Investigation of Power in Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ Essay

In the play A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen focuses on Nora's role in her marriage with her husband, Helmer. Nora’s character symbolizes the oppression of the woman in the Victorian Era because of the lack to control she has as a woman during that time period. Throughout the play, Ibsen portrays her character as being controlled by Helmer physically, emotionally, and sexually. Even so, Nora still continue to strive to achieve this one perfect woman that her husband expects her to be. However, along the way she comes to a realization about her marriage and that allowed her to break free from Helmer’s control. Although his expectations has hold her back from doing what she wants, she has also learned to be a independent woman from his control. Her

In A Doll House Ibsen juxtaposes the marital relationship between Nora and Torvald with Nora’s and her father’s in order to present the idea an individual may look to their spouse as a replacement for a parental figure. Nora’s individual growth is stunted by her marriage, as she is dependent on her husband as a source of guidance and leadership, like a father, rather than a mutual source of maturation and equality between husband and wife. Nora drew comparison between her father and husband, stating “with Torvald it’s just the same as with Papa” (Ibsen 85). Nora recognized the similarity between the two before any epiphany of a parental replacement occurred; Nora was also comfortable with the

Ibsen illustrates her rebellion through the use of archetypes. The play revolves around Nora’s rebellion, which is evident from the beginning. Taking out a loan is, as mentioned, scandalous to the era. Not only is she breaking gender roles but she is breaking the law. She defies the Angel in the House archetype of a complacent mother and instead embodies the Lilith archetype of power and independence. She is her own woman, who can make her own decisions based on her best interests, which was unspeakable in her era. Moreover, Nora shows the Lilith archetype in her decision to leave Torvald. She “leave[s] the security and comfort of her restrictive domestic life to try to become a human being” (Atner 1795). Her search for her inner being, however, was not acceptable for the era. Nora’s abandonment of her children resulted in riots after the play (Gagliardi). Thus, Nora’s actions were not only scandalous for the time, they were revolutionary. Although leaving her husband was rebellion against the status quo, abandoning her children was considered blasphemous. Ibsen’s use of historical context and archetypes emphasizes Nora’s sociopolitical rebellion and ambition for

Within the soul of every human lies an enigmatic truth, and no matter how innocent it may seem or how well the notion might have been, there is a reason it is being hidden. In Henry Ibsen’s, A Doll’s House, the main character, Nora Helmer, keeps a secret crime from her husband, Torvald Helmer, that can not only ruin her life, but his as well. Despite having good intentions for her actions, this secret tortures her throughout the entirety of the play, and once revealed, changed Nora’s overall character from a sweet, fun-loving child, into a mature, hardened woman, as well as changing the entire tone of the play from being merry and joyful, into dark and stressful, yet bittersweet.

Fitting the societal norms of the late nineteenth century, the Norwegian play "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen portrays Nora and Torvald Helmer's relationship as unequal and problematic. As typical during the time period, Torvald is the head of the house; however, their relationship is more similar to a father and daughter than a husband and wife. Like a parent establishing rules, Torvald does not allow Nora to eat sweets, and when he questions whether she has gone to the confectioner's, she replies that she would not " think of doing what you disapprove of." Their roles are evident as the stage directions indicate how Nora "hums and smiles with covert glee" as they converse and Torvald is "threatening with his finger" as he cajoles her about eating sweets. Nora's responsibility is to entertain Torvald, and she

The Protagonist within the play “A Doll’s House” is Nora Helmer. During the development of each character, Nora Helmer’s life is best described as a woman who has been coddled throughout the years. First she is raised by her father, he belittled her throughout the years and painted an image (mentally within Nora’s mind) that she would never be able to accomplish anything on her own. Furthermore, once she leaves the nest (her father’s house), she begins to live and marry Torvald Helmer. Sadly for Nora, he treats her just like her father did and goes on to say, “You are like my child.” Nevertheless, a truly well written story cannot go on without an Antagonist; however, an exquisite piece of work such as “A Doll’s House” envelopes the protagonist

This attitude is best expressed when he says, "I had to grab hold somewhere; and I dare say that I haven’t been among the worst." This light juxtaposition which affects Nora and Krogstad’s relationship, combined with Nora’s secretive borrowing and money-saving practices creates a lasting impression of her desire that no one, including Helmer, discover her debt to the bank. This clashes directly with the initial portrait of a childlike, carefree and oblivious woman that Nora "was" at the beginning of the play. Nora’s personality slowly changes from a two-dimensional figure to a fully developed and captivating woman who can independently take care of herself and her family without the guiding hand of a man at her side. This is illustrated by her handling of the debt crisis up to the point that her husband finds out. The prevailing belief in nineteenth century society was that women could not handle affairs suited only for men, such as the management of finances or similar tasks and occupations. Ibsen’s Nora progresses from an innocent, apparently oblivious bystander to the her world’s events to a character who has the courage, determination, and intellect to undertake those tasks that Victorian society prohibited for women. Krogstad’s demeanor and attitude toward Nora also reveals certain important aspects of their relationship, and thus her personality. For example, while Torvald figuratively and

First of all, the development of Nora’s personality is portrayed with much intricacy and subtlety. When Nora first appears, she seems childish and impulsive, described by the stage direction as someone who ‘slips the bag of macaroons in her pocket and wipes her mouth’. This occasion in Act I stems from Nora’s actions during a shopping excursion where she secretly eats some macaroons that are forbidden by her husband Torvald. When questioned later by him of her actions; she replies ‘No…how could you think that?’ (151) This seemingly insignificant detail reveals the effect Torvald’s intimidation has on Nora and her submission to the rules regulated by him. Nora’s vulnerability is reinforced by the manner in which Torvald speaks to her throughout this conversation, which is reminiscent of a parental figure questioning a young child. ‘Look me straight in the face…Didn’t little sweet- tooth just look in at the confectioners’ (151). This image of a guilty child that

Nora’s actions conveys the many compromises women make in order to fit into society and marriage. Ibsen has set the tone for Nora’s character as one who is a helpless damsel as she asks for money for Christmas from Trovald. He continues to show her that he is in control by telling her “still, you know, we can’t spend money recklessly.” (I.5). Acting as a spoil child, Nora replies to

In A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen examines conventional roles of men and women in the nineteenth century. In the play, Nora exemplifies the conventional feminine standard during that period. She seems to be powerless and confines herself through high standard expectations, demonstrating what the role of a women would be as a wife and mother. The protagonist of A Doll’s House is a woman named Nora Helmer. Ibsen shows how Nora’s design of perfect life gradually transforms when her secret unravels. In the play A Doll House, Nora Helmer, who throughout much of the play is oppressed, presents an inauthentic identity to the audience and throughout the play attempts to discover her authentic identity. The role of Nora is very important to this play. She is oppressed by “tyrannical social conventions” in this case she is oppressed by the manipulation of Torvald. In this play, Torvald has a big role in society. He is someone very important because of his job and has to take a lot of responsibilities and one of them is his wife. Torvald is very authoritative and puts his appearance, both social and physical, ahead of his wife that he supposedly loves. Torvald is a man that is worried about his reputation, and cares little about his wife 's feelings.

In life some people wear masks never revealing their true nature to even their closest friends or spouse; however if that mask is ever removed the revelation of the true person that lies beneath can be shocking. Dominated women are more likely to wear a mask in order to hide the reality of their dark, oppressive world in which they live. This allows the women to maintain what little self-esteem they have left, while at the same time they are screaming on the inside yearning for freedom. A prime example of such a woman would be, Nora Helmer, in Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll House, she wears the mask of a submissive, loving, housewife but in reality she only wishes for freedom and independence. Her husband, Torvald is not an abusive man, although, he is controlling and treats her as a child, instead of an equal partner in their marriage. Throughout the play, Nora with the aid of Kristine and Dr. Rank, progresses into a more prevailing role which leads to her ultimate freedom when she leaves her husband and children. Henrik Ibsen created a very complex character with Nora Helmer, a loving, submissive housewife with an opposing side of manipulation and deceit, while Torvald dominates within his household, he remains devoted to his family, and loves his wife dearly.

In order to effectively portray a realm in which the protagonist is entrapped, Henrick Ibsen must use apparatus to contextualize the social and economical themes that prove instrumental in disabling a womans strength, demoting her to the rank of a mere child or fliting object. The view of a womans role in society has definately developed since that of the industrial revolution therefore allowing a broad analysis of why Nora came to the decision of leaving her husband and children and how Henrik Ibsen was able to effectively portay this. However conclusions cannot be made based on simple surface deductions. as artists and readers we are intrigued with dynamic, deeper meaning and decisions. This essay discusses the ways in which Ibsen employs instruments such as set, symbolism, imagery and stage directions to dramatically express the protagonists entrapment in A Doll 's House.

There is juxtaposition that Ibsen creates between Mrs. Linde and Nora. This is shown mainly through their marriages. Nora and Torvald play unequal roles in their marriage and according to Torvald, Nora is a child- like object whom he must provide for. In their relationship, Nora plays the passive role. Her only duty is to please her husband, who feels he is superior to her. Mrs. Linde’s situation was totally different. She was looking desperately for a job at the beginning of the play, as her husband, Mr. Linde, had just died. She and Krogstad had a relationship in the past, but because of her family’s financial needs she ends up marrying a businessman, Mr.

Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” is a play that gives insight to the way of life in the Victorian era. What starts out as a story of a man and his lovely wife, begins to evolve into a story of Nora and her role as a woman in society at the time. The role of gender has always been a means for strife between man and woman. Despite the current times, there is still a wedge between expectations of a man or woman. During Victorian times, that wedge was much larger and the roles of Torvald and Nora were well defined by society. These gender roles within “A Doll’s House” became the driving force for the story and ultimately became renowned as a feminist play.

Henrik Ibsen pioneers a unique portrayal of the struggle for personal freedom in “A Dollhouse.” He uses marriage and gender roles indicative of his era as an example of the constraints placed on people in society. His work is controversial and ahead of its time, and Ibsen is able to show in “A Dollhouse” morality and societal customs do not always walk hand in hand. Through the use of the character Nora, he shows the necessity of sacrifice is sometimes needed to achieve freedom from culture. The conclusion of “ A Dollhouse” appropriately demonstrates the required action of a housewife, striving to grow as a human being, who is forced is to make a difficult decision of breaking the familial dynamic with her husband and children. While Nora 's abandonment of her children is shocking and sad, it is not a casual gesture stumbled upon, as believed by some critics such as Elizabeth Harwick. In “A Dollhouse” Nora is an individual reaching the breaking point of frustration in her personal life. Her climatic departure from her family is a result of the accumulating experiences she has endured. Nora 's childhood shadowed by a dominating father, her financial responsibility when Torvald is sick, her flirtatious manner with Dr. Rank, and her contemplation of a more balanced marriage, are all precursors to Nora 's action in leaving her family.