Directions: Revisit A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen. View the film below if you would like another full review. For this blog post, set aside 30-40 minutes and compose a response to one of the following prompts. I included a list of 20 important quotations, below, to help you compose your piece. Edit your response and post it, here, on the blog to share with your classmates. This will act as a rough draft of a formal piece, so pout in your best effort.
Prompts:
1972. In retrospect, the reader often discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the opening scene of a drama introduces some of the major themes of the work. Write an essay about the opening scene of a drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it functions in this way.
1975. Unlike the novelist, the writer of a play does not use his own voice and only rarely uses a narrator's voice to guide the audience's responses to character and action. Select a play you have read and write an essay in which you explain the techniques the playwright uses to guide his audience's responses to the central characters and the action. You might consider the effect on the audience of things like setting, the use of comparable and contrasting characters, and the characters' responses to each other. Support your argument with specific references to the play. Do not give a plot summary.
1977. In some novels and plays certain parallel or recurring events prove to be significant. In an essay, describe the major similarities and differences in a sequence of parallel or recurring events in a novel or play and discuss the significance of such events. Do not merely summarize the plot.
1983. From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the character's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.
1992. In a novel or play, a confidant (male) or a confidante (female) is a character, often a friend or relative of the hero or heroine, whose role is to be present when the hero or heroine needs a sympathetic listener to confide in. Frequently the result is, as Henry James remarked, that the confidant or confidante can be as much "the reader's friend as the protagonist's." However, the author sometimes uses this character for other purposes as well. Choose a confidant or confidante from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you discuss the various ways this character functions in the work. You may write your essay on one of the following novels or plays or on another of comparable quality. Do not write on a poem or short story.
1993. "The true test of comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful laughter." Choose a novel, play, or long poem in which a scene or character awakens "thoughtful laughter" in the reader. Write an essay in which you show why this laughter is "thoughtful" and how it contributes to the meaning of the work.
1997. Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includes such a scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may choose a work from the list below or another novel or play of literary merit.
2002, Form B. Often in literature, a character's success in achieving goals depends on keeping a secret and divulging it only at the right moment, if at all. Choose a novel or play of literary merit that requires a character to keep a secret. In a well-organized essay, briefly explain the necessity for secrecy and how the character's choice to reveal or keep the secret affects the plot and contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may select a work from the list below, or you may choose another work of recognized literary merit suitable to the topic. Do NOT write about a short story, poem, or film.
2005. In Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess "That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions." In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.
2007, Form B. Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
2008. In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of a minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil for the main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work.
2012. “And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces
Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.
Film Adaptation:
Act I
1. That is like a woman! But seriously, Nora, you know what I think about that. No debt, no borrowing. There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt. We two have kept bravely on the straight road so far, and we will go on the same way for the short time longer that there need be any struggle.
2. No, indeed; I only feel my life unspeakably empty. No one to live for any more. (Gets up restlessly.) That is why I could not stand the life in my little backwater any longer. I hope it may be easier here to find something which will busy me and occupy my thoughts. If only I could have the good luck to get some regular work--office work of some kind—
3. Do you still think I am of no use? I can tell you, too, that this affair has caused me a lot of worry. It has been by no means easy for me to meet my engagements punctually….. Well, then I have found other ways of earning money. Last winter I was lucky enough to get a lot of copying to do; so I locked myself up and sat writing every evening until quite late at night. Many a time I was desperately tired; but all the same it was a tremendous pleasure to sit there working and earning money. It was like being a man.
4. However wretched I may feel, I want to prolong the agony as long as possible. All my patients are like that. And so are those who are morally diseased; one of them, and a bad case, too, is at this very moment with Helmer—
5. The matter never came into court; but every way seemed to be closed to me after that. So I took to the business that you know of. I had to do something; and, honestly, don't think I've been one of the worst. But now I must cut myself free from all that. My sons are growing up; for their sake I must try and win back as much respect as I can in the town. This post in the Bank was like the first step up for me--and now your husband is going to kick me downstairs again into the mud.
6. Just think how a guilty man like that has to lie and play the hypocrite with everyone, how he has to wear a mask in the presence of those near and dear to him, even before his own wife and children. And about the children--that is the most terrible part of it all.
Act II
7. Do you think so? Do you think they would forget their mother if she went away altogether?
8. Come what will, you may be sure I shall have both courage and strength if they be needed. You will see I am man enough to take everything upon myself.
9. Do you think he is the only one - who would gladly give his life for your sake?
10. When I was at home….I always thought it tremendous fun if I could steal down into the maids' room, because they never moralized at all, and talked to each other about such entertaining things.
11. Most of us think of (suicide) at first. I did, too - but I hadn't the courage.
12. You should have let it alone; you must prevent nothing. After all, it is splendid to be waiting for a wonderful thing to happen.
Act III
13. When I lost you, it was as if all the solid ground went from under my feet. Look at me now - I am a shipwrecked man clinging to a bit of wreckage.
14. Twenty-four hours have elapsed since then, and in that time I have witnessed incredible things in this house. He must know all about it. This unhappy secret must be enclosed; they must have a complete understanding between them, which is impossible with all this concealment and falsehood going on.
15. At the next fancy-dress ball I shall be invisible.
16. Do you know, Nora, I have often wished that you might be threatened by some great danger, so that I might risk my life's blood, and everything, for your sake.
17. Does it not occur to you that this is the first time we two, you and I, husband and wife, have had a serious conversation?
18. When I was at home with papa, he told me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinions; and if I differed from him I concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it. He called me his doll-child, and he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls. And when I came to live with you… I was simply transferred from papa's hands into yours….You and papa have committed a great sin against me. It is your fault that I have made nothing of my life.
19. I have other duties just as sacred…..Duties to myself.
20. The most wonderful thing of all?
A Doll House (1973) with Anthony Hopkins
Important Quotations:
Act I
1. That is like a woman! But seriously, Nora, you know what I think about that. No debt, no borrowing. There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt. We two have kept bravely on the straight road so far, and we will go on the same way for the short time longer that there need be any struggle.
2. No, indeed; I only feel my life unspeakably empty. No one to live for any more. (Gets up restlessly.) That is why I could not stand the life in my little backwater any longer. I hope it may be easier here to find something which will busy me and occupy my thoughts. If only I could have the good luck to get some regular work--office work of some kind—
3. Do you still think I am of no use? I can tell you, too, that this affair has caused me a lot of worry. It has been by no means easy for me to meet my engagements punctually….. Well, then I have found other ways of earning money. Last winter I was lucky enough to get a lot of copying to do; so I locked myself up and sat writing every evening until quite late at night. Many a time I was desperately tired; but all the same it was a tremendous pleasure to sit there working and earning money. It was like being a man.
4. However wretched I may feel, I want to prolong the agony as long as possible. All my patients are like that. And so are those who are morally diseased; one of them, and a bad case, too, is at this very moment with Helmer—
5. The matter never came into court; but every way seemed to be closed to me after that. So I took to the business that you know of. I had to do something; and, honestly, don't think I've been one of the worst. But now I must cut myself free from all that. My sons are growing up; for their sake I must try and win back as much respect as I can in the town. This post in the Bank was like the first step up for me--and now your husband is going to kick me downstairs again into the mud.
6. Just think how a guilty man like that has to lie and play the hypocrite with everyone, how he has to wear a mask in the presence of those near and dear to him, even before his own wife and children. And about the children--that is the most terrible part of it all.
Act II
7. Do you think so? Do you think they would forget their mother if she went away altogether?
8. Come what will, you may be sure I shall have both courage and strength if they be needed. You will see I am man enough to take everything upon myself.
9. Do you think he is the only one - who would gladly give his life for your sake?
10. When I was at home….I always thought it tremendous fun if I could steal down into the maids' room, because they never moralized at all, and talked to each other about such entertaining things.
11. Most of us think of (suicide) at first. I did, too - but I hadn't the courage.
12. You should have let it alone; you must prevent nothing. After all, it is splendid to be waiting for a wonderful thing to happen.
Act III
13. When I lost you, it was as if all the solid ground went from under my feet. Look at me now - I am a shipwrecked man clinging to a bit of wreckage.
14. Twenty-four hours have elapsed since then, and in that time I have witnessed incredible things in this house. He must know all about it. This unhappy secret must be enclosed; they must have a complete understanding between them, which is impossible with all this concealment and falsehood going on.
15. At the next fancy-dress ball I shall be invisible.
16. Do you know, Nora, I have often wished that you might be threatened by some great danger, so that I might risk my life's blood, and everything, for your sake.
17. Does it not occur to you that this is the first time we two, you and I, husband and wife, have had a serious conversation?
18. When I was at home with papa, he told me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinions; and if I differed from him I concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it. He called me his doll-child, and he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls. And when I came to live with you… I was simply transferred from papa's hands into yours….You and papa have committed a great sin against me. It is your fault that I have made nothing of my life.
19. I have other duties just as sacred…..Duties to myself.
20. The most wonderful thing of all?
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ReplyDeleteA Doll’s House Q3 Essay: Prompt 1972
ReplyDeleteDuring the first act of A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen introduces a number of major themes that will continue to be brought up throughout the course of the play. These themes include marriage and love, secrets and lies, and the roles of women and men. Ibsen introduces Nora and Torvald’s marriage as seemingly perfect, despite the fact that they will actually end their relationship by the end of the play, and reveals to readers that Nora has an elaborate series of lies she is keeping from her husband. He also crafts careful gender roles that the characters follow, especially relating to Nora and Torvald, that end up being crucial to the storyline later on. All of these ideas are recurring throughout the story and are crucial to the message that Ibsen conveys.
Ibsen’s portrayal of marriage and love is evident throughout the first act, and he purposefully creates this representation since the theme of love, especially Nora and Torvald’s marriage, ends up becoming a major plot point. The couple appears to be happy and in love, with Torvald calling Nora affectionately his “little skylark” and Nora constantly tending to his needs. Ibsen’s representation of their marriage during the first act is crucial to the development of the story since their marriage ends up ending in quite a brutal manner. Nora is frustrated that she has “never understood [Torvald]” and that in all their years of marriage they never had a “serious conversation.” Torvald does not seem to realize that this is true or that these are serious problems for their marriage like Nora does, and Ibsen’s introduction to their marriage in the first act helps to introduce this theme and continue it throughout the play.
Another theme that is crucial to the storyline are secrets and lies. During the first act, Nora reveals in a conversation with her friend Mrs. Linde that she illegally took out a loan from Torvald’s employee Krogstad to pay for a year-long vacation to Italy. Ever since then she has been keeping this secret from her husband and doing everything she can to work to pay off the debt without her husband finding out. Nora insists that “it was absolutely necessary that he should not know” about what she did because of his strong opposition to borrowing money from other people. This secret ends up being the catalyst for what breaks up Nora and Torvald’s marriage, so Ibsen’s introduction of this secret early in the play proves to be an introduction to a very important theme of the story.
Ibsen carefully uses gender roles for both the male and female characters throughout the story to create meaning, and these gender roles are introduced early in the story. Ibsen uses these gender roles to make commentary on the society that the characters live in at the time. Nora and Torvald are depicted as the stereotypical heterosexual couple, with the wife happily caring for her husband and the husband taking care of his powerless wife. Torvald comments that Nora’s tendency to act like a “spendthrift” is a quality of a woman, and Nora demonstrates early in the first act that she is not conforming to the restrictive gender roles that are expected of her. She confesses to Mrs. Linde that the experience of working off her loan that she took from Krogstad “was like being a man” and she does not allow the fact that women are not legally allowed to borrow money without her husband’s consent to stop her. Later in the story, when Nora informs Torvald that she is leaving him, he argues that she has a duty to “your husband and your children,” while Nora argues that her most important duty is to herself. Ibsen criticizes these gender roles by showing Nora’s unhappiness with her duties as a woman and her eventual refusal to conform to her husband’s and society’s expectations for her. By introducing this theme in the beginning of the play, Ibsen is able to demonstrate the importance of the theme of gender roles to the story.
2005. In Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess "That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions." In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.
ReplyDeleteThe inner turmoil of a character has the potential to entirely alter their outlook on life, no matter how content they may feel they are with themselves. Whether their inner questioning of the world around them result from simple curiosity or significant confusion, it is undeniable that this questioning has an effect on them. In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, the character of Nora transforms from an unassuming, obedient matriarch into a powerful skeptic of her entire life over the course of the play. While her inner questionings of her life begin as simple curiosities, her interactions with other characters over the work’s entirety bring these feelings of discontentment with her life to the surface in full force.
Despite her tumultuous and surprising abandonment of her husband and family at the end of the play, Nora starts out the play as the perfect image of a wife in the Victorian Era, scarcely questioning her husband’s decisions, nor seeking out an alternate way of life. Her only sign of disobedience is seen in her borrowing of money, though even this is done purely out of love and affection for her dear Torvald. However, by committing this act of defiance against her husband, Nora comes to realize that she rather enjoys actually doing something for a change as opposed to sitting around all day and looking pretty for her husband. She claims that, “it was a tremendous pleasure to sit there working and earning money,” and that, “it was like being a man,”. This revelation that Nora actually enjoys working is particularly shocking when considering all of her interactions with her husband and the rest of society, wherein she acts as a, “spendthrift,” who hasn’t a care in the world for anything other than purchasing gifts and lavish items. This dual persona that she has taken on goes to show just how greatly she has conformed to society, yet still hangs on to a thread of individuality, no matter how secret it may be. In addition to this, Nora also shows small signs of going against the norm in the former half of the play by expressing her love of, “stealing down into the maids' room,” as they, “never moralized at all, and talked to each other about such entertaining things,”. Her unconscious desire to actually experience life to its fullest instead of sitting around in a dress all day has been present all along, though it seems as though Nora is not fully willing to accept that it is there just yet; she would rather take her own life than tell Torvald her secret, and she is insistent that she greatly enjoys her life, no matter how much the events of the play make the audience see otherwise. Even though Nora does occasionally question the genuinity and fulfillment of her life in the majority of the play, it is only toward the climax of the work that her inner turmoil comes to a head.
h Nora does occasionally question the genuinity and fulfillment of her life in the majority of the play, it is only toward the climax of the work that her inner turmoil comes to a head.
ReplyDeleteWhen it becomes clear to Nora that she will no longer be able to keep her long held secret from her husband, she finally takes it upon herself to open her eyes to the world; no longer is she the doe eyed, “skylark,” in her husband’s foothold, but she is rather slowly awakening to the potential of the world around her and just how cooped up she has been her whole life. For instance, when she rather emotionally learns of her dear friend Doctor Rank’s long time love and affection for her, she is shocked, though not in classical sense; by witnessing someone who actually harbors true affection for her and would do, “anything,” for her wellbeing, Nora begins to recognize just how superficial her supposedly perfect relationship with Torvald is. She begins to cast him in a different light, and when he has an adverse reaction to her substantial sacrifice for him, she, “[begins] to understand,” their downright lack of love for each other. Nora’s revelation that her and her husband have seldom, “had a serious conversation,” in their 8 year relationship, combined with her acknowledgement of simply being, “a doll,” in Torvald’s hands is incredibly profound. She has truly widened her perspective and allowed her inner questionings to take hold over her outward conformity to society. Whereas Former Nora would have been utterly scandalized by the mere thought of leaving her husband, New Nora looks at that prospect with a sense of clarity and wisdom, eliminating suicide as an option altogether. In addition to this, her newfound outlook on life is even able to give her insight on her personal misgivings as a mother and wife. Nora’s initial subtle questionings of her conformist life have now fully taken over the forefront of her mind, and she is at last able to see the world with a fresh set of eyes.
In Ibsen’s work, he is able to flip Victorian society’s ideals entirely on their head through his development of Nora’s character and self awakening. She goes from ascertaining the expected duties and qualities of herself into an entirely transformed human being who foregoes her outward persona entirely. By creating a character that both conforms and rebels in the same piece of literature, Ibsen effectively demonstrates the potential damage that a society may have on an individual’s psych and outlook, with their inward questionings eventually taking hold over their entire being. It is only with a complete recognition of the flaws in our lives as well as our society that we will become able to solve any of the issues in our society.
1992- In A Doll House, Ibsen uses Christine as both a confidante and foil of Nora. She also accomplishes the work of the reader, satisfying dramatic irony and advancing the plot to the point of tragic resolution.
ReplyDeleteAs a sympathetic listener, Christine reveals Nora’s character, yet also contrasts her in a manner that is suggestive of Nora’s potential. Christine is the audience in the reader’s position, commenting on the triviality of Nora’s life and problems. It is her own story, and freedom, that awakens in Nora a need to match her thrift. Christine is alone—her husband dead, her brothers out of the house, and not even a sense of mourning as company. She sacrificed love for the well-being of her family. This makes Nora appear prosperous, yet naive in terms of life experience. She feels that she has known love, when really she has not. She feels that she has worked “like being a man” and “found tremendous pleasure in it,” however her joy is in a “wonderful thing” that does not exist, the passionate, favorable reaction of Torvald that he has never been capable of. The lines spoken by Christine in one of the first scenes of the play, “No, indeed; I only feel my life unspeakably empty. No one to live for any more. That is why I could not stand the life in my little backwater any longer. I hope it may be easier here to find something which will busy me and occupy my thoughts. If only I could have the good luck to get some regular work--office work of some kind—” are echoed by Nora in the resolution, when she comes to the realization that her life is that of a “doll-child,” but it does not have to be. Christine leaves the house frequently, while Nora does not leave the home for the entirety of the play, until the final scene. Until she realizes she can be Christine. The situation she once took pity on was her own all along. She has “other duties just as sacred…..Duties to [her]self.” She was never in possession of her children, her husband, or her household. Just as Christine has no power over the death of her husband, Nora has no power over Torvald, only herself.
As Ibsen employs dramatic irony, Christine acts in the interest of the reader to bring to light and resolve the central conflict of the play. The reader knows the secret, the “wonderful thing” that Nora hides, and at the same time, can foresee the negative reaction it will elicit from Torvald, of which Nora is oblivious. Christine identifies that the conflict rests on Nora’s deception, for she has “witnessed incredible things in this house.” She comes to the conclusion that Torvald “must know all about it. This unhappy secret must be enclosed; they must have a complete understanding between them, which is impossible with all this concealment and falsehood going on.” This the design of the author, as well as the desire of the reader, that ultimately the secret is revealed. Despite doing everything in her power to resolve the dilemma, including making peace with Krogstad and remedying the issue of the letters, the conflict remains between Torvald and Nora. Christine works to create the paradox through which the author’s message is revealed—that the marriage, not the money, is the source of conflict.
The nature of Christine’s life presents a possibility to Nora, the possibility of living for oneself, and being loved for oneself.
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ReplyDeleteAs Nora struggles with her identity and relationship with her overbearing husband, she needs a confidante as well as a friend to help her stay rational in the horrible situation she finds herself in. Her longtime friend, Christine, arrives at the perfect moment to be that person for Nora and finds herself filling the role of a mentor rather than a friend. Christine is a confidante who allows Nora to confide in her about her troubled past, but she also functions in the work as a character who helps the secret that Nora has kept from Torvald for so many years come to the surface for the first time.
ReplyDeleteWhen Christine first arrives at the doorstep of the Helmer’s home, Nora almost does not recognize her because of the time they have spent apart. After just minutes of sitting and talking by the fire, Nora confesses to Christine that she was the one who paid for the trip that saved her husband’s life. Henrik Ibsen uses her in this situation as a way to tell the audience about this secret that Nora has kept, and will loom over the characters for the rest of the play. He is also an author who uses the technique of letting the reader see the character in many different situations before we decide our views on them. Christine is clearly a woman that Nora trusts, and we realize that Nora is in fact not a “spendthrift”, but has something “to be proud and glad of.” Christine brings out the real emotions in Nora that she has to hide from her husband in fear that he will look at her differently. Without Christine as a reliable confidante for Nora, she may not have told anyone about her secret payment agreements to help cure her husband.
As a reader, I felt as though Christine Linde was one of the only true voices of reasons in the entire play. The main characters Nora and Torvald are constantly dealing with their personal issues, as well as issues in their marriage, but not together. Christine brings us back to the real world where people die, and many people are not happy in their marriage. She tells Nora that she is left with nothing after her husband dies, “Not even any sorrow or grief to live upon.” This is unheard of for Nora because she lives as if her only goal is to please her husband. Christine functions as a reality check for both Nora and us as readers. After getting emerged in the world of the Helmer’s, it is important to step back and notice that not everyone lives the way that Nora and her family do.
Maybe one of the most significant impacts that Christine had on Nora and the work as a whole was when she told Krogstad to not remove the letter from the letterbox. Krogstad wrote a letter addressed to Torvald telling him the whole story about Nora paying for their trip, and how she owed him money, and most importantly that she forged a signature of her father days after he died. Nora asks Christine to plea with Krogstad and ask him to take back his letter, but she, in fact, does the opposite. Krogstad and Christine rehash their relationship from the past, and when he questions her about her motives, she responds to him, “when you’ve sold yourself once for someone else, you never do it again.”. Christine encourages him to keep the letter in the both so Nora and Torvald can finally work out the looming situation, and finally bring it to the surface. This ends up happening at the end when Torvald experiences a range of emotions when he reads the two different letters from Krogstad. Without Christine's resilience, Nora may have never told Torvald the truth about their history.
1977. In some novels and plays certain parallel or recurring events prove to be significant. In an essay, describe the major similarities and differences in a sequence of parallel or recurring events in a novel or play and discuss the significance of such events. Do not merely summarize the plot.
ReplyDeleteThe changing perspective as Nora evolves throughout the play examines the significance of interactions Nora and Torvald have. While initially Torvald's tone with Nora is seen as inappropriate and demeaning by modern standards, there is no reason, no opposition from Nora that would cause any real concern for how they communicate. If both parties can be satisfied with their traditions, there is no cause for questioning. Early on, unaware and unexamined as Nora is, the audience is comfortable to brush aside their interactions as, while somewhat strange, harmless. Still, as Nora’s character is revealed and circumstances begin to shift Torvald’s treatment of her as naive becomes unfitting, and increasingly uncomfortable to listen to. In comforting her, “Come, come, my little skylark must not droop her wings. What is this! Is my little squirrel out of temper?” he uses childish remarks and pet names, a patronizing tone that he holds stedfast to up until the end. His oblivious sameness, while consistent in his character, harms his own relationship to the audience as Nora evolves into a more intricate and sympathetic person.
Torvald's repeated behaviors grow tiring to more experienced eyes, who have grown to understand Nora more than it seems her husband ever could. In how thoughtfully she examines her situation, taking in the slightest details of any conversation, Torvald's playful talk appears beneath her, appears a game she must keep up with to hold her entire situation together. “You will see I am man enough to take everything upon myself… What do you mean by that?...You will never have to do that...There! There! — not these frightened dove’s eyes!” Simultaneously, we see Nora observing and assessing each word she hears, and Torvald treating her as some mindless bird that needs protection. For all the satisfaction Torvald feels from being in control, it is truly Nora who pulls the strings, who perseveres to save Torvald’s dignity where he dismisses hers. Even as Nora is in control, she never treats him as the doll to play with, but as a human being deserving of respect.
His games and toying with Nora keep up, growing increasingly more frustrating as Nora grows desperate and her understanding of her situation grows all the more clear. In the second Act, Nora discovers she can confide in Dr. Rank without hesitation and speaks with Krogstad on her distress and the potential of suicide. In such a short time her mindset has radically changed and so when Torvald, ignorant of her anxieties, continues to play with her as his toy, dances her around and calls her a child yet again, Nora’s response, “Then you will be free,” becomes tragic. Her words hold more weight against his. In her changing self, paralleled with his constant, the words Nora carefully chooses hold more than their literal meaning, more meaning to her, to the audience who observes her, and even to those others she has spoken with up to this point. There is emotion behind them, all the anxiety and desperation she has felt understood in a single statement. Among the many that value her Nora still exists in the condescending shadow of her husband’s many empty words.
These words become most significant after Torvald reveals his true character. His plastic facade is shattered by the news he is being blackmailed, condemning Nora for his unhappiness and claiming she has ruined him. Upon realizing any danger is lifted Torvald’s attempt to comfort her, similar to how he would in their first interactions, is insulting. As if nothing has changed, he says, “Try and calm yourself, and make your mind easy again, my frightened little singing-bird. Be at rest, and feel secure; I have broad wings to shelter you under.” His words are disrespectful and valueless, still so clearly disconnected from Nora as has now been fully revealed to her and the audience alike. A toy for Torvald to play with, to devalue and ignore any real humanity she has, Nora leaves her role as the doll to a shocked and unaltered Torvald, his words finally becoming useless.
Delete2012. “And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces
ReplyDeleteChoose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.
Henrik Ibsen uses a single set in his play, A Doll’s House. While this may literally only be one place, its many impacts are seen throughout the character’s development and moral traits. As Pauline Hopkins said, “...after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” By allowing the character to only interact in Torvald and Nora’s house, Ibsen emphasizes the interactions between the characters rather than their interactions with their changing environment. Ibsen emphasizes Nora’s traits to show how her environment has shaped her role and actions.
Taking place in the late 1800s, Nora seems to take on the role of a classic wife of this era. She stays at home while her husband works, interacting with the children and spending her husbands money. But she does engage in some shady activity. By borrowing from Krogstad and forging a signature, she's digs a deep hole for her good reputation. In this time, people worried about appearances. Her husband Torvald always made it clear that he believed that”... There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt.” It was up to individual families to support themselves and do so without any kind of illegal activity or scandal. Ibsen emphasises this ideal by introducing Krogstad as the criminal who forged documents. Nora knew her role and used the only tactics she knew to obtain money, flirting with Torvald until she was rewarded with cash. She then would secretly pay off their debt, keeping this from her husband and thinking she was brave and tortured in this secret. She thought that he would be proud, because she was doing more than what was expected of a simple housewife. But by living under Torvald's house and therefore rules, this naive idea was not achievable.
Not only were the cultural surroundings affecting her role, but also her actions. Growing up, she listened and learned from her father. She said ““When I was at home with papa, he told me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinions; and if I differed from him I concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it.” Ever since childhood she was placed under a controlling man’s ideas that overshadowed her own. She never tried to become her own person, to explore and find out who she was and what she thought about things. She sought comfort and entertainment from the maids rather than her own family. Nora was taken from her father’s house to Torvald’s where the cycle was repeated and she was treated as a doll a child might play with in a doll house. By keeping the play setting in Torvald’s house he emphasizes the idea that Nora was a doll. Torvald took on the role her father had held where she is controlled, owned. Living in this environment, she develops certain traits to allow her to submit to the needs and wants of Torvald. Their relationship consists of flirtatious conversations but never really gets to “a serious conversation” until her secret business is revealed. This upbringing causes her to never really act like herself, but rather like a puppet of those around her.
Ibsen uses purposeful surrounding to influence Nora’s role and actions. By growing up under a controlling dad and then moving straight into a marriage, she was never able to become her own person with her own ideas. This forces her to conduct shady business and keep up appearances, even to her own husband. This was not fate, but Nora was a direct product of the environment she grew up in and continued to live in.
-Kathleen
DeleteI don’t have many memories from my early childhood, just a sparse collection of disjoint snapshots of places and experiences. Seeing ice sculptures in Boston, playing baseball, and for whatever reason, a production of the play Wicked. It was the first theatrical production I have ever seen and even though I was too young to focus on much other than the flying monkeys, it portrays the Wizard of Oz from the view of the Wicked Witch of the West. As depicted in the play, while the “Wicked Witch” plays the antagonist in the Wizard of Oz, she is much closer to being a victim than a villain, much like Mr. Krogstad in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. In the text, the nature of Mr. Krogstad’s “villainy” is a bit desperate, but well intentioned and reasonable, serving as a foil to the dysfunctionality of the protagonist, Nora, and her husband, Torvald, amplifying the true focus of the play.
ReplyDeleteMost of Krogstad’s “vilany”, just comes from the way he is framed. When Krogstad is first introduced, he is described as having a “diseased moral character”, by the sympathetic Dr. Rank. Meanwhile the true nature of his crime, a relatively minor offence, was withheld until his bad character was set in the minds of the audience. The unfortunate circumstances of the plot also force Krogstad into the position of blackmailing Nora to keep his modest job at the bank in an attempt work his way back to respectability. As such, we see the worst of Krogstad upfront, with none of the context that justify his actions. If the reader looks beyond the frantic worry Krogstad causes Nora, his demands are also quite reasonable, as is his threat to Nora. Despite still being fired by Torvald, he agrees not to go public with his leverage over Nora and even sends back any evidence of the affair out of sympathy. He was even prepared keep Nora’s husband blind to the crime, which was the same one he committed early in life. Given the opportunity, he did not exact vengeance, only did what he had to do to stay on the right track and keep his honest job. Even though his situation would not be considered respectable, I would contend he acted respectable, or at least acted far from villainous.
At the other end of the spectrum is the complete dysfunctionality of the respectable and prosperous Helmer household. Compared to Krogstad, Nora and her husband are crumble under any potential scandal or hardship that might threaten their paper-deep relationship. Much of this seems to stem from the immaturity of both characters, especially the tempermentail and objectifying Torvald. Even Krogstad, while in the process of blackmailing Nora, is more understanding of Nora and actually treats her seriously. By creating such a dramatic shift in dynamic whenever Krogstad enters and Nora exits the frivolous banter she communicates to Torvald with, it amplifies the uncomfortably patronizing and shallow relationship between Torvald and Nora. For example, when Krogstad makes his second visit to Nora, the two share a serious moment of reflection upon the possibility of suicide, but when Helemer re-enters the act, the most serious topic he wishes to broach with his wife is making her look pretty while she prepares to dance for an upcoming party. Similarly, every other topic he brings up with his wife has little significance, in the rest of the play and the rest of their eight year marriage. However, it is not fully noticeable as anything more than quirky banter until we see Nora forced into a real conversation with Krogstad. Even with Dr. Rank, another foil to Torvald, representing a genuine partner to Nora, she tries to avoid confronting serious and involved topics, such as direct discussion of his poor health or his feelings of her. It takes a villain to really push Nora out of her bubble, and ultimately provide the outside perspective to the reader, and to Nora, that reveals the flaws in her self and marriage.
Throughout the entire play Krogstad plays the nice villain, which is best exemplified by his final scene in the play. After reconnecting with former love and friend of Nora’s, Ms. Linde, he is prepared to spare Nora completely, but it is Mr. Linde who objects. After observing the Helmers as a friend, she believes their family in desperate need of a more thoughtful and real dynamic, even if it is uncomfortable; which is exactly what Krogstad represents, even from his role as the villain.
ReplyDelete1993:
ReplyDeleteNora Helmer is a neurotic, fear driven woman who believes she must conceal the truth from her husband in order to preserve their marriage. She is always on edge, constantly talking to herself, contemplating the possibility of suicide. Ibsen represents Nora’s anxiety as well as her husband’s control over her in the form of the dance the Tarantella. In this play full of tragedy, Ibsen manages to implement a comedic scene that emphasises the disturbing truth of Nora’s situation.
The scene of the Tarantella takes place because Nora is in need of a diversion. While Mrs. Linde is off to tell Krogstad to take back his letter, Nora must distract her husband from his work in the meantime. It is obvious that Nora is in distress, but Torvald is oblivious to this, highlighting their disconnect. He is so self consumed with his work from the bank that he can’t see his wife is losing her mind. Nora blames her nervous behavior on the following night’s performance, persuading Torvald to spend every moment guiding her. As she begins to dance, she moves around the room flailing her arms and spinning in a ridiculous fashion while Torvald yells at her that she is doing it all wrong. This is how their marriage works. Nora does everything she can to try and please her husband, while he dismisses her efforts and treats her like a helpless child, holding all of the power. She does this because she believes that he would do anything for her, even sacrifice his clean reputation. It becomes clear to the audience that this isn’t the case.
While Torvald is directing Nora, it is Rank who plays the piano. Although it may appear that Nora needs Torvald’s assistance, in reality, the only real thing that Nora needs in order to dance is the music itself. Prior to this scene, the audience learns of Dr. Rank’s true feelings for Nora, “Do you think he is the only one - who would gladly give his life for your sake?” Nora wishes that Rank had kept his true feelings for her a secret, because knowing complicated the matter. He tells Nora that he would do anything for her without needing to know what it is he must do. Here lies the difference between Rank and Helmer; Helmer would never do anything for Nora unless he was certain what she was asking of him. Helmer treats Nora like a helpless child, while Rank can see there is more to Nora than what she lets people see.
Torvald treats Nora like a doll, dressing her up and making her dance for him. Her sporadic movements are quite humorous at first glance, but the deep rooted problems of Nora’s mental state are nothing but darkness. As Torvald watches his little child dance he exclaims, “My dear darling Nora, you are dancing as if your life depended on it,” having absolutely no idea that she is indeed dancing with her dreaded fate.
2005
ReplyDeleteOftentimes in literature, an event or special occasion may contribute to the theme of the work, as well as emphasize the motives or conflicts of its characters. In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Ibsen uses Torvald’s party to reflect the control and manipulation Torvald holds over Nora, as well as the true nature of Krogstad. While the relationship shown here between Torvald and Nora correlates with the play’s title, the events at the party also connect with one of its central themes. Clearly, A Doll’s House captures the idea that how a character is presented might be deceitful. Similar to its characters, the party, though appearing to be a festive occasion, inhabits a great deal of fear and cruelty.
Of course, in the Victorian Era, women were often perceived as being inferior to men. That being said, the standards for women were much more strict and explicit, while their treatment was also incredibly poor. Like with many of his other plays, Ibsen highlights this idea in A Doll’s House--especially within the dynamics of Nora and Torvald’s relationship. One of the most significant examples in the play that illustrates Torvald’s abuse over Nora is related to the party. Here, Torvald instructs her to “‘go and play through the Tarantella and practice with your tambourine’” (Ibsen, Act 2) while dressed in a degrading outfit. Additionally, Torvald guides her through the dance, giving her “frequent instructions” (Ibsen, Act 2) as “Nora dances more and more wildly” (Ibsen, Act 2). These quotes accentuate how distorted Torvald’s relationship is with Nora. Evidently, he views her more as his little doll than his wife, where he can force her into obscene clothing and order her to perform humiliating acts. Instead of loving her, he is training her. As many other upper-class men believed at the time, Torvald believes parties are essential social aspects; perhaps even of more importance than his wife.
In addition to exploiting the true values of the upper-class, Ibsen focuses on themes regarding appearances in several of his plays. Naturally, the deceitful nature of appearances also acts as a vital theme to A Doll’s House, and is portrayed in the scene of the party. As previously stated, Torvald’s manipulation over Nora is reflected with her dance, which is presented at the party. However, how both Nora and her relationship with Torvald are understood by others during this dance differs greatly from how they truly are. For instance, while she is dancing, Nora is regarded as a “‘capricious little Capri maiden’” (Ibsen, Act 3) and nothing more. This shows how, though seemingly content, Nora’s true feelings cannot be fully realized by others. While the party is intended to be a joyful environment, Torvald’s treatment towards Nora and her struggle for self-control makes it dreadful for her. Instead of seeing her as a strong-minded and mistreated woman, the guests at the party (as well as Torvald) are left with only one small-minded image of her: a silly, girlish dancer. Furthermore, her relationship with Torvald is also falsely perceived by the partygoers. Though Nora seems attentive to Torvald by performing her dance, Torvald later reveals that, soon after, “‘The beautiful apparition disappeared’” (Ibsen, Act 3). Similarly, this shows that Nora was putting on an act for the guests, making them believe that she enjoyed her position as Torvald’s wife. Once the dance was finished, and the attention was focused elsewhere, Nora was able to expose her true feelings towards Torvald. Clearly, both of these events connect with this theme, where how society and Torvald views Nora and her marriage varies from the reality of it.
Similar to how the appearance of Nora and her marriage is altered at the party, the party also leads to a discovery of Krogstad’s character. Throughout the play, the audience is led to believe he is corrupt and villainous, having threatened Nora on countless occasions. However, the themes of appearances and deceit are used for the audience to realize his true motives. Instead of being depicted as the play’s antagonist, Krogstad is ultimately revealed as being a heartbroken, noble lover. This can be shown at Torvald’s party, where Krogstad admits to Mrs. Linde that he is a “‘shipwrecked man clinging to a bit of wreckage’” (Ibsen, Act 3) after she had left him. Now, the audience can conclude from this quote, as well as his intentions to rebuild their relationship, that Krogstad is not who they believed him to be.
DeleteAs one can now conclude, Torvald’s party in A Doll’s House holds great vitality to the plot, as well as the main themes of the play. As the party continues on, Nora’s relationship with Torvald is better understood by the audience, along with the honest character of Krogstad. The manipulation Torvald exerts over Nora here may also suggest the title of the play. Seemingly, Nora is only a doll in Torvald’s house, being controlled, dressed, and played by him.
*1997
DeleteIn the play “A Doll’s House” Ibsen meticulously chooses the setting and characters that are contrasting or similar to be able to express an inner and external conflict between the main character, Nora Helmer. The play is reliant on the characters specifically and their motivations and personality which heavily defines them. In keeping with his realistic characters, Ibsen's captures the atmosphere of the everyday life of his characters that represents the timeframe that he lived in.
ReplyDeleteThe playwright takes place around Christmas time which is brought up as the initial writing. Christmas is celebrated in a house with peace and harmony within a family house. However, the play opposes with the conflict and eventual separation between a wife and husband. The Christmas tree specifically, serves a greater purpose as the time frame and conflict Nora experiences is reflected through the state of the Christmas tree. At the introduction of the play, the Christmas tree is starting to get prepared by Nora with the help of the nurse formatted in the stage directions. At the start of the second act the Christmas tree is described, “stripped of its ornaments and with burnt candle ends”, with Nora anxious for the arrival of Krogstad and his confrontation of the loan to Torvald. With the play only taking place in the house, the Victorian time frame is represented with the submission of Nora and the dominant role of men, specifically men with wealth and status. With its seemingly simple middle-class household, it can be inferred that it was no different in the other households.
The conflict does becomes clear when Nora, who borrowed money without her husband’s consent, expresses her carefree attitude towards loans and taking up the financial responsibility in which Torvald replies, “seriously, Nora, you know what I think about that. No debt, no borrowing. There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt”. Torvald’s response sparked the beginning theme and conflict that Nora tries to fix throughout the play when it comes to a point of willingly committing suicide to save Torvald but as well prevent her from poisoning her children with her lies. The treatment of Nora by her husband is consciously compared when Dr. Rank has a conversation with Nora after her conversation with Torvald. Nora even points out that her relationship with Torvald is more of a father daughter relationship than husband and wife in which she later confronts Torvald, “And when I came to live with you… I was simply transferred from papa's hands into yours”. Dr. Rank serves as a brief character that exposes Torvald’s flaw of his ability to be a husband towards Nora, in which she realizes after he says he would, who would gladly give his life for [her] sake”. Dr. Rank demonstrates consideration towards Nora’s thoughts.
When Nora eventually leaves the marriage and the household, including the kids, into Torvald’s hands to try to find her own identity she walks into a society that reflects the standard household she felt so entrapped in. Allowing the setting to take place in a household during the holidays allows the reading and situation to be put in context of the patriarchal society back then and allow some readers to possibly relate.
1977.
ReplyDeleteDuring the first act of A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen introduces us to Nora Helmer, a young lady married to her husband Torvald. Her relationship with Torvald, while questionable in modern society, is often brushed aside and replaced with more pressing issues such as Nora’s dishonesty and concern about the future. Later in the play, parallelism between interactions with Dr. Rank and Torvald allow Nora to see a different side of her husband that she wouldn’t have otherwise noticed.
In the beginning of Act II, Nora asks Torvald for help, for which he replies, “I should like to hear what it is, first.” Later, she has a similar interaction with Dr. Rank, asking him for help as well. Although these events are parallel in terms of topic, the responses from Dr. Rank and Torvald could not be less alike. Dr. Rank says he will do anything to help her, no matter what it is. Contrastingly, Torvald will only do her a favor if he knows what it is ahead of time. This interaction reveals that Torvald is more concerned about his own happiness and feelings rather than those of Nora. Nora recognizes this, even if it is only a subconscious thought for now. The trust and genuine joy that her relationship with Dr. Rank is built upon is clearly superior to the manipulation and control of her relationship with Torvald. Not only does Doctor Rank show her the true meaning of relationships, but so does Krogstad. The closeness of their friendship is displayed when they talk about “that”, presumably suicide. The author’s mention of suicide adds greater intensity to the work as a whole. As the conversation between Krogstad and Nora continues, we begin to see similarities between their two situations, and how they are growing closer than her and Torvald will ever be.
It is interesting to contrast Nora interactions with Torvald from Act II to Act III. In Act II, Nora plays along with Torvald’s childish and demeaning way of communicating. In one instance, their conversation reads, “Helmer (from the doorway on the right). Where’s my little skylark?
Nora (going to him with her arms out-stretched). Here she is!” While the reader is extremely uncomfortable with the way that Torvald calls her a skylark and a squirrel, Nora shows little discomfort. It is likely that she simply does not know any different and is therefore not bothered by the interaction. Later, in act three, Nora fully understands the difference between her relationships with Doctor Rank and Torvald. Although Torvald has been compassionate and kind like any husband should be, he is not communicating his love in the right ways. After seeing how he reacts to her secret, she is quick to blow up and finally express how she feels. “Exactly as before, I was your little skylark, your doll, which you would in future treat with doubly gentle care, because it was so brittle and fragile. (Getting up.) Torvald — it was then it dawned upon me that for eight years I had been living here with a strange man, and had borne him three children —. Oh! I can’t bear to think of it!” What Nora thought was playful banter and role-playing quickly became her nightmarish reality. Especially because she has stayed quiet for so long, the desperation, passion, and frustration behind each sentence is crystal clear.
Nora’s words hold an abundance of weight compared to those of her husband. While he speaks often without authenticy, she speaks seldom, but with great care. Even in the end, he continues to call her “[his] frightened little singing-bird”. Not only has he treated her with disrespect for the entire length of the play, but continues to do so after she has told him how she feels. Torvald lacks the ability to empathize with his wife and understand that she has feelings to. It has been so easy for him to put words into her mouth and thoughts into her head. However, now that she opinions of her own, he doesn’t know what to make of the situation. As a result of Ibsen’s parallelism, Nora and the audience are finally able to see truth behind Torvald’s character, a man that is nothing but condescending and degrading.
Delete1983. From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the character's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.
ReplyDeleteOften, in literary works, we see stories that are developed around a singular event and “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen is no different. The story is derived from a central event, Nora Helmer taking a loan from Nils Krogstad in order to save her husband’s life. During the time period this was written, this would have been absolutely forbidden since Nora is a woman and cannot talk out a loan on her own. Along with this, she forged her father’s signature in order to get this loan, a crime that was considered morally corrupt. As we follow our protagonist, Nora, we see how her husband’s morals would prevent her from revealing what she has done. Our villain character, Krogstad, pressures Nora for the money and her support in keeping his job at the bank, effectively moving the story along its path. He plays an instrumental role in the basis of the story, how it progresses and the ending.
When we are initially introduced to Nora, we are meant to believe what her husband thinks of her that she is simply just a “spendthrift”. For him she puts on a show, one where she acts as his perfect doll wife that behaves perfectly. The image of Nora that were shown changes when we learn that, “whenever Torvald has given [Nora] money for new dresses and such things, [she]...never spent more than half of it; [She has] always bought the simplest and cheapest things”. When she describes the loan she’s taken, it gives an idea of relationship with our villain. She talks about how she has to worry about worry about “quarterly interest, and another thing called payment in instalments”, showing how Krogstad gets money from her consistently and an increasing amount. The role that Krogstad pays in this situation is one that progresses the story, moving Nora nearer and nearer to revealing her secret. If it weren’t for Krogstad then there would be no story to be told.
As we move further into the play, Krogstad begins to pressure Nora more and more after she helped her friend, Christine, get a job at the bank effectively handing Krogstad’s job over to someone else. He pushes her to advocate for him and ask her husband, Torvald, to allow him to keep his job at the bank. When she does this her husband vehemently rejects the idea and talks about how disgusting it is what Krogstad has done, forging a name. Krogstad’s role is essential in how Nora views her husband, here she begins to realize how her husband would truly feel about what she has done. After her unsuccessful attempt to get Krogstad’s job back for him, he pushes her to reveal the loan to her husband. The pressure building on Nora forces her to almost ask her dear friend, Dr. Rank, for the money and eventually pushes her to ask her friend Christine to help solve the situation.
When Krogstad finally reaches his breaking point, he leaves a letter in Nora and Torvald’s mailbox, detailing exactly what has happened. At this point Christine has already convinced Krogstad not to do anything about the loan and he will be writing a letter soon to say this; which is something that Nora knows and Torvald doesn’t. This letter, and Krogstad, effectively forces Nora to tell her husband about exactly what it is that she has done. Nora anticipates that the “most wonderful thing” is coming, that Torvald will say he’s going to sacrifice himself for her and tell everyone that this was something that he did completely on his own. When this doesn’t happen Nora is shocked and she realizes that Torvald has never been in love with her. She was always just a doll for him to play with, in their doll house. Krogstad has pushed for this outcome, it allowed for Torvald to show his true colors to Nora. This also enables Nora to leave Torvald and start a new life for herself in her hometown.
Throughout all of, “A Doll House”, the villain effectively progresses the story and induces the outcome. Krogstad puts Torvald in a position that shows his true colors and inspires Nora to leave. Without Krogstad’s presence in the story there would be no conflict and no progression. With Krogstad’s presence we see a deteriorating relationship between Torvald and Nora, how Torvald treats Nora like a doll and how Nora is able to gain independence.
Delete2012. “And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces
ReplyDeleteChoose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.
In Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll House, the character Nora exhibits how much of an impact the cultural surroundings can have on a person and how difficult it can be to go against it. Nora’s role in her life is to be a mother and a wife, that it is. This role has morphed her into a character that only displays innocence and child-like behavior. Throughout the first act of the play, this behavior is highlighted. For example, when Nora comes home with multiple shopping bags filled with toys and gifts for her children and husband, her husband becomes angry with all of her spending. After a few minutes, the money becomes a prize for Nora as her husband gives it to her bill by bill. This scene shows the power and control Torvald has in the marriage and how nothing Nora has is her own. It is also revealed that nothing she bought was for herself, which is one of the first times Ibsen reveals her selfless nature.
The way Ibsen portrays the marriage of Nora and Torvald reveals the psychological abuse that was typical of the environment in that time. The marriage portrayed is far from equal. Nora would and has done everything for Torvald yet he would not do the same and uses his wife to fit the culture they live in. That is revealed towards the end of the play which is what makes Nora realize the reality of her situation. As the play goes on, Nora begins to break out of influence of the psychological abuse and eventually ends up leaving Torvald. She faces an identity crisis because she realizes she has no control over her own life. Nora thought that her life was the way it was supposed to be because that is how everyone else lived. The influence of society created a normality to the psychological abuse she faced in her marriage. Nora realized she is more than just a wife and mother and was able to break out of her environment in order to find herself and create a real life for herself.
1972. In retrospect, the reader often discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the opening scene of a drama introduces some of the major themes of the work. Write an essay about the opening scene of a drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it functions in this way.
ReplyDeleteSet in the Victorian era, A Doll’s House opens with insight into the relationship of Nora and Torvald. Though their initial interaction presents Nora as a typical airheaded “spendthrift” housewife to Torvald, the breadwinning man in control of the household, the reader quickly realizes that first impressions are not always what they seem. Ibsen plays on these stereotypes throughout the novel, as he frequently touches upon and adjusts themes introduced in the very first paragraphs of the play. Recurring themes such as misleading first impressions, deception, and the metaphor of living in ‘a dollhouse’ extend throughout the entire play, and craft the meaning of the work as a whole.
At the very start of the play, key components about the main characters are emphasized that eventually prove to be misleading or wrong. Torvald treats Nora as a child, referring to her as his “little squirrel,” and constantly speaks condescendingly towards her. Nora, at first, seems to fully submit to living life within their marriage as walking sexist stereotypes. However, ultimately this relationship crumbles due to the true nature of their characters: Torvald is a stubborn child deep down and can’t handle when he doesn’t get his way, compared to Nora who realizes she likes having independence, “like a man,” and eventually leaves their seemingly perfect household and life together behind to pursue freedom. This same notion of first impressions being misleading applies to Krogstad as well, whose initial characterization of being a one-sided heartless antagonist once more proves to be wrong. When first introduced to the play, Krogstad’s appearance makes Mrs. Linde “tremble” and causes Nora visible fear and anxiety. However, ultimately, Krogstad’s intentions for blackmailing are understood and even accepted as reasonable by the reader. Rather than acting as only a one-sided villain put in the writing for the sake of having a villain, Krogstad empathizes with Nora regarding serious topics such as the “desperate resolution” of suicide, and urges her not to. He insists that the information about Nora’s forgery will not be revealed to the public, and that he will go away whenever he gets his job back. This characterization, alongside that of Nora and Torvald, starkly contrast from their first impressions provided in Act I. This longrunning theme demonstrates that not everything is as it seems, hinting at the greater ultimate reveal that Nora and Torvald’s house is an allegory for a literal ‘doll house.’
Not only are the representations of characters a theme that begins in Act I and persists throughout the entire novel, a metaphorical allegory for the sexism that prevailed within relationships during the Victorian times was revealed within the very name of the play itself. Throughout the play, Nora comes to the realization that just as her father had “called me his doll-child, and he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls,” Torvald did the very same to her for their eight years of marriage, being the reason why she has “made nothing of my life.” Nora emphasizes that duties to herself are “just as sacred” as duties to anyone else, acting in polar opposite to how she had for the first Act of the play, and many years before that. From being introduced as Torvald’s doll in Act 1 to ultimately refusing to belong to anyone but herself in the final scenes of the play, Nora’s character development completely transformed her throughout the play.
1997 Prompt
ReplyDeleteIn A Doll’s House, Ibsen uses the setting of a novel in order to introduce the values of the characters and the society in which they live in.
The play opens to Nora and Torvald talking about spending money on Christmas Eve. Right away, Torvald is perceived as the man of the house as he is the one bringing home the money while Nora is the house wife who spends too much money shopping. Torvald scold Nora for her money spending habits solidifying the idea that Torvald has the authority in the house. As Torvald says, “That is like a woman! But seriously, Nora, you know what I think about that. No debt, no borrowing. There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt. We two have kept bravely on the straight road so far, and we will go on the same way for the short time longer that there need be any struggle”. While Torvald believes in living comfortably without have to borrow money, it is implied that Nora would like to live lavishly by borrowing money. However, it is revealed that it is really all a facade and that Nora knows what she is doing with money and is not a typical women who loves shopping.
Gender roles are evident within the household but also throughout the whole society as shown by the interactions between Mrs. Linde and Nora. Through their conversation it is revealed that because Mrs. Linde is widowed and voices that she has no support. However, Mrs. Linde should hypothetically be fine without a husband because she can care for herself and her children. It seems like it is a common theme, where the woman cannot live without a man and must depend on someone else. When Nora says “Do you still think I am of no use? I can tell you, too, that this affair has caused me a lot of worry. It has been by no means easy for me to meet my engagements punctually….. Well, then I have found other ways of earning money. Last winter I was lucky enough to get a lot of copying to do; so I locked myself up and sat writing every evening until quite late at night. Many a time I was desperately tired; but all the same it was a tremendous pleasure to sit there working and earning money. It was like being a man.” By saying “it was like being a man”, it comments on a man’s role in society which is the person who brings home the money. It almost sounds like a shock that she would be the one bringing home money and working.
Due to the holiday season, they experience multiple visitors. Through the conversation between Krogstad and Nora the idea of suicide is also brought up. Because Nora feels so trapped in the “doll house”, she even contemplates suicide. Like she says “Most of us think of (suicide) at first. I did, too - but I hadn't the courage”. Krogstad also felt similar when he was at a low in his life. They both feel trapped in their lives because of their current home and work situation.
Overall, the Christmas season brought out the values of the characters in “A Dollhouse”. Due to the actions related to Christmas like spending time with family and friends and buying presents, many of the values of Nora and society are revealed.
2005. In Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess "That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions." In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1800s when Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll House” took place, a woman’s role in society was as a devoted mother and wife. This was the role that Nora Helmer played for most of her life while conforming to the standards that society set for her. However, as the play goes on, Nora goes through an awakening that enables her to question the life in which she lives, and allows her to realize that she is incomplete without the freedom she comes to need in the end.
The “Doll’s House” used in the title of the play seems to be personified by the Helmer home. In it, Nora plays the role of her husband, Torvald’s, doll. She always keeps up appearances to please him, and doesn’t seem to contradict anything he says. She goes along with, and even appears to enjoy the childish and dehumanizing pet names that he calls her such as, “my little squirrel” or his “featherhead.” Following the role that women were ‘supposed’ to play at the time, Nora gave up having her own identity to be a loyal wife and mother and, to the reader’s knowledge, only spent her time doing trivial things such as shopping or playing hide and seek with her children.
However, Nora begins to experience an awakening, after she saves her husband’s life and realizes what she is capable of when she breaks tradition. Nora takes out a loan behind her husband’s back so they can afford to go away to Italy while Torvald is sick, and strives to pay it back herself, despite the fact that her husband despises loans and does not think women are capable of handling money. Although it was extremely hard for a woman to get a real job or make any large sum of money on her own, Nora was able to work to pay back the loan despite this, and came away with a knowledge of “quarterly interest, and another thing called payment in installments” that not many women at the time would have had. This leads to Nora rebelling in other small ways. She eats macaroons despite her husband being “afraid that they will spoil her teeth” and even starts lying to her Torvald more often. Torvald believed that, the year before, Nora was “shut up every evening till long after midnight, making ornaments for the Christmas Tree and all the other fine things that were to be a surprise to us,” when in reality she was working on paying back the money she owed.
Yet it is not until she is confronted and blackmailed by Krogstad that Nora truly questions if being a wife and mother is the life she wants, or if it can even be considered a life at all. After Torvald finds out about the loan and reacts selfishly and not in the way she expects, Nora realizes that she has never been able to think for herself or discover who she really is. When she lived with her father, “he told me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinions,” and afterwards when she came to live with Torvald, she conformed to all of his beliefs. She feels a need to rebel against the way she is supposed to live and tells Torvald that “our home has been nothing but a playroom. I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was papa's doll-child.” When she makes the decision to walk out on the life she has always known as well as her family, it may seem like a drastic choice, however it is the first time that Nora is truly making a choice for herself and walking down her own path.
In a Doll House, by Richard Ibsen, the main couple Nora and Torvald appear to be an ordinary family living comfortably in the Victorian era. The scene begins in their home, as Nora is portrayed as a “spendthrift”. It is obvious that he considers her as lesser than himself as he refers to her with possession such as MY skylark, MY squirrel. Although demeaning to current day readers, at the time Ibsen wrote this play the role of a female was much less flexible.
ReplyDeleteImmediately after this opening scene ends, readers are surprised by the true purpose of Nora’s spending. She confesses to her friend, Ms. Linde, that she is saving the money to pay for Torvald’s medical expenses, yet he is unaware of this. As the play progresses, we continue to discover more of Nora’s secrets, while also discovering where Torvald’s loyalty lies.
After reading the first scene of Doll House, I characterized Nora as a lofty, flightless girl who lived solely off her husband’s pay. Although this is how Torvald wishes Nora would act, it is far from the truth. Her identity explodes in the final scene as she frustratingly explains Torvald’s true personality. When he exclaims that her duty in life is to serve her husband and children, she is not willing to keep quiet. “I have other duties just as sacred…..Duties to myself.” The first scene of this play is extremely contradicting to Nora’s true personality, which isn't revealed until the final scene. This highlights the literal theme of a “Dollhouse” as Nora describes herself as a doll, “When I was at home with papa, he told me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinions; and if I differed from him I concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it. He called me his doll-child, and he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls. And when I came to live with you… I was simply transferred from papa's hands into yours….You and papa have committed a great sin against me. It is your fault that I have made nothing of my life”. This creates the overarching theme in the play and the role that women played in this time. Ibsen sets up Nora as a doll in the first scene of the play to illustrate the expectations of women in this time period.
I chose the 2002 prompt.
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows that secrets are a significant part of life, whether they be big or small. They can change how people think of others, they can change a life completely, or they can be of no consequence at all; but sometimes it all depends on when these secrets are told. In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Nora Helmer, her secret, and all others involved in keeping or exposing this secret, are perfect examples of how a secret can have a “right moment” to be divulged.
At the beginning of the play, we really know nothing about Nora’s secret or how it affects her as of yet. All that is shown are her and her husband’s interactions with each other. However, soon after, her secret is disclosed to an old friend, Mrs. Kristine Linde. Not too long before the setting of the play, Nora and her husband Torvald had gone to Italy. Nora explains that this was all to help Torvald’s rapidly failing health, which was just one secret she had kept from him. The other secret was how exactly she paid for this trip. This involved signing her father’s name, who had already died, on a bond from Krogstad, who later tries to expose her for his own benefit. This is obviously where things get very interesting, and also where we see how this secret will impact Nora and the others that have now become involved.
Throughout the rest of the play, Nora goes in between playing along with Torvald as his “little doll”, and stressing out about how to fix her dilemma. Kristine notices this, and decides to bring Krogstad in on a little secretive plan of her own. This is where the secret is exposed through a letter to Torvald from Krogstad. Nora did not realize, through her stress and trying to distract Torvald, that her secret being exposed was the best possible thing for her. Her trying to hide it caused her to think as an actual human being, and not as Torvald’s “little doll” anymore. That is just the beginning of how the secret was exposed at the “right moment”.
When Torvald is enlightened of this secret, he begins to recant his “deep love” for Nora, and basically plans to keep her in his house as a prisoner because of how this secret would affect him and not her. In his mind, at least. Soon, once he receives another letter taking back the threat of her forgery being exposed, he completely switches gears, takes back what he says about how he feels about Nora, and tells her that she will always be protected by him. However, these totally different displays show exactly why the secret was told at the “right moment”. It showed Nora how false of a man her husband was when it came to their relationship, as well as what she really was to him. She was never truly someone he loved, but something he was in love with. A doll to play with in his doll house. Nora becomes a new women with this revelation, and a real human being.
No one would really think of a forgery as a bringer of epiphany, of proclamation. Nora was freed from her “doll house” and was able to come into her own as a woman, and as a human. The fact that this all came into play because of s secret that was exposed at the “right moment” shows exactly how secrets can affect life in many ways. While freeing Nora, it also woke Torvald up to how he is as a person, and it even brought together Krogstad and Kristine. We just need to realize whether a secret has a “right moment” or not, and how it can affect others around us.
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ReplyDelete2005. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to Possess, “That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions.” In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.
ReplyDeleteMany characters in literature have what Edna Pontellier, Kate Chopin’s protagonist in “The Awakening,” is said to possess: “That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions,” and in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll House,” Nora Helmer, is the embodiment of that dichotomy. On the surface, Nora is portrayed as a conventional Victorian era woman. Nora, once called a “doll-child” by her controlling father, is now belittled and called a “skylark” and a “squirrel,” by her stiff, dismissive husband. However, Nora seems to shrug off these degrading monikers and even plays along suggesting that she “should not think of going against (her husband’s) wishes.” However, despite her conformity, which paints her as a spendthrift, Nora is “not so silly as you think.” Nora is actually quite capable and insightful, if not shrewd and manipulative. As Nora’ character evolves, her strength and conviction are revealed. In the end, Nora confesses to her husband that when she lived with her father, “he told (her) his opinion about everything, and so (she) had the same opinions; and if (she) differed from him, (she) concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it.” Her marriage “simply transferred” her life over to another overbearing Victorian man, whose power and control over Nora were “a great sin” that kept Nora from her full potential. In the end, this daring character goes against social mores and leaves her intolerant husband in search of herself because her “inward life” has “other duties just as sacred. Duties to (her)self.”
1983:
ReplyDeleteIn "A Dollhouse" by Henrik Ibsen, the author draws a great deal of character development into misleading stereotypes preconceived by the reader. Through the text, the main character, Nora, is introduced as a spoiled doll-like character whose fragility and needs supercede common sense and skills. Her rich husband, Torvald, is portrayed as a gentleman, whose generosity and kindness entitle Nora to live a life of luxury and generosity offers jobs to Christine, a friend of Nora’s. Krogstad on the other hand, is described as the evil villainous character who daunts Nora’s life pestering for her to repay the loan.
2012. “And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces
ReplyDeleteChoose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.
Nora’s whole life has been controlled by men. In the Victorian era, it was common for women to be seen as inferior. They had very little power in society, as men made all the decisions and called all the shots. This way of thinking is a huge theme in Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”. Torvald treats Nora like a helpless child, he constantly refers to her as “his songbird”, “his squirrel” and “his skylark”. By giving Nora all of these pet names, he diminishes her value. Women of the time were not supposed to think for themselves. Instead, their purpose was to dote on their husbands and children. So, when Nora gets mixed up with Krogstad, she breaks the mold society has created for her. This break from tradition is the driving force behind Ibsen’s play.
Nora’s traits were first shaped by her father. She laments that, ”when I was at home with papa, he told me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinions; and if I differed from him I concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it. He called me his doll-child, and he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls.” Growing up in a house where she could not think for herself must have been hard for Nora. She was forced to have the same opinions as her father, almost as if he brainwashed her. This twisted relationship is all Nora knew and was transferred to her marriage. As Nora observes, "surely you can understand that being with Torvald is a little like being with papa.”. Ibsen writes the play to highlight and shed light on the way women were forced to live. Nora as lived her whole life as a human doll. First her father groomed her and controlled her thoughts. Then, she was given to Torvald who continued to treat her as a doll. He dressed her (torventella), he dismissed her opinions and ideas. And he manipulated her (he used money as a bribe).
- Anna Higgins