Greed and Wealth: Connections between A Doll’s House and “The Rocking-Horse Winner”
Most people have this fascination for money. Sometimes it gets so bad that it consumes a person. Nora and Hester, in the works A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence respectively, both struggle with greed. Nora’s fascination with money sheds light on Hester’s lust for wealth. While both characters are avarice, Nora becomes less greedy as the plot progresses, whereas Hester’s craving for riches only intensifies; this is seen through the characters’ attitude toward money, abuse of it, and how their perspectives change with regards to wealth. From the very start, Nora is greedy and vain. She does not care how much something costs as long as it allows her to keep up appearances. When she comes home, it can be seen that she is deeply concerned about her image. After Nora tells Torvald that she went shopping, Torvald responds by saying “[b]ought, did you say? All these things? Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again?” (Ibsen 214). Even though this is the beginning of the play, the reader is given …show more content…
H. Lawrence, Nora provides additional context into Hester’s character. More specifically, seeing that the two character begin with a similar mindset and end with drastically different perspectives, adds depth and insight into Hester. Although the two characters deal with a similar problem, Nora’s approach sheds light onto Hester’s. Nora did not let the greed consume her, like it did with Hester. Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Literature: the Human Experience, 12th ed. Richard Abcarian, Marvin Klotz, and Samuel Cohen, Eds. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2016. 213-268. Print
Lawrence, D. H. “The Rocking-Horse Winner.” The Story and Its Writer. 10th ed. Ann Charters, Ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2011. 1223-1236.
Most people have this fascination for money. Sometimes it gets so bad that it consumes a person. Nora and Hester, in the works A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence respectively, both struggle with greed. Nora’s fascination with money sheds light on Hester’s lust for wealth. While both characters are avarice, Nora becomes less greedy as the plot progresses, whereas Hester’s craving for riches only intensifies; this is seen through the characters’ attitude toward money, abuse of it, and how their perspectives change with regards to wealth. From the very start, Nora is greedy and vain. She does not care how much something costs as long as it allows her to keep up appearances. When she comes home, it can be seen that she is deeply concerned about her image. After Nora tells Torvald that she went shopping, Torvald responds by saying “[b]ought, did you say? All these things? Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again?” (Ibsen 214). Even though this is the beginning of the play, the reader is given …show more content…
H. Lawrence, Nora provides additional context into Hester’s character. More specifically, seeing that the two character begin with a similar mindset and end with drastically different perspectives, adds depth and insight into Hester. Although the two characters deal with a similar problem, Nora’s approach sheds light onto Hester’s. Nora did not let the greed consume her, like it did with Hester. Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Literature: the Human Experience, 12th ed. Richard Abcarian, Marvin Klotz, and Samuel Cohen, Eds. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2016. 213-268. Print
Lawrence, D. H. “The Rocking-Horse Winner.” The Story and Its Writer. 10th ed. Ann Charters, Ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2011. 1223-1236.