A Doll's House By Henrik Ibsen

Parlor plays, or plays which show a female character dissatisfied in her marriage for whatever reason, were used purely as comical relief in the 1700’s. However, as Ann Mazur mentions in her work on Victorian women, when the 1900’s came about, these plays were used as a method to allow women to act in plays and slowly place their feet where a man’s should have been. Many prior to Henrik Ibsen, playwright of A Doll House, have written pieces covering the role of women, but their works fell short of the popularity Ibsen’s had. Therefore, Ibsen is considered to be one of the first to exemplify and scrutinize the issue of women’s roles in society. In his play A Doll House, Nora’s “door slam heard around the world” represents many other scenarios …show more content…
He uses condescending titles for her, “Is that my little lark twittering out there?” (Ibsen 1246). His choice of using the word ‘my’ shows his possession that he holds over Nora. Tolvard is not a wicked husband, but he merely treats Nora as a child and rejects her maturing into an adult capable of sustaining herself. By expressing that Nora is his, he acts as if she is his own private doll. Torvald will not allow Nora to act on her own thoughts and ideas, but she is expected to follow every guideline he has given her to being a virtuous wife and mother. Torvald is a controlling husband, but that is how society has bred him and he never contemplates that Nora is desiring anything else. In his eyes, he is purely giving her anything that she desires to preserve her happiness, “Nora, guess what I have here. [Offering her money]” (Ibsen 1247). He offers her additional money, sort of a bribe, for her to keep quiet and continue her work as his wife. Nora at first accepts Torvald doing so, as she is just a simple little girl for Torvald to support, an ornament of his to gaze at whenever he pleases “… Someone very tiny, diminutive, miniature, and especially the one who can never be self-sufficient and always depends on others for existence.” (Baseer, The Use of Symbolic Language). Nora depends fully on Torvald in Act 1, only …show more content…
The time of year for the play in itself is a symbol. It was Christmas time, but more specifically, the beginning of a new year, which for Nora symbolizes a new creation of herself. Beginning the play, Nora moves a Christmas tree into the scene, although not dressed up yet. This tree epitomizes Nora. At First, the audience does not know anything about Nora or her persona but just that she is simply a woman, and likewise the Christmas tree originates as just a meek tree. Throughout the play, it is learned that Nora is a sumptuous woman whom is supposed to be a charm and ornate woman, just as the tree is pictured, “Hide the tree well… musn’t get a glimpse of it till this evening, after it’s trimmed.”(Ibsen 1246). Just like the tree, Nora did not allow herself to be seen if she was not properly and elegantly dressed, even in front of Torvald. She has to be perfect in the eyes of everybody else. Eventually, though, Nora is broken down by her past which she has hidden from Torvald. Beginning Act 2, Ibsen starts the scene showing the Christmas tree: “Beside the piano the Christmas tree now stands stripped of ornament, burned-down candle stubs on its ragged branches.” (Ibsen 1266) As the play goes on and the tree becomes harsh to the eyes and disheveled, Nora mimicking this downfall. The tree symbolizes the decaying of Nora’s previous lifestyle and as the tree dies, time moves on to the next event: The New