The Doll 's House By Katherine Mansfield

Ibsen 's play A Doll 's House centers on a stereotypical and comfortable family in the nineteenth century which, outwardly, has the appearance of respectability to which any audience can relate. There are many indicators that reveal that this family upholds a false image, such as the symbolic title “A Doll 's House". Nora is introduced as a "little Spendthrift" (p 6), which foreshadows future tension in her relationship. Torvald believes she is spending money frivolously, but she has actually secretly borrowed money to save his life, and is using the money he gives her to pay back her debt.

A Doll 's House by Henrik Ibsen, is a play that has been written to withstand all time. In this play Ibsen highlights the importance of women’s rights. During the time period of the play these rights were neglected. Ibsen depicts the role of the woman was to stay at home, raise the children and attend to her husband during the 19th century. Nora is the woman in A Doll House who plays is portrayed as a victim. Michael Meyers said of Henrik Ibsen 's plays: "The common denominator in many of Ibsen 's dramas is his interest in individuals struggling for and authentic identity in the face of social conventions. This conflict often results in his characters ' being divided between a sense of duty to themselves and their responsibility to others." All of the aspects of this quote can be applied to the play A Doll House, in Nora Helmer 's character, who throughout much of the play is oppressed, presents an inauthentic identity to the audience and throughout the play attempts to discovery her authentic identity.

The Dollmaker by Harriette Arnow is the story of one woman whose genius is undermined by those surrounding her. Gertie Nevels, a tall, big-boned woman raised in the Appalacian region of Kentucky is creative, self-sufficient, strong, and resourceful. In her native home, Gertie creates for herself an atmosphere where she is able to survive any situation and has everything under control. As Wilton Eckley states in “From Kentucky to Detroit“, a chapter in his novel, Harriette Arnow, “Certainly while the family is living in Kentucky, she [Gertie] is self-sufficient and has no fear that she will be unable to get along if Clovis is called to join all the other younger men of the community in the service”

Mr. Krogstad, a former employee of Torvald is the leading antagonist in A Doll House. He clearly has an agenda and a lust for power. Krogstad’s lust for power gives the reader a sense of subtle rage because Krogstad only wants what’s best for him and his family but he exploits Nora for his own gain. Krogstad advances the plot by controlling Nora through a loan, while illuminating both main characters, and reinforcing the themes of confusion and lost love.

The Doll’s House is about a young girl named Kezia who was given a big new doll house by her parents and wants to have two other girls from poor families over to play with her and show them the doll house. The society that they are apart of wouldn’t let girls of different classes associate with each other as friends and the two Kelvey girls that Kezia invited over are thrown out. The Kelveys are taunted daily at their school by the richer girls about how they will be serving them one day, and no other choice in the societal hierarchy that they are in. One of the rich girls even says "Is it true you're going to be a servant when you grow up, Lil Kelvey?". The parent(s) of both families tell them that they are not meant to be associating with others outside of their class. The Doll’s House highlights the discrimination that society teaches children to treat each other poorly based on arbitrary standards like wealth of one’s family.

A Doll House was written by Henrik Ibsen in 1879. There are two woman in the play, Nora and Mrs. Linde who have some differences, but also share some similarities. Nora is married to Torvald Helmer, they have three children together. Miss. Linde is a widow an took care of her younger siblings and her now deceased mother. Nora and Mrs. Linde are different in the way they have lived the past couple of years and how at the end of act three they are changing their lifestyles by either going from independent to a dependent life or from a dependent to an independent lifestyle. Through these differences, they also share a similarities in the way they have cared for a family member, they are proud of this accomplishment, marry for money, work hard to earn money, and both ultimately were willing to sacrifice themselves for their families. Even though Nora and Mrs. Linde live different lifestyles, they both took care of a loved one and feel proud and happy for what they did.

The Brigham Young University-Idaho Henrik Ibsen Series I chose to attend was A Doll’s House directed by Trevor Hill. The play was about Nora Helmer, set in the 1870’s. She is a loving mother and wife to all who entered her home. When Mrs. Linde entered her household, a friend, before either of them were married, Nora trusted her with a secret she had been hiding for quite some time. Years previous, Torvald (Nora’s husband) fell ill, and the only way to save his life was to get treatment in Italy. To get Torvald his treatment she had to receive a loan from the bank. We learn later that the only way she could get the loan, was through a man’s signature. She asked her father to sign the required documents. When the contract for the loan comes to light, we find out that Nora forged her father’s signature, because he had passed away days before the papers were signed.

Ibsen 's concerns about the physical and mental oppression of women by male dominance are brought to life in “A Doll 's House”. Through the characterisation of male dominance Ibsen expresses the view that all women possess the right to develop their own individuality, but in “A Doll’s House” the reality is that their role was often sacrificial. During the late 19th century, when the events of “A Doll’s House” unfold, women were not treated as equals with men, either in relation to their husbands or society. Torvald’s egotistical fear that his employees would think his wife influenced him is evident in the following quote, “Everyone at the bank knows I’ve sacked him. If it comes out that that the new manager changes his mind when his wife demands it-…... I’d be the laughing stock”. Women could not conduct business or control their own money, for which they needed the authorization of men, whether that was husbands, brothers or fathers. Moreover, they were not educated for responsibility. Nora suffers from both of these inequalities, firstly by taking out a loan without the authority of her husband, and secondly by believing, out of naivety and ignorance of the world, that she could forge a signature and be absolved of the consequences of her actions. Throughout the text Ibsen implements specific characterisation in an effort to effectively comment on the effects of male dominance. It is evident that Nora and Torvald represent the stereotypical ideals of male dominance

In today’s society, people tend to act as someone they aren’t rather than whom they truly are, a lot like the characters in A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen. By understanding everyone’s individuality, communication among others will grow stronger and build greater relationships based on truth. If people actually accepted themselves for who they are as well as others, communication would cease to be a circus production with each person in their specified roles. Yet, this includes the acceptance from society as well rather than the promotion of clichés and what is viewed as “accepted”.

In “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen Nora’s character has traits’ of a narcissistic person. You can see these traits through her actions throughout the story. In the article “A Psychoanalytic Reading of Nora” written by Carol S. Tufts states values of a narcissistic personality one of these are “Grandiose sense of self- importance and uniqueness….” Nora can relate to this because when she decides to leave her family to go find her self, she is displaying this notion of self-importance. Nora also shows this when Dr. Rank confesses his love for Nora, when he is about to die and she gets upset with him because she needed his help and now she feels that she can-not take advantage of him.

In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, humanism is shown through every single word and every single detail. A Doll’s House centers on humanism, because it demonstrates the search for identity, living up to societal standards, and believing that men and women are equal. A Doll’s House is bursting with symbolism through imagery and irony, which represent the oppression and polemic view of the individual from society. These symbols successfully illustrate the conflicts and transformation of each of the characters.

are cloose. Nora tells Mrs.Linde that she could talk to him and ask him for the money. Mrs.Linde asks “Behind your husband’s back?”(1127), showing a hint of disapproval in her tone of voice, she does not agree with Nora’s actions. Nora replies “I’ve got to clear up this other; that's also behind his back. I’ve got to clear it all up.”(1127), Ibsen shows that Nora’s hiding more than just one thing not only from her husband but her friend as well. Nora states “A man handles these problems so much better than a woman” (1127). Mrs.Linde then says “One’s husband does, yes.” (1127). This leaves the reader believing that it is not a woman’s duty to handle their own issues. Women are not capable of standing on their own two feet those days.

My understanding of cultural and contextual considerations of the work, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, was deepened through the interactive oral. We discussed about the cultural values of the time with its emphasis on the position of women, and the play’s influence on feminism in Norway. In fact, A Doll’s House is more relevant than before, since a paradigm shift occurred in the modern society that women are no longer dependent upon men.

A commonality in society is the portrayal of women as the ones who always “take the fall” for others. It is women who, on most occasions, give themselves up for the benefit of others, which negatively impacts their welfare. In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, the characters of Nora Helmer, Mrs. Linde and Anne-Marie each exemplify the sacrificial qualities often implemented by women. They show that the negative effects of womanhood occur regardless of age, economic status, or social class.

Since the beginning of modern history, humans have been living in a patriarchal society. While men went out and worked, women were typically confined to the home. In the first scene of A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, the narrator introduced the protagonist, Nora, and her husband, Torvald. Torvald and Nora were the stereotypical nineteenth-century couple. While Torvald worked at a bank, Nora was at home, caring for the household. The play took place around Christmastime, and the Helmers were shown to be preparing for the upcoming festivities. The household was bustling with joy as they celebrated Torvald’s new job promotion. As the plot thickens, numerous symbols were presented throughout the play. Three major symbols present within the play were macaroons, nicknames, and New Year’s Day. While macaroons represented Nora’s desire for independence, Torvald’s nicknames for Nora represented the couple’s relationship. Lastly, New Year’s Day symbolized a new start for both Nora and Torvald.