Henrik Ibsen Essays: Themes Of A Doll's House

Great Essays
Themes of the doll’s house

A Doll’s House is written by Henrik Ibsen in the year 1898 when he was traveling from Italy, Rome and Amalfi. Ibsen used A Doll’s House as one vehicle for questioning the importance—and the tyranny—of wealth. This play comes from Ibsen’s peak of radical ideasand when they were presented. Was written originally in Ibsen’s mother tongue Norwegian . The play was highly controversial when it was first published and since then it played am important role in Victorian marriage norms. Ibsen believed that women were best suited to be mothers and wive. But at the same time, it had an eye for injustice for Torvald Helmer and his treatment towards Nora was a common problem.
Marriage as an Unequal Partnership
In the play
…show more content…
The Society Values and Laws
She was not able to carry out the loan in a leagal manner , the funds which were needed to save her husbands life . she forges her father’s signature for the guarantor for the loan which she had taken . she places the love for her husband before the law . this show her moral values over the society . later on she works hard to pay the loan . for torvald , society values and laws are more important than any action done out of love , anger , jealousy , etc . nora values her loved ones before any social values or laws . This theme plays an important role in talking about the different behaviours of torvald and nora
The Inheritance of
…show more content…
Among them is the idea that a person’s character or moral nature is inherited from their parents . With Dr. Rank, Ibsen continues to broach the theme of heredity and illness.Torvald already believes that a mother is fruitfully responsible for the moral character and attitude of a child . Torvald who always differentiated between everybody according by their morality which were inherited by their parents. But for Dr. Rank the case is different. Torvald honours and treats Dr. Rank as his best friend. Dr. Rank eats with the family and visits Torvald daily. Even when he suffers from a disease that is clearly caused by his father. On the other hand, Torvald directly blames the parents of Krogstad for his failure because they had failed in their life. Torvald doesn’t like how korgstad allowed Torvald to dismiss him when he has to three kids to support. Torvald doesn’t know about Dr. Rank’s genetic condition while blaming the parents for the moral failings in Krogstad. This allows him to flaunt his superiority over everyone who was a part of the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In this scene Torvald says to Nora “I shall not allow you to bring up the children; I dare not trust them to you” (Ibsen). By doing this Torvald was essentially putting him in the role of taking care of the children and he completely stripped his wife from her womanhood. By Torvald doing this sudden act, he eventually destroyed the foundation of the family which led Nora to realize she could be treated better elsewhere. She didn’t need Torvald anymore. Even though Torvald does not realize it, he ignored the expected male role by destroying the identity of the family and changing what his role in the family would be in the…

    • 2107 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The main character, Nora, experiences this suppression and frees herself from her doll like lifestyle. Nora is an example of feminist progression in the 1800s. In the first act of the play, Nora and her husband, Torvald Helmer, seem happily…

    • 1533 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    However, Nora is still caged within her house and craves a sense of responsibility like a proper adult. Through deceit, Nora is able to achieve this by borrowing money to save Torvald’s life while still keeping her perfect dependent doll like image. If Torvald knew the truth, this breaking of the traditional roles would ruin “[their] beautiful happy…

    • 1181 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Prescribed question: Which social groups are marginalized, excluded or silenced within the text? Title Of the text for analysis: A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, 1879 The part of the course to which the task refers: Power and privilege My critical response will: Examine how women were treated in the play A Dolls House Examine how the women had to follow the orders of the men in their life Examine how Nora realizes that her role is no more than a doll and finally decides to leave.…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While Nora was stalling Torvald by distracting him, she was too “out of control” to the husband, and that told us about the oppression of women in past. Torvald’s respond to Dr. Rank contains strong tone of which he sees Nora as just doll meant to be controlled by its master and not have its own personality. In meanwhile, Nora’s friend was able to compromise with Krogstad and he sent another letter to recall his previous document but it would arrive little…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In this case, Torvald’s limited view on the female role needs to be diminished if he’s going to be aware of societal…

    • 1335 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are “two kinds of moral laws, …one in man and a completely different one in a woman. They do not understand each other ….” Said dramatist Henrik Ibsen. This dilemma holds completely true for Nora Helmer and Torvald Helmer in the literary work “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen. The play “A doll House” by Henrik Ibsen explored the gender role in the nineteenth century, an abnormal relationship between Nora and Torvald, and brought a social structure which opens an eye of the viewer and made them think about it.…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mrs. Linde has been Nora’s friend since they were young. Dr. Rank is Torvald’s best friend. Through the course of this play, Dr. Rank is slowly dying but does not tell Torvald, because of Torvald’s dislike in death. From Torvald’s actions throughout the play, he begins to realize how he abused his power and drove Nora to the unthinkable in society at the time.…

    • 1306 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Torvald Helmer and Nils Krogstad are both men who use Nora Helmer in the hope of advancing or protecting his career; but Nils is the one who releases Nora, while Torvald tries to tighten his control over Nora. Nora Helmer and Kristine Linde, the main female characters in the play, live in a time when women are not equal to men; the men determine the option or the opportunities they have. Henrik Ibsen published his play A Doll House in 1879. Torvald and Nora Helmer appear to be in a happy and successful nineteenth-century marriage, but there are secrets and games playing out within the home. A crisis reveals the limits that society and her husband place upon Nora.…

    • 1445 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Krogstad acts to maintain and improve his own image, but his main motivation is his sons, as revealed when he says: “My sons are growing up; for their sake I must try and win back as much respect as I can in the town.” (Page 189) He responds to this demand by blackmailing Nora into convincing Torvald not to fire him . In this, he is not only responding to the demand of raising his two sons, but also the demand of society to maintain good-standing in order to live a decent quality of life. His response is seen again in the second act, when again he confronts Nora, reiterating that “I want to rehabilitate myself, Mrs. Helmer; I want to get on; and in that your husband must help me.”…

    • 1386 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Torvald 's patronizing mindset was not really unusual for men during the Victorian era. He asserts his dominance over Nora verbally in a nonchalant manner by giving her nicknames. He is a man who is more worried about his reputation rather than his wife 's overall wellbeing. Furthermore, Nora 's and Torvald 's marriage on the outside may appear to be the perfect relationship, but as the play progresses forward, she begins to realize that her marriage is not as authentic as it appears to be. Torvald sees Nora 's role as being the subservient and perfect wife, he presented her to…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Avoiding women’s restrictions and stereotypes was a main goal of these main three characters. A Doll’s House leaves readers grasping the concept that people control women’s liberations and societal human equality., which is the feminist theme. Society itself is the reasoning for the obstacles people encounter fighting for equality from one another. Ibsen’s play is a prime example of why expectations in life should not be systematized. Nora, Kristine Linde, and Anne-Marie each displayed feminist heroism within the play.…

    • 1469 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    A Doll's House Norm

    • 1995 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Henrik Ibsen explores the roles that society places upon men and women when it comes to marriage. In the past, the man has held the power and the final say on decisions, while the women generally follow along without providing much input--primarily because their husbands discourage their input. This was perceived as the “norm” preceding 1879, the year Ibsen wrote the play, A Doll’s house. Ibsen introduces the play inside the well-furnished living room of the Helmer household. Nora, the wife of Torvald Helmer, was not raised by her father as an equal which explains why she acts the way she does.…

    • 1995 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Ibsen, A Doll’s House from p. 9 (‘Nora [gently]. Poor Christine, you are a widow.) to ‘Nora... It was like being a man.’…

    • 1538 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, is a play that stands up as a great example of realism. There are many aspects in the play that represent realism, such as; the way it portrays the lives, concerns, and problems of people of middle and low class. Also, the what idealizes realism as one of the best type of plays is how the dialogue is like everyday speech and conversations. My drawing is consisted of Nora’s head, and in her head, there’s a house, her house. I chose this to draw because you can tell a lot from what you see.…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays