A Doll's House Metaphors

Throughout history, women have been expected to fit into a cookie cutter mold designed by men. It should come as no surprise that in Ibsen's "A Doll's House" it is no different. While reading the story of Nora, Torvald's wife, it is obvious that she is expected to act, dress, and even dance a certain way. There are many examples of symbolism and metaphors throughout this play. The symbolism in the name of the play, the Christmas tree, her costume and dance, and even in the news of their dear friend who is dying. It is because of these metaphors and symbolism that makes this play so interesting.
At the beginning of the play, we see a young woman, Nora, who is talked down to by her husband and treated like a child. Nora's husband, Torvald, is very controlling. He controls what she eats, how much money she is allowed to have, and even …show more content…
We see that Nora was made to practice her dance by herself and out of hearing distance from her husband. He did not want to be distracted or disturbed by it. It is because of this that we see how lonely Nora must have felt in her marriage. Not only does her husband treat her like a doll, but he also expects her to be as quiet as a mouse and out of sight. We notice in the play that there is one particular moment when she pulls him into a room to practice with her, to distract him from finding out the truth about her secret. We see that when she is practicing she is dancing far too quickly for the music and is told to slow down several times. Nora's speed symbolizes how worried and anxious she is for her husband to find out the truth. It seems as though she is dancing quickly like someone who is running away from their problems. It is impossible to actually "run away from the problems we face", but it is through the fast pace of her dance that we see a glimpse into her mind and how nervous she is at that