Ibsen
In Act I of Henrik's A Doll's House, the widow Mrs. Linde comes to see Nora and during their conversations patronizes and belittles her just as Torvald does. Mrs. Linde states, obnoxiously, "you know so little of the burdens and troubles of life," because all Nora knows is "small household cares and that sort of thing!" Mrs. Linde follows her claim with the brutal statement, "You are a child, Nora," (Act I). Nora stands her ground, one point of proof that she is most certainly not a child -- if "child" is to be defined as an immature person. To analyze whether Nora is a child or not depends on one's definition of "child." Possessing emotional intelligence is a sign of maturity that many children possess in far greater proportion than their adult counterparts. However, when Nora is called a "child" the word is used in its most derogatory way. Nora is being accused of being immature, undeveloped, naive, and frivolous. She is accused of being half a person, or an almost-person, as children are treated. Nora understands the implications quite well when she retorts to Mrs. Linde's statement about being a child: "You ought not to be so superior…think that I am incapable of anything really serious," (Act I). Indeed, it is at this moment that Nora probably has one of her first personal awakenings, when she understands that it is not just Torvald that perceives her as a child but most people in her social circle. Later on, in Act III, Nora notices that her father had treated her like a doll and that treatment was simply perpetuated in her marriage to Torvald.
Ironically, when Nora protests about Mrs. Linde's belittling statement about her being "a child," Linda herself volunteers a hilarious and emotionally immature response: "Come, come," she says. The phrase "come, come" is one that is used commonly by mothers trying to soothe their crying babies. Mrs. Linde sees Nora as a child; which means that Mrs. Linde does not see Nora as a human being. A child, for Mrs. Linde, is a half-person who could not possibly know the pain and...
Ibsen's a Doll's House as Modern Tragedy The most powerful and lasting contributions to the literature of a given era are invariably penned by bold thinkers struggling to comprehend the ever changing world in which they live. Spanning the 18th and 19th centuries, the European Modernist movement, which was propelled by the authorial brilliance of authors and playwrights such as like the Norwegian Henrik Ibsen, was shaped and inspired by the
Nora's life has been made economically easy by her husband, but that subordination is what takes the ease out of her life of comfort. Torvald is the dominant partner in their marriage. Without his consent, she cannot make major decisions, like make a loan, without her husband's permission. "Frankenstein" is also about parental and filial obligation and relationship. Dr. Victor Frankenstein is the creator and father of the monster,
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
Ibsen's "A Doll's House" In A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, the play's protagonist Nora Helmer has her character defined, in part, by the use of a dramatic foil for her -- her former schoolmate Christina, always addressed as "Mrs. Linde" because she is a widow. Ibsen uses Mrs. Linde's secondary subplot as a way of commenting or drawing attention to the primary storyline about Nora and her husband Torvald. But
Ibsen Henrik Ibsen Henrik Ibsen is now recognized as the "Father of Realism" and led the European Modernist movement. He was a poet and a playwright who grew up in Norway. During his adolescence his father went through a difficult period in which he had to file bankruptcy because he lost all of his money. This had many negative effects upon Ibsen and his father was much crueler to his family after
Ibsen's a Doll's House Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House dramatizes its heroine's dilemma by providing an example of what fate might possibly await her: the subplot involving Mrs. Linde is designed by Ibsen as a deliberate contrast and warning to Nora, the "little doll" of the play's title (Ibsen 84).. I hope by an examination of the different uses Ibsen makes of his counterplot to demonstrate that Ibsen intends the
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