The Doll House Essay example

Submitted By ashxashx
Words: 809
Pages: 4
Open Document
The Doll’s House

Throughout the play, A Doll’s House, written by Henrik Ibsen the role of women was

very different then it is now. During the 19th Century, women were often seen as weak

and ineffective. They also relied very heavily on the man to provide for them and were

expected to stay home while they cook, clean and take the care of their children. Henrik

Ibsen gives his readers a glimpse of what is what like to be a woman during this time by

showing how Torvald treated his wife Nora. He would treat her like a possession, call

her a squirrel and expected her to live up to his expectation of the perfect wife. Now the

role of women has changed dramatically. More women are going to college, getting jobs

and providing for themselves.

Throughout Nora’s marriage with her husband Torvald, she has been nothing but a

puppet to him.” I have been performing tricks for you, Torvald. That’s how I’ve survived.

You wanted it like that. You and Papa have done me a great wrong. It’s because of you

I’ve made nothing of my life” (Ibsen). In this quote, Nora realizes that she has yet to do

anything with her life because she’s has been raised by her father to meet society’s

expectation of what it meant to be a woman during those times. She states that she’s

been performing tricks for her husband like how a dog performs tricks for its owner. The

only reason why Nora survived her marriage with Torvald was by acting like the perfect

happy wife. “You have never loved me. You have only thought it pleasant to be in love

with me (Ibsen). In this quote , Nora states that Torvald never truly loved her for who

she was but was in love with the idea of her. He was in love with the idea of having a

flawless wife who did nothing but obey him, cook for him, have no say in their marriage

take care of the children, stay home and clean while he works. Their marriage was never built on love but rather on Torvald’s obsession with perfection.

Nora had a desire to be independent from her husband and could no longer uphold

this performance that she’s played since the day she was born.”I must stand on my own

two feet if I'm to get to know myself and the world outside. That's why I can't stay here

with you any longer “(Ibsen). In this quote, All of her life Nora’s been tamed and was

expected to behave a certain way. She is now rebelling against what society wants her

to be by leaving her husband. The reason why Nora left Torvald was because she was

sick and tired of pretending to be the ideal woman. She no longer wanted to be the

perfect housewife but a strong independent woman who fended for herself. She craved

liberty like a drug and couldn’t stay miserable with her husband much longer.

Nora has always been expected to play the role of a
Show More

Related Documents: The Doll House Essay example

The Doll House

of their relationship in the story is “There was nothing to answer. Isabel was bossy, but she always right, and Lottie and Kezia knew too well the powers that went with being the oldest.” Isabel was in charge of everything including who saw the doll house and when, while Lottie and Kezia were kind of in the background of things. This is very different from the Kelvey sisters who come from a poor family but have a very close bond. These two sisters are so close that their relationship is described…

Words 625 - Pages 3

A Doll House Sacrifice

sacrificing their own happiness for the joy of the one you love is by far the truest type of love. Nevertheless, limitless sacrifices and compromises in a romantic relationship are usually the trigger of disastrous relationships. Both Ibsen's play, A Doll House, and the film ''The Reader'' demonstrate that if a relationship need unconditional sacrifices and compromises to maintain, it appears to exist solidly…

Words 944 - Pages 4

Essay on A Dolls House

the late 1800s, the traditional family was depicted as a working father, stay-at-home mother, and children. Many ideas of the nuclear family still define the role of family in society today, but it is not as structured as it was back then. “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen portrays how society and culture influence an individual’s sense of identity and come to understand themselves and their place in the world. Nora, the main character, is a mother and a wife and is largely influenced by the people and…

Words 900 - Pages 4

Doll House Essay

and you go on with your normal life. That is exactly what Nora Helmer does in the play, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. For most of her marriage, Nora has been pretending to be someone she’s not. She conforms to Torvald’s beliefs because she doesn’t want him to stop loving her. At the end of the play, Nora realizes that all she is, is a doll in his house and questions whether Torvald really loves her or not. In the beginning of the story, Nora seems happy…

Words 507 - Pages 3

A DOLLS HOUSE Essay

Christine Bernal Dr Ryan World Drama 12 Dec 2014 A Doll’s House; Appearance vs. Reality, Selfishness Henrik Ibsen, considered by many to be the father of modern prose drama, while living in Italy in 1879, Ibsen published his masterpiece, A Doll’s House. In A Doll’s House, Ibsen uses the themes and structures of classical tragedy while writing a play about every day, unexceptional people. Nora borrows money from Krogstad while Torvald is in danger of dying, but forges her father’s signature. Krogstad…

Words 802 - Pages 4

A Doll House Essay

It is Christmas Eve. Nora Helmer enters the house with packages and a Christmas tree. She pays the porter double what she owes him and eats some macaroons. Her husband, Torvald Helmer, comes out of his study and addresses Nora with tenderness and authority, calling her his “skylark” and his “squirrel.” Nora tells Torvald that she wants to show him what she has bought, and Torvald teases her for being a spendthrift. Nora replies that she and Torvald can afford to be extravagant, since Torvald’s new…

Words 1065 - Pages 5

a dolls house Essays

father. Before my sixteenth birthday I had the world at my hands and hard times didn’t exist at least not that I had seen. I did my best with what I was given and never feared to let my parents down it wasn’t an option. Failure did not exist in my house when I was growing up and I’ve always been taught to take everything as a blessing. My greatest concern was, when were my parents going to let me drive my new car and how i'd spend my next pay check. I was sixteen young, free and ready to drive…

Words 960 - Pages 4

A Dolls House Essay

Throughout our history as human beings men and women were always distinguished as men being the superior and women being inferior. One of the major themes of the play A Doll’s House by Ibsen were the roles of men and women, how they act in society. This portrayed through the characters Torvald, the husband and Nora, the wife. Two major examples in act one supports this theme. First example is the way Torvald calls Nora. The second example is when Nora takes out a loan. These examples show theme the…

Words 399 - Pages 2

A Dolls House Essay

March 2014 Character Analysis: Nora Helmer At first the protagonist, Nora, seems a little bit off. When her husband, Torvald, calls her things like his "little squirrel," "featherhead," she doesn't seem to mind. In fact she seems to not mind it or just be into it. When Torvald first calls her a spendthrift, we're pressured to agree. So far, we've seen her give the porter a good tip, come in with tons of Christmas presents, and not take into account the idea of debt. Soon, though, we see that Nora…

Words 423 - Pages 2

A Doll ' s House Essay

A Doll House Built for the Future Ibsen's A Doll House or A Doll's House is a play regarded as highly radical for its time. It sparked a great deal of controversy and critizism. A number of people refused to be involved with it's production, some threatened to take matters into their own hands and rewrite the ending themselves. Though it was met with incredible critizism in its time, A Doll House has survived until today where it is still widely produced and since been translated into numerous languages…

Words 1965 - Pages 8