Doll House Essay During the victorian era, society functioned very differently than it does today. In his play, “A Doll House,” Henrik Ibsen observes that the social structure at that time caused the relationship between husbands and wives to be very challenging. Ibsen uses symbols such as mail, pet names, and macaroons to show how power imbalances deny couples the ability to come to each other for help in their times of need. One symbol that Ibsen uses to show the poor quality of a husband and wife's relationship is mail. The protagonist in the play, Nora Helmer has a secret that she is determined to keep from her husband Torvald. When Nora’s enemy, Krogstad, blackmails her by sending a letter to expose her secret, she begs Torvald “[not to] open any letters-or
…show more content…
One day, after secretly eating a few macarons, Torvald tells Nora that she has “a very suspicious look” and asks if she has eaten any macarons to which she replies “no, not at all”(pg.868). The first problem with this situation is that Torvald feels the need to monitor her diet, something that shows how he overuses his power and treats her like a child who can’t make decisions for herself. The fact that she blatantly lies to Torvald is the second problem. It is true that he is being a difficult husband but that doesn’t give Nora an excuse to lie to him. Both of these actions reveal serious problems in their marriage and it shows the how each of them played a part in it.
The symbolism in mail, pet names, and macaroons all point to the results of the male dominating society. Ibsen’s play, “A Doll House” portrays the effects of this even in homes that were seemingly “perfect.” Male leadership is a good thing, however over time, men lost perspective and in overusing their power, they would often negatively affect the lives of those closest to
One day, after secretly eating a few macarons, Torvald tells Nora that she has “a very suspicious look” and asks if she has eaten any macarons to which she replies “no, not at all”(pg.868). The first problem with this situation is that Torvald feels the need to monitor her diet, something that shows how he overuses his power and treats her like a child who can’t make decisions for herself. The fact that she blatantly lies to Torvald is the second problem. It is true that he is being a difficult husband but that doesn’t give Nora an excuse to lie to him. Both of these actions reveal serious problems in their marriage and it shows the how each of them played a part in it.
The symbolism in mail, pet names, and macaroons all point to the results of the male dominating society. Ibsen’s play, “A Doll House” portrays the effects of this even in homes that were seemingly “perfect.” Male leadership is a good thing, however over time, men lost perspective and in overusing their power, they would often negatively affect the lives of those closest to