Verified Document

Doll House Term Paper

¶ … Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen The Theme of Woman Empowerment in "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen

The play "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen centers on the story of Nora Helmer, a simple housewife who is portrayed as a woman who holds a 'romanticized' picture of her family -- that is, she will do anything for her family to be happy. However, Nora tries to achieve this happiness through material things, where she buys things that she perceives her family will appreciate.

In this essay, a character analysis of Nora Helmer is conducted to illustrate how Nora, as the main character of the novel, has gone through character transition, i.e., from being an indecisive wife to her husband, to being a resolute woman. In this event, she finally gains her freedom and self-identity after realizing that she and her husband are living a life where love no longer exists.

Nora's character has initially been portrayed as flawed, motivated mostly because of her preoccupation with material things...

At the start of the story, Nora is characterized as a spendthrift by her own husband, Torvald: "You can't deny it, my dear little Nora. (Puts his arm round her waist.) It's a sweet little spendthrift, but she uses up a deal of money. One would hardly believe how expensive such little persons are!" Torvald's regard to her husband illustrates how other people contribute to Nora's low regard of herself; by confessing that, indeed, she is a spendthrift, she becomes a voluntary 'victim' to the development of an irresolute, weak woman in her psyche. Thus, as a result, Nora's family and friends began perceiving her as a spendthrift and irresolute woman, incapable of making decisions on her own because of her flawed character.
This point is illustrated in Nora's statement of dissatisfaction in Act 1, where Torvald reprimands her for her spendthriftness: "It's a shame to say that. I do really save all I can... Ah, I wish I had inherited many of papa's qualities." However, apart from her irresoluteness…

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Ibsen, H. A Doll's House. From Project Gutenberg Literary Archive.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Dolls House Doll's House Henrik
Words: 1534 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

He feels that Nora's freedom is not a reality since she couldn't possibly just leave her house and establish her own identity without money. "Nora needs money -- to put it more elegantly, it is economics which matters in the end. Freedom is certainly not something that can be bought for money. But it can be lost through lack of money." (Found in Schwarez) In short, whatever were the reasons

Character Nora Transformation Doll House Play. Nora
Words: 554 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

character Nora transformation Doll House play. Nora Helmer Nora Helmer is the archetypal housewife in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" and she initially seems perfectly happy with her position. She enjoys the way Torvald teases her and the fact that she is close to individuals who actually care for her. However, she slowly but surely demonstrates that she is much more than the innocent and unknowing individual that Torvald considers her

Ibsen's Doll House Doll's House
Words: 1358 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Instead of needing his help and protection, Torvald finds out that it was only Nora's role playing and really she was capable of working and doing deceptive things. Torvald's response to the letter shows that he has very little self-awareness and really thought that the "role-plays" were reality. 5. Torvald believes that marriage and family are important, and that the man or husband is in control. Torvald thinks that men

Dolls Within the Patriarchal Society
Words: 1695 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

" Otherwise, Nora's interest in who is employed at the bank -- Krogstad or Mrs. Lind -- would wholly ruin Torvald's carefully constructed social reality. This, essentially, is the only way in which a woman playing the feminine role is able to bend the rules; Nora can exert her influence, but only by emphasizing her helplessness. Throughout A Doll's House there is an interesting relationship between parents and their children. Recurrently,

Doll's House: Ibsen's Prescient Commentary
Words: 2076 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Yet as Goldman notes, Nora "worships her husband, believes in him implicitly, and is sure that if ever her safety should be menaced, Torvald, her idol, her god, would perform the miracle" that would set her free. It turned out that Mrs. Linde would set in motion the miracle that would set Nora free. A woman was required to help another woman escape the dolls' house, an incredible affirmation

Doll's House Henrik Ibsen's Play a Doll's
Words: 3654 Length: 12 Document Type: Essay

Doll's House Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's Housemade him the father of modern literature. His writing showed tragedy and drama in a new and rather modern way. Prior to an analysis of the story at hand, it is only relevant that the plot and main characters are discussed in detail. This story does not revolve around a whole bunch of characters and is based on only a few days. The story

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now