the prejudice against independent women in her society.…
- 1908 Words
- 8 Pages
Better Essays

Read More
Good Essays
Ibsen’s A Doll House vs. Today’s Society
- 709 Words
- 3 Pages
Ibsen’s A Doll House vs. Today’s Society

“A Doll House” begins with a happy family scene, it was Christmas Eve and the whole family was decorating the house preparing for Christmas. This seems like a big happy family but within it lies deceit, this is revealed when Nora (the wife) told Ms.Linde (her friend) that she had borrow money from another man to treat her husband’s disease. This treachery which occurred reveals Nora’s true interpretation of her marriage. This is shown in a quote from Act I, Nora says “One day I might, yes. Many years from now, when I’ve lost my looks a little. Don’t laugh. I mean, of course, a time will come when Torvald is not as devoted to me, not quite so happy when I dance for him, and dress for him, and play with him.” From this quote, it expresses that Nora already knows that her marriage is based around her looks, and Nora couldn’t trust Torvald with the truth because she’s afraid of the consequences which would befallen her if she did. In contrast to today’s marriages, a good relationship builds on trust and support from each other especially during when times are tough.…
- 709 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays

Read More
Good Essays
The Doll's House
- 796 Words
- 4 Pages
The Doll's House

What is the “spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation” evident in the ending of The Doll’s House?…
- 796 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays

Read More
Satisfactory Essays
Dolls House
- 339 Words
- 2 Pages
Dolls House

Rikitta Chowdhury A Doll's House How was your understanding of cultural and contextual considerations of the work developed through the interactive oral? I understand better that women had very little say over political and economic matters and they were economically, socially and psychologically dependent on men. Especially on the institutions of marriage and motherhood. Also towards the end of the 19th century the world was changing drastically in terms of politics and economy so people at that time had mixture of hope and dread for what was to come. There were signs of revolutionary change to come. Women at that time having very few rights were not allowed to get divorced until late 1883. Gaining custody over children was another issue that was not resolved until later throughout the years. Even if women had jobs, they were limited such as needle work, work as a clerk or teaching and all of them were low paying. The character of Mrs. Linde can be related to this. As a result from not getting or getting very little education, women were not allowed to do higher level jobs. Women could only obtain a university degree in and after 1884. The war between Norway and Denmark caused economic suffering for Norway which provoked Ibsen to bring in the ideas for writing this play. Not only did the events influence him but also personal experience such as his friend on whom he based this play on (the case of Laura Kieler). As mentioned perviously divorces had many limitations as it was very expensive to get so women having no financially income was not allowed to divorce the men. The war between the two countries made Norway's economic suffering and there were lack of jobs from which we can relate to Helmer's career. As according to the divorce laws then, the acts of bigamy, adultery, desertion and impotence were valid reasons for it. Getting a divorce hampered social status. Also in 1888 married women were granted control over their own money. Word Count: 313…
- 339 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays

Read More
Good Essays
Dolls House an Madea Comparrison
- 732 Words
- 3 Pages
Dolls House an Madea Comparrison

Like men, women have always played a specific role in society. Depending on the perspective of the viewer, one may say that the role woman have should change dramatically. In Ibsen’s play, A Doll House, legendary Greek playwright Euripides’ play, Medea and Eavan Boland’s poem “A Woman’s World,” the idea of a “woman’s place” and the appropriate conception of a “Woman’s World” is challenged. In all of these pieces of literature, women are faced with inevitable misogyny and unjustified predetermined inferences of character. Both Ibsen’s and Euripides’ pieces have these women challenging the idea of what their roles in society should be. In Medea the hatred used to strive for equality or revenge for being forced to accept the role of a woman is far more extreme than Ibsen’s Nora who takes on a more subtle approach is searching for self-worth, respect and equality. In “A Woman’s World” Boland’s message is used to show women their fault in accepting this overly domestic role in society. Bolan is trying to show woman to be more determined to find personal success, rather than simply living vicariously through the success of their husbands. In this poem the author urges women to search for equality and respect in love and society, just like the Nora and Medea in their stories.…
- 732 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays

Read More

Related Topics