Free Essays on A Dolls House

A Doll’s House In 1879 the first stage production of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House caused quite a stir, ending with what one critic called â€Å"the slammed door that reverberated across the roof of the world†. (Handout, A Doll’s House, Ibsen, pg 580) It is hard to imagine today that a woman leaving her husband and children behind to go find herself could even raise an eyebrow, but this was the Nineteenth Century. This was a time of openly displayed male dominance, where women were brought up to be economically, socially, and psychologically dependent on men and especially on the institutions of marriage and motherhood. Women were expected to be the trophy, the plaything, as well as the means for bearing children for their husbands and, during this time, women did what was expected of them. They allowed themselves to be spoiled and didn’t let on if they minded not being able to think for themselves. Ibsen’s character, Nora, turned all these traditiona l roles upside down in 1879, with one closing of the door. Nora Helmer was raised by her father according to the traditions of that period, meaning she was expected to absorb his opinions, ideas, and tastes rather than develop her own. She was made to believe her greatest role in life was in becoming a wife and mother. Her father, like her husband, did not take her seriously but treated her like a doll or a plaything. She performs for her husband in exactly the way he wants her to perform. He wants her to be pretty and childlike, with no head for business. Nora knows if she behaves the way he wants, it will make him happy. His values will have been flattered by her playfulness and his ego will be stroked. It is then she can get what she wants. That in itself brings a sense of power over men that women have always had, and maintain today. In the play, Nora has secretly borrowed money, by forging her father’s name to an IOU, to take her seriously ill husband ... Free Essays on A Doll's House Free Essays on A Doll's House I found A Doll’s house to be a very complex and a very well thought out play. Rather than presenting the traditional happy ending Ibsen decided to end the play with a twist, especially for the times. I decided to take the ending that Ibsen used and prolong it. Through out the play I had a connection with the character of Dr.Rank. I felt that he provided guidance and advice to household. Since Torvald confided in him so much I felt that Nora should as well. I sent Nora to Dr.Rank’s home was mostly because of the conversation they had earlier when Rank told Nora had some feelings for her and also the fact he was the only other person Nora trusted or confided in at the time besides her friend Kristine. Since Nora left her home so confident and headstrong I did not want that momentum to die in the next act (IV). Even though DR.RANK was not in the best physical and metal condition I still wanted him to be an asset to the play. I believed that having that conversation in RANK’S home showed that she did care for him as well and that she also trusted him and the advise he had. I wanted to show NORA and DR.RANK having something in common in act IV because I felt they had a small connection during the play. Plus I wanted to show a change in character with DR.RANK because I wanted him to continue throughout the play. At the very end, when NORA asked rank for money it was the punch line related to the incident with Krogstad. The reason being I feel that NORA could never the independent women that she dreams of. Nor does know any other lifestyle and she always has to be controlled or comforted by someone.... Free Essays on A Doll's House In Henrik Ibsen’s, A Doll’s House, the character of Nora Helmer goes through the dramatic transformation from a kind a loving mother to an empowered woman. Her transformation is the personification of feminism during the nineteenth century. Torvald, her husband, represents society in the way he treats his wife. Nora rebels against this treatment and comes to realize that she is her own person, not a mother, not a wife, but a woman. In Act I Nora is still nothing more than a child, careless in her action and not thinking ahead to the possible consequences. She enters the scene, just returning from her Christmas shopping, planning to have a big holiday party. Her husband, Torvald, tells her that their budget this year won’t permit them to have the usual big holiday party they usually have. He speaks to her in a very condescending way, representing the way society viewed women at the time. Her treats her like a child, telling her that she doesn’t know better and calling her pet names like â€Å"songbird† and saying that she is â€Å"scatterbrained†. Society at this time viewed woman in the exact same way. Creatures meant to be taken care of because they â€Å"did not know better†. Torvald’s condescending manner serves to slowly push Nora closer and closer to the edge, finally pushing her over in the end. Toward the end of Act I a man named Krogstad enters onto the scene. This is the man from whom Nora has borrowed four thousand crowns to finance a trip to southern Italy. This meeting begins Nora’s slow transformation from the inferior half of society to the empowered woman. Krogstad comes to Nora seeking a favor. He works at the bank where Torvald is the manager and he has broken the law, but still wants to keep his job. He asks Nora to try to persuade Torvald to let him keep his job. When Krogstad asks this favor of Nora he highlights another role that society demands of women. He recognizes the feminine influ... Free Essays on A Doll's House â€Å"People who questioned how Nora Helmer could fare in the world on her own were not aware that it is a common theme in folklorethat of the innocent creature journeying through the world to discover basic human values...Only an innocent, fearless creature has the power of vision to see through false values of sophisticated society†{Marianne Sturman). This quote lays the foundation for the circumstances that kept the character, Nora, innocent and quite naive to the ways of the world. But, innocence should not be mistaken as an inability to adapt and overcome, as Nora completely demonstrates her ability to do so in Henry Ibsen’s play, â€Å"A Doll’s House.† Nora’s innocence allows her to see through the subterfuge and masks that polite society obtain in order to make their way in the world. However, in the time this play is set, Nora is kept, much like a doll, away from the necessity to struggle for a living. Lack of struggle does not make her unintelligent; in fact, she is just the opposite, having become a master manipulator. Of course, like most women of her time period, manipulation was the only way in which they could achieve their own goals. In this respect, women were reduced to the role of children. The men of the time, especially her husband Torvald, belittle their women and define them based on their potential as a companion, housekeeper, and the ability to produce offspring. This attitude is quite evident in Torvald’s belittling attitude of Nora. In one of the very first scenes between the two, the reader realizes that Torvald is going to be a domineering and demeaning person to Nora. He downplays her suggestions with dull phrases such as â€Å"how like a woman†(Ibsen 1011) and â€Å"Spendthrifts are sweet, but they use up a frightful amount of money† (Ibsen 1012). These are the types of phrases one uses with a child, which serves to reduce Nora to the status of a child. Torvald seems to take an ownership manne... Free Essays on A Doll's House A Doll’s House I believe that â€Å"A Doll’s House† could be updated because; most of the central ideas are still prevalent in today’s society. There are still women today that feel trapped by their marriages, still run away from their marriage’s leaving children behind, and still feel that it is important to do more then get married and have children. One of the reasons that I feel that â€Å"A Doll’s House† could be updated is that many women of today still feel trapped by their marriages. Some women, I’m sure this might be more common in upper class societies, fell that they are not equal to their husbands, just like Nora felt. They don’t receive all of the prestige and praise that their husbands do, and they wonder what their role is in the marriage. Many women of today still feel like they are a â€Å"doll† with nothing of importance to do. They have nannies and babysitters that practically raise their children, and so they feel that they don’t bring any real influence in raising their children. Just as Nora felt she didn’t have much influence in raising her children. Her husband even at one time was going to take her children away from her. In some cases all of these feelings can only be made worse if the wife in the marriage has no real college education. Then in this case she, is unable to get a job that is comparable to her husbands. This is exactly the problem that Nora had, and it was very frustrating to her. All these issues in today’s society can leave any women feeling trapped in her marriage just as Nora felt. On another note, although it is a lot more common now if not even a more accepted part of today’s society, women still run away from their marriage leaving children behind. All thought it would not be as shocking today’s society as it was in Nora’s time, there are still many cases of a wife leaving her family. I sure that everyone knows somebody that this has happened to... Free Essays on A Doll's House Influence Of Antigonism On A Doll's House It is very difficult to label something as a first in literature. Much the way inventions are often adaptations of previously patented objects, most authors borrow ideas and techniques form pre-existing media. In order to truly classify something as a first one must look for something entirely revolutionary, something that has never been done before. Two of these so called "firsts" include the first modern novel with Flaubert's Madame Bovary and what has been called the first modern play in Ibsen's A Doll's House. Regarding the latter, it is important to realize that while the play did break several molds which had endured for centuries, much was borrowed and adapted from past works. Of these, another "first" emerges for having shown a strong influence on Ibsen and his revolutionary play. Coincidentally, it is what historians refer to as on of the first plays in existence, Sophocles' Antigone. In merely looking at the surface, one notices right away that both plays are significant in that they avoid the social temptation of using a man as a protagonist. Looking deeper into the stories, however, one can see that in even more contradiction with society, the female characters go against men. Both Antigone and Nora step into the spotlight as the female hero who has been put in a compromising situation and is forced to decide whether it is more important to follow what society dictates, or go with what they feel is moral and just. Antigone is faced with the death of both brothers, one who is to be buried with full military rites, while the other, under dictate of the king, is to be cast aside and allowed to rot in the sun. She places family before the law, and ventures out to give her brother a proper burial. In A Doll's House, Nora too must decide where the line between right and wrong is drawn. In order to save her husband's life, Nora forges her fa... Free Essays on A Doll's House A Doll’s House In 1879 the first stage production of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House caused quite a stir, ending with what one critic called â€Å"the slammed door that reverberated across the roof of the world†. (Handout, A Doll’s House, Ibsen, pg 580) It is hard to imagine today that a woman leaving her husband and children behind to go find herself could even raise an eyebrow, but this was the Nineteenth Century. This was a time of openly displayed male dominance, where women were brought up to be economically, socially, and psychologically dependent on men and especially on the institutions of marriage and motherhood. Women were expected to be the trophy, the plaything, as well as the means for bearing children for their husbands and, during this time, women did what was expected of them. They allowed themselves to be spoiled and didn’t let on if they minded not being able to think for themselves. Ibsen’s character, Nora, turned all these tradition al roles upside down in 1879, with one closing of the door. Nora Helmer was raised by her father according to the traditions of that period, meaning she was expected to absorb his opinions, ideas, and tastes rather than develop her own. She was made to believe her greatest role in life was in becoming a wife and mother. Her father, like her husband, did not take her seriously but treated her like a doll or a plaything. She performs for her husband in exactly the way he wants her to perform. He wants her to be pretty and childlike, with no head for business. Nora knows if she behaves the way he wants, it will make him happy. His values will have been flattered by her playfulness and his ego will be stroked. It is then she can get what she wants. That in itself brings a sense of power over men that women have always had, and maintain today. In the play, Nora has secretly borrowed money, by forging her father’s name to an IOU, to take her seriously ill husband ...