Gender Roles And Sexism In A Doll's House By Henrik Ibsen

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A Doll’s House, written by Henrik Ibsen, exemplifies a specific and essential message with coordinating elements that go hand in hand. The way that Ibsen has created this message and theme is extraordinary, and never been done before, displaying the break away from sexism presented in this play. The issue brought to light in this play correlates with modern day problems with gender roles and sexism. In the play A Doll’s house, Henrik Ibsen presents how breaking gender roles can lead to a liberating lifestyle, Ibsen conveys this using a distinct use of symbolism, character analysis, and dramatic irony. Fundamentally, Henrik Ibsen includes a phenomenal use of symbolism in A Doll’s House to exaggerate and amplify the dramatic environment. The …show more content…
Ironically, Christmas time is cheerful, warm, and inclusive. A Doll’s House counteracts this normality, making Christmas a dark and villainous time full of seclusion and secrets. “To desert your home, your husband and your children! And you don't consider what people will say!” (Ibsen 50). This time of year represents love and compassion, Nora and Torvald’s relationship declines in the opposite direction. Their relationship is as cold as the winter night outside. “Torvald is so self-centered that he continues to see his wife how he wants her to be or how she fails to be his ideal woman; he never sees the actual woman who she is” (“Portrayal Of Sexism In Ibsen's The Doll's House Essay”). They each grow bitter and cold towards each other and their marriage. Torvald is unaware of Nora’s forgery, yet claims how lying in the household creates a toxic environment for the children and family relationship. He only continues to perform like the master of puppets. “Because an atmosphere of lies infects and poisons the entire household. Every breathe the children take is filled with the germs of evil” (Ibsen 51). Ironically Torvald states this prior to his knowing of the forgery, even though his words are applicable and correct towards Nora’s …show more content…
The literary elements and components incorporated create an important message for an uncommonly talked about issue needing to be addressed. Each aspect of the play hold an important and vital role in A Doll’s House as a whole. Altogether, Henrik Ibsen’s exceptional display of symbolism, character analysis, and dramatic irony construct a relevant topic in a traditional time period, and the resolution of how to counteract discriminating

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