A Doll's House Analytical Essay

Another form of deception in the play is Nora’s oscillating role between a homemaker and an individual. For Nora’s entire life, society has forced her to succumb to its expectations of a woman’s role as a devoted mother, rather than to her personal desires. However, in raising the children, she continues to reinforce these societal traditions. For example, Nora plays a game of hide-and-seek with her children. Although this amusement may seem infantile, the game itself is based on deception with its emphasis on concealment. Symbolically, Nora continues to hide behind the female persona of a mother. In the game, Nora replies, “Yes, let me hide first” (1023). As a mother, Nora sets the standards for her children. Thus, in essence, she is telling her children that it is acceptable to hide your true, individual desires. She therefore continues the repressive chain through the symbolic game of hide and seek, as she calls her children her “little, lovely doll babies” and encourages them in this entertainment (1023).

In Act I, the Christmas tree symbolizes the Helmer 's marriage. The external of, the tree is beautifully decorated, but inside it is dying because the tree doesn’t have any roots to feed. Nora and Helmer are playing the roles that society has taught them. “A Nineteenth-Century Husband’s Letter to His Wife” Marcus and Helmer are very comparable within how they act and treat their wives. Helmer is the strong provider and protector; Nora is the helpless little woman who dependent on him. Like the Christmas tree, the Helmer 's marriage is just an image of beauty, dying on the inside. After Krogstad informs Nora that he intends to blackmail her, she tells the maid to bring her the tree and set it in the middle of the floor (center stage) (1581).

Symbolism in “A Doll House” is another key element in the development of the play. The setting of the play was during Christmas Eve throughout December 26th. Typically, this is the ending of the year and represents family being together. However, as the play progresses, the optimistic outlook on Christmas that is expected changes. In the opening description of the setting in Act 1 Nora tells Helene, “Hide the tree well… The children mustn't get a

The well-kept room and the occasion of Christmas symbolize happiness and high spirits as well as Nora’s harmonious married

Ibsen has used extensive use of symbolism throughout the play to reveal societies expectations on gender roles. Christmas symbolizes happiness and merriment of Nora's married life. The Christmas tree that Nora brings in represents life and energy, as well as spiritual strength, although, in the second act, the Christmas tree has been "stripped and disheveled", and the candles have burned down to the sockets. The broken tree shows the loss of Nora's happiness and spirit while the burning out of the candles reflect the decrease of light and energy. The macaroons that Nora eats in beginning represents her innocence, childishness, and carefree attitude. It also represents her revolt against Torvald's

Like the marriage, the tree is center stage and requires the focus of the audience. While Torvald tells Nora how deceit poisons families, she is busy decorating the tree. Nora cannot believe she will destroy her family, poison her home (1582-1583). At the beginning of Act II, the tree is in the corner stripped of ornament with burned-downed candles littering the ragged branches (1583). Likewise, the Helmer's marriage is no longer an image of beauty, but just an illusion of beauty.

The appearance of one can be greatly influenced by their significant other. In the play, A Doll’s House, the beauty of a woman is very important to her husband. Not only is beauty important, but also how society perceives them. Torvald is captivated by the appearance of his wife Nora. Since he is so enthralled with her he desires her to look splendid in her outfits, does not want her beauty disturbed, nor does he want society to look down on her or more importantly himself.

In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, there is plenty of symbolism that helps the play to move forward. Symbols as small as Nora eating macaroons, the tarantella dance, and the Christmas tree to as broad as New Year’s. The macaroons and the tarantella reveal Nora’s personality and her character. The Christmas tree and the concept of New Year’s reveal the current states of the relationships in the play. The Christmas tree represents the innocence and the assumed happy relationship between Nora, Torvald, and the rest of the cast at first. Then at the beginning of the second act, after Nora’s increased paranoia due to her conversation with Krogstad, the Christmas tree is shown to be disheveled; which serves as the symbolism to the decline of stability in the play. New Year’s is part of the setting of the play but it shows the hope for the future of Nora and Torvald. Torvald is scheduled for a promotion at the start of the new year which would add to their financial stability, and in Nora’s favor, she could pay back her debt to Krogstad with the newfound income. The macaroons, the tarantella, the Christmas tree, and New Year’s all serve to add to the dynamic of the play and help the play move forward.

Torvald has a dichotomous character; the man that society has shaped and the controlling husband playing with his “doll wife”(p.80), the extended metaphor of the doll’s house is used to highlight how Nora has been manipulated and controlled since she was a child. The repeated use of the doll imagery reinforces the idea of Nora being weak and flimsy, an ideology which she later tries to break. The most prominent side would be the controlling husband which is shown through his attitude to Nora. He says to her “Hasn’t Miss Sweet Tooth been breaking rules in town today?” (p.5) which makes us despise his

Depending on the translation, Nora is “spendthrift,” “prodigal,” and “little moneybags.” All of these terms, spoken affectionately, are passively aggressive. A Doll's House has few stage directions indicating tone of voice, so there is a great deal of freedom in the manner in which the actor can play the part Torvald. He can be played like a patriarchal tyrant or a fatuous, passive-aggressive sexist. The second option is, perhaps, the better choice; Torvald’s utter obliviousness to his own oppressive behavior is a driving force in the play. He berates his wife for knowing nothing about worldly matters but, ultimately, is himself unaware of the measures she has taken to save his life. Torvald is so self-centered that he continues to see his wife how he wants her to be or how she fails to be his ideal woman; he never sees the actual woman who she is. Ibsen’s use of the Christmas holiday as a backdrop to the unfolding drama adds a sense of irony to the play; things are not as they seem. Christmas was an important family holiday in Norway and was viewed as a time of family unity and celebration. Thus it is ironic that the play opens on Christmas Eve and that the Helmer family unity disintegrates on Christmas Day. Christmas Day and the days following were traditionally reserved for socializing and visiting with neighbors and friends. Costume parties, such

Throughout the 18th and 19th century, having a good reputation in the society played a significant role in people’s lives. Particularly, having a happy and a successful marriage, and a family was a crucial factor to have power and an influence in the society. Therefore, people usually tried to disguise the imperfections of their house and attempt to portray a false reality. Similarly, in the play A Doll’s House, Torvald tries to protect his reputation and honor by disguising his house into a perfectly happy and a successful family. Also, the name of the play is a parallel to his house, as it looks perfect to the rest of the world when what is inside the house remains unknown. The characters in the house therefore plays a role as a doll that are convincingly perfect to the outsiders. --- Ibsen uses the symbolism of the house to uncover the reality that Torvald tries to conceal through his superficial nature.

Ibsen focuses on setting up the unveiling in the final acts, in that we are introduced to the idea that the truth coming to light is inevitable, and may soon have disastrous effects. Nora is depicted as being an extremely manipulative woman in order to get her way, she is quoted on numerous occasions saying things such as; “I’ll do anything to please you Torvald, I’ll sing for you, dance for you,” and she is portrayed as an uninformed and naïve young lady. The tricks Nora is willing to perform in order to satisfy her husband provide the foundation for the idea that the two are really living an idealistic lifestyle at all, and are really caught up in a web of lies and deception. Ibsen uses a variety of techniques to portray how disguised and fake the marriage is; such as the Christmas tree which is decorated and set up, and the significance given to the clothing of Nora and her Husband. In the case of the Christmas tree, its significance is that it represents exactly what their marriage is. It is covered with decorations, appearing ideal, but has no grounds in the realm of truth. Such is similar in the heavier than normal use of wardrobe throughout the play; when, particularly Nora, is often dressed up attempting to please Torvald, she is merely playing a role. Not only is their relationship riddled with lies, but such lies seem to exist to cover up how little the two truly have in common. While they get along and act

As act I of “A Doll’s House” begins, the scene is set to impress the audience “with vivid descriptions of a room “furnished with taste, but nothing too extravagant”. (Ibsen) The first to enter is Nora. Nora walks in with her arms full of bags after shopping, and her husband, Torvald calls from another room to make sure it is her he hears coming through the door. Torvald sets limits on Nora’s spending; he treats her as both a child and a doll. The way in which the characters in the play treat, and react to one another, shows the selfish intentions in which the expectations of society hold of them.

Despite the fact that Norwegian society in the 19th century valued a stable, patriarchal marriage, the relationship between Nora and Helmer is full of deception and secrets. In the play A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen attempts to reveal the problems of what seems like an ideal life - the wife, who is to trust her husband and obey his commands, is concealing things from him. Explicit portrayal of uncomfortable and undeniable truths in society caused an uproar amongst Ibsen’s audience, whereby they criticised the play for being too shocking and outrageous for the middle class eye. Such theme of deception is presented in various sections in Act 1 of the play - Nora’s secret with Krogstad, the symbolism of the macaroons, and the description of the

The play represents a normal middle class family that functions according to the common gender roles of the time. Ibsen uses symbols and images to show the contrast between interrelationship between moral issues and their external manifestation in the play. Torvald dominates his wife, who is servile and resembles a bird in the cage. Torvald frequently refers to her as “skylark” (4), squirrel, or doll. All of these names belittle her and make her look subservient to him. The antagonists, Mrs. Linde, Mr. Krogstad, and Dr. Rank, the family friend who is in secret love with Nora and suffering from a terminal illness, play a crucial role in the play’s dramatic development. These characters are insincere and mirror the moral conflicts between Nora and Torvald. Moreover, Ibsen uses particular symbols to show the moral weakness of Torvald and Nora’s marriage. For example, the Christmas tree symbolizes the family. The tree is dead, has no roots to support it, and is put in a place where visitors can see it for ostentation. Torvald and Nora are interested in decorating it with artificial objects rather than enjoying its natural beauty. Thus, the tree represents the disintegration of Nora and Torvald’s marriage, its lacking foundation of truth, understanding and honesty, and its artificial rules of