The perfect translation of the title of Ibsen's Nowergian play “Et Dukkehjem” is The Doll’s House. This brilliant play illustrates the attitudes in the society in the mid nineteenth century.

Ibsen mention that his mission as a writer was "to inspire individuals, as many as possible, to freedom and independence". Ibsen wanted to obtain freedom for all of mankind and promote the necessity of self-reliance. Slowly but surely, Ibsen's plea was heard by the audience and the true meaning of A Doll House was interpreted as a political and moral stand against the suppression of society and issues of humanity.

THEMES

The interwoven themes of A Doll's House recur throughout most of Ibsen's works. The specific problem of this drama deals with the difficulty of maintaining an individual personality — in this case a feminine personality — within the confines of a stereotyped social role. The problem is personified as Nora, the doll, strives to become a self-motivated and dynamic human being in a woman-denying man's world.

Gender in Society

Ibsen's concerns about the position of women in society are brought to life in A Doll's House. He believed that women had a right to develop their own individuality, but in reality, women were not treated as equals with men, either in relation to their husbands or society, as is clear from Torvald's fear of his employees thinking he has been influenced in a decision about Krogstad's job by his wife. The idea of a husband taking advice in a decision from his wife is not acceptable in the society.

Feminism/Role of a Women

This play focuses on the ways that women are perceived in their various roles, especially in

marriage as wife and motherhood.

Torvald, in particular, has a very clear but narrow definition of women's roles.

He believes a wife’s role is to beautify the home, not only through proper management of domestic life but also

through proper behavior and appearance. He quickly makes it known that appearances are very important to

him, and that Nora is like an ornament or trophy that serves to beautify his home and his reputation.

Torvald’s insistence on calling Nora by affectionately diminutive names evokes her helplessness and her

dependence on him. The only time that Torvald calls Nora by her actual name is when he is scolding her.

When he is greeting or adoring her, however, he calls her by childish animal nicknames such as “my little

skylark” and “my squirrel.” By placing her within such a system of names, Torvald not only asserts his power

over Nora but also dehumanizes her to a degree. When he implies that Nora is comparable to the “little birds

that like to fritter money,” Torvald suggests that Nora lacks some fundamental male ability to deal properly

with financial matters. Torvald’s assertion that Nora’s lack of understanding of money matters is the result of

her gender (“Nora, my Nora, that is just like a woman”) reveals his prejudiced viewpoint on gender roles.

Though Torvald accuses Nora of being irresponsible with money, he gives her more in order to watch her

happy reaction. This act shows that Torvald amuses himself by manipulating his wife’s feelings. The play

suggests that this treatment is condescending/bossy/ Patronizing and not an appropriate way to treat

one’s wife.

He has double standard for the judgement of women. On one hand, he sees women as childlike, helpless creatures detached from reality, but on the other hand referring to his belief that it is the sacred duty of a woman to be a good wife and mother as he tells Nora that women are responsible for the morality of their children as influential moral forces responsible for the purity of the world through their influence in the home.

Marriage

The main message of A Doll's House seems to be that a true marriage is a joining of equals . The

play centers on the dissolution of a marriage that doesn't meet these standards.

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It was the nineteenth century society’s expectation that all women aspired to be married and once married safely , One of the most important roles in a woman’s life, was to make a good marriage. Despite the fact that there were monetary and sexual advantages but the person was bound and trapped. Though divorce was available, it carried such a social stigma (not just for the woman, but also for her husband and family) that few women saw it as an option. No matter what’s the nature of the mutual relationships between husband and wife, an illusion of domestic felicity must be upheld at all times.

This is illustrated by Torvald’s terror when in the end Nora tells him that she is leaving him he would rather have a pretend marriage, for the sake of appearances, than a divorce or an amicable parting. Torvald says, “To desert your home, your husband and your children! And you don’t consider what people will say!” (Act III ). Torvald is not as concerned with Nora as he is with outward appearances.

As much as the married state was aspired to, being single was frowned upon especially for women at marrying ages. It was acceptable that women were single only long enough to procure a good marriage. To remain single for too long indicated some defect of nature and thus the societal stigma attached would remain making life fraught with difficulty. Even Nora thought of saving his marital life. Nora has a sense of the true nature of her marriage, reveals early in Act One, that Torvald’s affection is based largely on her appearance, and she knows that when her looks fade, it is likely that Torvald’s interest in her will fade as well

“Many years from now, when I’ve lost my looks a little…………………, a time will come when Torvald is

not as devoted to me, not quite so happy when I dance for him, and dress for him, and play with him”.

Nora describes to Mrs. Linde under these circumstances, she would consider telling Torvald about the secret

loan she took in order to save his life. It shows that Nora suggests that in the future, she may need something

to hold over Torvald in order to retain his faithfulness and devotion to her. She acknowledges, if only in a small

way, the troubling reality of her marriage and her existence.

In the end she discloses the fact that she had been never happy with her marriage. “Our home is nothing but a play house……… I thought it great fun when you played with me. That is what our marriage has been.”

John Stuart Mill, an influential philosopher, wrote in his essay, "The Subjection of Women", that women were "wholly under the rule of men and each in private being under the legal obligation of obedience to the man with whom she has associated her destiny". Mill's statement is displayed through how Nora surrenders herself to the stereotype of a 19th century housewife, and how she allows her husband Torvald to shape her into the image that he wishes her to be, "Hm, if you only knew what expenses we larks and squirrels have, Torvald" says Nora.

Torvald has placed restrictions on Nora's life, even going as far as telling her what she can't eat. Most normal and respectable men of the time sought to find a woman that would not be a "forced slave, but a willing one; not a slave merely, but a favourite". Therefore the men, like Torvald, enslaved the minds of their wives and made them feel dependent on their husbands. Torvald manipulates Nora into believing that she is reliant, on him for every help with all aspects regarding to her personal choice: as she says when preparing for the dance

"Oh, its absolutely necessary, Torvald, but I can't get anywhere without you help. I've forgotten the whole thing completely". Women were constrained which limited their ability to rebel and confront their abused rights. Not only this, but men greedily held all the power. Society was exclusively a patriarchal system in which men were the individuals that wrote the laws, prosecuted the criminals and judged women on their own point of view.

Financial Dependence

Generally, men were the bread-earners and have to worry about procuring money to feed the family. All women had to do was ensure that the money they were given by their males, stretched as far as it needed to cover all household expenses. This is illustrated in the first scene when Torvald establishes himself as the controller of the family’s money, and Nora as the “spendthrift” (10). This is why Nora is excited and so thankful when Torvald gives her extra money for the Christmas housekeeping. Nora says, “Ten shillings—a pound—2 pounds! Thank you, thank you, Torvald; that will keep me going for a long time”. (Act I )

Women could not conduct business or control their own money, for which they needed the

authorization of the man who 'owned' them - husband, brother or father. Moreover, whilst

women received an education, they were not educated for responsibility. Nora falls foul of both

injustices, by taking out a loan without the authority of her husband or father, and by believing,

out of ignorance of the world, that she could get away with forging a signature on the loan

bond.

.

Nora’s shortsightedness in regards to financial concerns is also illustrated by her dismissive attitude towards responsibility to lenders.

NORA. They? Who would bother about them? I should not know who they were.

HELMER. That is like a woman. (Act I )

Women only had limited scope with which to control money and that usually fell only within the realms of household expenses. when Mrs. Linde speaks about Krogstad’s many business interests, Nora

responds that she doesn’t want to think about business because it is a “bore.”

Nora is given an allowance for housekeeping from Torvald, whilst Mrs Linde must marry well in order to support her relatives financially.Though Nora is economically advantaged in comparison to the

play’s other female characters, she nevertheless leads a difficult life because society dictates that Torvald be

the marriage’s dominant partner as he issues decrees and condescends to Nora. Also, the reason Nora must

hide her loan from him as she knows Torvald could never accept the idea that his wife (or any other woman)

had helped save his life. Furthermore, she must work in secret to pay off her loan because it is illegal for a

woman to obtain a loan without her husband’s permission. By motivating Nora’s deception, the attitudes of

Torvald—and society—leave Nora vulnerable to Krogstad’s blackmail.

On first being reunited with her school friend Christine Linde, Nora asks a series of questions to qualify exactly how much of nothing that Christine actually has.

NORA. And he left you nothing?

MRS LINDE. No

NORA. And no children?

MRS LINDE. No

NORA. Nothing at all, then.

MRS LINDE. Not even any sorrow or grief to live upon. (Act I )

. Though in a sense, single women like Mrs Linde they had a right to the money they earned and they were free not to hand it over to the man of the family. But the employment open to women was restricted and poorly paid, as we see in Mrs Linde's case: there was clerical work, teaching or domestic service. Even Nora in her difficult times by ambroidery (needlework, crochet work) Only once, the last Christmas, ,she did some copying work to write, withholding from Torvald and earned a handsome amount of money.

Also, women's work was grindingly dull, and likely to leave an intelligent woman like Mrs Linde "empty" inside.

Women left widowed like Mrs Linde, would have to scrape by on whatever jobs they could find. Similarly, Nurse who had to adopt out her illegitimate child says that she was “obliged to, if I wanted to be little Nora’s nurse”. (Act II )

Women left in a single state were left in a precarious situation both financially and socially.

The Sacrificial Role of Women .

In the 1800s, Women role was often self-sacrificial. Some sacrifices were expected and some went unrecognized. In A Doll’s House, Ibsen paints a bleak/miserable picture of the sacrificial role held by women of all economic classes in his society. The female characters of Nora, Mrs Linde and the Nurse all have to

sacrifice themselves to be accepted, or even to survive.

In general, the play’s female characters exemplify Nora’s assertion that a man can never sacrifice his integrity for love— Torvald’s explanation for refusing to take the blame again reveals the depth of his gender bias. Nora’s response (spoken to Torvald in Act Three) that even though men refuse to sacrifice their integrity, “hundreds of thousands of women have.” done just that underscores that

Nora spares her dying father from knowledge that would surely distress him and breaks the law in the process. Nora makes a risky financial agreement with Krogstad, which saves Torvald’s life, yet she must hide her ingenuity/innovation. As the doctors urged them to go south for a while but cautioned that the gravity of Torvald’s illness must not be revealed to him—he was in danger of dying.

Nora’s abandonment of her children can also be interpreted as an act of self- sacrifice. Despite Nora’s great love for her children— manifested by her interaction with them and her great fear of corrupting them—she chooses to leave them. Nora truly believes that the nanny will be a better mother and that leaving her children is in their best interest.

Hence, Nora not only sacrifices her dignity in borrowing money to save Torvald, but she loses the

children she undoubtedly loves when she decides to pursue her own identity.

Mrs Linde sacrifices her true—but penniless—love, the love of her life, Krogstad, and marries a richer

man, she does not love, in order to support her dependent relatives. She found it necessary to abandon

Krogstad, , and marry another man.

The Nurse has to give up her own child to look after other people's in order to survive financially. In

Ibsen's time, women who had illegitimate babies were stigmatized, while the men responsible often

escaped censure. Since she has committed the sin of having a child out of wedlock, she sees herself as

lucky to get her lowly job. As she tells Nora, the nanny considers herself lucky to have found the job, since

she was “a poor girl who’d been led astray.” The nanny had to sacrifice by abandoning her own child to

support herself by working as Nora’s (and then as Nora’s children’s) caretaker.

Women as Possessions (as Dolls) Or The Theme of ‘ Doll’

The whole play takes place in one room. Until the last act,

A doll’s house is an effective metaphor for the place of women in nineteenth century society. They were expected to be successful wives and mothers, and not much more.

One of the most interesting roles of women highlighted in this play, is the consideration of women as chattels or possessions – dolls to be dressed up and twirled around for show.

As Torvald remarked, "'Mayn't I look at my dearest treasure? At all the beauty that belongs to no one but me - that's all my very own?'...

Nora, personified as ‘doll’, is in every scene; she never seems to leave the room. All the action of the play comes to her. She is literally trapped in domestic comfort and possession of his husband.

In Act I, Nora encourages this notion by saying to Torvald, “I will do everything I can to please you, Torvald!—I will sing for you, dance for you”

It’s almost as if wives and women are not real people with depth. They are merely a toy in a play house.

Torvald calls her more by his many pet names than he does her actual name gives the idea of Nora as an object to be admired and not someone to have a serious conversation with, that is illustrated by Torvald’s many pet names for her.His first line is, “Is that my little lark twittering out there?” (Act I )& His next line is, “Is it my little squirrel bustling about?” (Act I ) And even Nora is tamed in giving him replies, "If your squirrel were to ask you very prettily for something...''Your squirrel will scamper about and do all her tricks, if you'll be nice and do what she

asks...''Your skylark'll sing all over the house - up and down the scale...''I'll be a fairy and dance on a moonbeam for you...'" (Act I & II)

Torvald perceives Nora as a foolish woman who is ignorant of the way society works, but he likes Nora’s

foolishness and ignorance because they render her helpless and therefore dependent on him. It soon becomes

clear to us that Nora’s dependence, not Torvald’s love for Nora as a person, forms the foundation of Torvald’s

affection for her as in Act One, . She is given her “housekeeping” money by Torvald He teases Nora

about wasting money but then tries to please her by graciously giving her more. Similarly, he points out her

faults but then says he doesn’t want her to change a bit. He clearly enjoys keeping Nora in a position where

she cannot function in the world without him, even if it means that she remains foolishThe play suggests

that this treatment is condescending/bossy/ Patronizing as though she is a doll in a doll's

house.

In general, Torvald disapproves of any kind of change in Nora’s constant, obedient demeanor because he

needs to control her behavior. Even when Nora dances the tarantella wildly in Act Two, he is unsettled

In the final act, Nora admits her part in the doll’s house. She says, “I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was papa’s doll-child” (Act III ) At the end of the act , she recognizes that her life has been largely a performance. “I have been performing tricks for you, Torvald. That’s how I’ve survived. You wanted it like that. You and Papa have done me a great wrong. It’s because of you I’ve made nothing of my life.” She now sees that her father and Torvald compelled her to behave in certain ways. She has to have their opinion and their taste and she has to conceal her own feelings,her own taste and her thoughts. She understands it to be “great wrong” that stunted her development as an adult and as a human being. She has made “nothing” of her life because she has existed only to please men. Following this -realization, Nora leaves Torvald in order to make something of her life and—for the first time—to exist as a person independent of other people

Hence, Nora is like Torvald’s doll—she decorates his home and pleases him by being a dependent figure with

whose emotions he can toy.

"But you don't talk or think like the man I could bind myself to. When your first panic was over - not about what threatened me, but about what might happen to you - and when there was no more danger, then, as far as you were concerned, it was just as if nothing had happened at all. I was simply your little songbird, your doll, and from now on you would handle it more gently than ever because it was so delicate and fragile. [Rising] At that moment, Torvald, I realized that for eight years I'd been living here with a strange man and that I'd borne him three children. Oh, I can't bear to think of it - " (Act III)

But also a contradiction to that Critic William L. Urban in ‘Parallels in A Doll's House’ reveals that

”Nora married Torvald Helmer at a time when he could have prosecuted her father for financial activities which were wrong if not simply illegal.(Clurman, Harold. 1977. Ibsen. New York: Macmillan) Whether she married him out of thankfulness or to influence him during the time of decision is not clear, but one doubts that this timing was mere coincidence; if Nora married Torvald Helmer to save her father, we have reason to doubt that she was ever as empty-headed a “doll" as she claimed to be.”

Child-like

In addition to being something of a doll to Torvald, Nora is also like a child to him Nora is called a number of diminutive, childlike names by Torvald throughout the play. T hese include "little songbird," "squirrel," "lark," "little featherhead," "little skylark," "little person," and "little woman." Torvald commonly uses the modifier "little" before the names he calls Nora. These are all usually followed by the possessive "my," signaling Torvald's belief that Nora is his. This pattern seems like more than just a collection of pet names. In a sense, by keeping Nora dependent upon and subservient to him,He shows himself to be competing with Nora’s dead father and teases her for Nora’s loyalty. Nora asserts that she has acted the part of the happy, child-like wife for Torvald and, before that, she acted the part of the happy, Torvald plays the role of Nora’s

second father. child-like daughter for her father. He sees Nora as a child of his.He treats her like a child, doling out money to her and attempting to instruct her in the ways of the world.

Nora’s first conversation with Mrs. Linde plays a key role in establishing Nora’s childlike, self-centered, and

insensitive character. Though she purports to be interested in Mrs. Linde’s problems, Nora repeatedly turns the

conversation back to her own life with Torvald. Nora’s self-centeredness is further demonstrated in her

revelation that she failed to write to Mrs. Linde after her husband passed away. It is only now, three years

after the fact, that Nora expresses her sympathy; up to this point, she has made no effort to think beyond

herself, and the fact that she does so now seems only a matter of polite reflex. Like an impulsive child, Nora

does not filter her thoughts, expressing what comes to mind without regard for what is and what is not

appropriate, as when she tactlessly comments that Mrs. Linde’s looks have declined over the years.

Though she recognizes that Mrs. Linde is poor, she unabashedly delights in the fact that she and Torvald will

soon have “pots and pots” of money. She does not recognize that such comments might be hurtful to her old

friend. Nora’s insensitivity to Mrs. Linde’s plight manifests itself when she speaks of her three lovely children

immediately after learning that Mrs. Linde has none.

Whereas Nora clings to romantic notions about love and marriage, Mrs. Linde has a more realistic

understanding of marriage, gained from her experience of being left with “not even an ounce of grief” after

her husband’s death. Nora’s incredulity at Mrs. Linde’s remark indicates to Mrs. Linde, and to us, that Nora is

sheltered and somewhat unsophisticated. The thread between Nora’s initial interactions with Torvald and Mrs.

Linde (through out the Act I)is the tension between Nora’s childish nature and her need to grow out of it.

"Look, Nora, in lots of things, you're still a child. I'm older than you in many ways and I've had a little more experience." Act 2,

Krogsad also, while he black-mailed her called warned her not to work stupidly/childishly

. "Yes, now you've been warned, so don't do anything stupid. I shall expect to hear from Helmer as soon as he gets my letter. And remember, it's your husband who's forced me to do this sort of thing again. I shall never forgive him for that." (Act II)

From a structural point of view, Nora, as the drama’s protagonist, must develop over the course of the play. Because her first conversation with Mrs. Linde shows Nora to be childlike in her understanding of the world, it becomes apparent that Nora’s development will involve education, maturation, and the shedding of her seeming naïveté/innocence.

Women were not even supposed to be rational or logical and scientific. They are supposed to be romantic, impractical and living in fantasy world. For instance, torvald making fun of Nora infront of Dr. Rank as, “Just listen!---- little Nora, talking about scientific investigation today.” (Act III)

Nora’s later frustration with Torvald’s inability to take her seriously is summed up when Nora says, “In all these eight years—longer than that—from the very beginning of our acquaintance, we have never exchanged a word on any serious subject” (Act III) Shows that women similar to children, were to be seen but not (seriously) heard in the society.

The Helmer children themselves are only a borderline presence in the play, never given any dialogue to speak, and only briefly playing hide-and-seek (perhaps a nod toward the theme of deception). Ibsen's alternate ending had Nora persuaded not to leave by the presence of the children. But the play as we have it does not really emphasize their importance. The story focuses on the parents and parenting honestly.

Masculinity/ Male DominationThe men of A Doll's House are in many ways just as trapped by traditional gender roles as the

women (Torvald Helmer being the chief example). The men must be providers. Ideas of

'manliness' are present in more subtle ways. Nora's description of Torvald suggests that

she is partially aware of the inconsistent pressures on male roles as much as the

inconsistent pressures on female roles in their society. He seems to love his wife so much that he

allows her to do whatever she pleases, as when he gives her more money to spend after she returns from

buying gifts. But for most of the play, we see Torvald delighting in Nora’s dependence upon him but not in his

control over her. Nora does refer to Torvald’s restrictions of her actions—she mentions that he forbids

macaroons, for instance—but the side of Torvald we see is more pushover than dictator.

Torvald's own conception of manliness is based on the value of total independence. He abhors the idea of financial or moral dependence on anyone. His strong desire for independence may put him out of touch with the reality of human interdependence. Torvald in particular focuses on money and material goods rather than people. His sense of manhood depends on his financial independence. He was an unsuccessful barrister because he refused to take "unsavory/objectionable cases." As a result, he switched jobs to the bank, where he primarily deals with money. For him, money and materialism may be a way to avoid the complications of personal contact. He refrains Nora to take loans and expresses his stance over this matter as:

"Nora, Nora! Just like a woman! But seriously, Nora, you know what I think about that sort of thing. No debts, no borrowing. There's something constrained, something ugly even, about a home that's founded on borrowing and debt." (Act I) pg.

In Act One, Nora says that it would humiliate Torvald if he knew he was secretly in debt to her for his life, indicating that Torvald wants the power in his marriage to be one-sided rather than mutual.

"Torvald has his pride - most men have - he'd be terribly hurt and humiliated if he thought he'd owed anything to me. It'd spoil everything between us, and our lovely happy home would never be the same again." Act 1

In the scene following the party, however, Torvald’s enjoyment of his control over Nora takes on a darker tone

with his somewhat perverse sexual advances toward Nora. He treats her like his possession, like the young girl

he first acquired years ago. Contributing to the feeling of control that Torvald is exercising over Nora is that the

evening has been of Torvald’s design—he dresses Nora in a costume of his choosing and coaches her to

dance the tarantella in the manner that he finds “desirable.”

Torvald’s inability to understand Nora’s dissent when he attempts to seduce her stems from his belief that

Nora, as his wife, is his property. Because he considers her simply an element of the life that he idealizes, her

coldness and rebuff of his sexual advances leave him not baffled but suspicious/incredulous. He has so

long believed in the illusory relationship that Nora has helped him create over the years that he cannot

comprehend the reality of the situation—that Nora is discontent with her life and willing to express it.

The hollowness of Torvald’s promises to save Nora shows how little he appreciates her sacrifice. Nora

expects compassion from Torvald after he finds out about her predicament, Torvald confesses that he

fantasizes about risking his life to save Nora’s. Once given the opportunity, however, Torvald shows no

intention of sacrificing anything for Nora, thinking only of himself and of appearances.(just count the no. of the

word I used here)

“How you must have suffered - seeing no way out except...No, we'll put all those hateful things out of our minds. Now we can shout for joy, again and again: 'It's all over - it's all over! Listen, Nora - you don't seem to realize - it's all over. What's the matter? Such a grim face? Poor little Nora, I see what it is: you simply can't believe that I've forgiven you. But, I have, Nora, I swear it - I've forgiven you everything. I know now that what you did was all for love of me.”(Act III)

Although people think Nora’s father has given Nora and Torvald the money for their trip to Italy, it was actually the daring Nora. She has more agency and decision-making skills than she is given credit for she had found means to repay his loan by saving from her pocket money as well as getting work like in the last Christmas, she did some copying work to write, withholding from Torvald and earned a handsome amount of money. Expressing her feelings of finding joy in working for his family, Nora seems to wish to enjoy the privileges and power enjoyed by males in her society, she says

"Still it was tremendous fun sitting there working and earning money. It was almost like being a man." Act 1, Thus, in the end, she seems to understand the confinement she faces

simply by virtue of her sex. That is why over the course of the play, she breaks away from the

domination of her overbearing husband, Torvald.

LOVE

There is much talk of love in A Doll's House. Throughout the play we hear of and see many different

forms of love.

The beginning of the play potrays Nora Helmer and Torvald Helmer as love birds chirping in their home.Though in the end, the Helmers discover that true love never existed between them.

Torvald’s thought of their love, he describes as

“I'll tell you something: when I'm out with you at a party, do you know why I hardly talk to you - don't come near you - only steal a glance at you every now and then...do you know why? It's because I pretend that we're secretly in love - engaged in secret - and that no one dreams that there's anything between us." Act III

It is apparent in his lack of concern about his wife’s fate, despite the fact that she committed a crime to save

his life.His proclamation of “I’m saved” after Krogstad’s letter of retraction arrives reflects that he has been

thinking only of himself in his panic. He says nothing about Nora until she asks, “And me?” His casual

response—“You too, naturally”—reveals how much her well-being is an afterthought to him.

As Nora’s childish innocence and faith in Torvald shatter, so do all of her illusions. She realizes that her

husband does not see her as a person but rather as a beautiful possession, nothing more than a toy. The

actions of Nora , that she had made sacrifice for her loved ones, have borne out. Nora’s belief that Torvald

should take responsibility for her seems justified, since what she expects from Torvald is no more than what

she has already given him for the sake of his love.

Torvald’s conversations with Nora have already made it clear that he is primarily attracted to Nora for her

beauty and that he takes personal pride in the good looks of his wife. He has also shown himself to be

obsessed with appearing dignified and respectable to his colleagues. Torvald’s reaction to Krogstad’s letter

solidifies his characterization as a shallow man concerned first and foremost with appearances. Here, he states

explicitly that the appearance of happiness is far more important to him than happiness(Nora’s love).

Torvald very lately acknowledges Nora’s love saying that he understands that her actions stemmed from

love and that he doesn’t blame her for not understanding that “Only you had no sufficient knowledge to

judge the means.” But still tells her to rely on him as her guardian and teacher, because he loves her and

finds her all the more attractive for her dependence upon him.

He argues that, by forgiving her, “it’s as if [a man has] twice made [his wife] his own.” He says that he feels

he has given Nora a new life so that she is now both his wife and his child.(and not his equal/life partener)

She voices her belief that neither Torvald nor her father ever loved her, and so she tells him, “You have never

loved me you have thought it was enjoyable to be in love with me.” She realizes these two men cared

more about amusing themselves and feeling loved and needed than they did about her as an individual

When Torvald accuses Nora of not loving him anymore, Nora says his claim is true. She then explains that

she realized that she didn’t love Torvald that evening, when her expectation that he would take the blame

for her—showing his willingness to sacrifice himself for love—wasn’t met. She adds that she was so sure that

Torvald would try to cover for her that she had been planning to take her own life in order to prevent Torvald

from ruining his. Torvald replies that no man can sacrifice his honour for love, but Nora retorts that many

women have done so. She has already sacrificed her honour for her love.

Meanwhile, Nora, still so unaware of her own situation that she can remark to Dr. Rank, her real soul-mate, "You see, there are some people that one loves, and others that one would rather be with." She remarks that being with Torvald Helmer was like being with her father, who impose his opinions and choice on her and by the end of the play she knows that he does not love her but only himself. There is no doubt that Nora loved Torvald once--for having risked everything to save her. It was her concern for his health that caused her to take out the original loan and forge her father's signature. Even as the play opens, however, she can see that physical attraction will not hold him much longer. She has begun to dream of a silly old gentleman who will leave her a lot of money in his will. Indeed, she almost asks Dr. Rank for the money to pay off the loan. She finds Dr. Rank good company, attractive, and most important, a true friend to whom she can open her soul with few reservations……She can even curse in his presence and eat candy

[Other women in Nora's situation could have easily become the doctor's mistress--Nora suggests to Kristina that some "admirer" might give her presents--but Nora was still feeling a deep obligation to Torvald for having saved her father, and she was, after all, his wife. We could conclude that if Helmer were to die rather than the doctor, then Act IV would present Nora as Mrs. Dr. Rank.]

Kristina Linde was freed from her unhappy marriage by just such a fortuitous death of her husband. Left without resources, she was forced into the world, made to earn her own way, to become her own person. Just as the bank offered her the opportunity for real business success, she tells Krogstad:

"I must work or life isn't bearable. All my life I've worked--that's been my one great job. But now that I'm alone in the world I feel completely lost and empty. There's no joy in working for oneself. Nils. . . let me have something--and someone--to work for." ActII)

She assures him of loving and her decision of marrying him

"Nils, when you've sold yourself once for the sake of others, you don't do it a second time." Act III)

Even Krogstad’s expressed his love for Kristina Linde in the past,

"When I lost you, it was just as if the very ground had given way under my feet. Look at me now - a shipwrecked man clinging to a spar." Act III)

Money Business or Monetary affairsThe nineteenth century saw huge social and economic changes. Society shifted from a largely rural agricultural community of 'landed gentry' and land workers, to urban communities based on manufacturing. More than ever before, what defined one's place in society was one's ability to make and control money. Those who controlled the money were the bankers and lawyers, like Torvald. They were almost invariably male. Their ability to control money enabled them to control society and others' lives, including defining morals.

The example is Torvald, because of his position at the bank, can afford to sit in moral judgment on Krogstad and Mrs Linde, and decide which of them should be allowed a job.

Early in A Doll's House, the characters spend a good deal of time talking about their finances. The transaction between Nora and the porter that opens A Doll’s House immediately puts the spotlight on money, which emerges as one of the forces driving the play’s conflicts as it draws lines between genders, classes, and moral standards. Though Nora owes the porter fifty øre (a Norwegian unit of currency), she gives him twice that amount, presumably because she is infused with the holiday spirit. Also her generous tip to the porter in the play’s opening scene shows that she is not a selfish woman.

The first interactions we see between Nora and Torvald are about money. While Nora likes to spend and

allows the idea of buying presents to block out financial concerns, Torvald holds a more pragmatic view of

money, jokingly calling Nora a spendthrift and telling her that she is completely foolish when it comes to

financial matters.

"… a sweet little bird….. it gets through a terrible amount of money. You wouldn't believe how much it costs a man when he's got a little song-bird like you!" Act 1

Torvald teases Nora about being a spendthrift: this is his way of displaying his dominance over her, since he who controls the money controls the relationship.

Torvald and Nora’s first conversation establishes Torvald as the member of the household who makes and

controls the money and Nora as the one who spends it. Torvald repeatedly teases Nora about her spending,

and at one point Mrs. Linde points out that Nora was a big spender in her younger days. These initial

comments paint Nora as a shallow woman who is overly concerned with -material delights. Yet More

important, once the secret of Nora’s loan is made known to the audience, we see that Nora’s interest in money

stems more from her concern for her family’s welfare than from petty desires.

Then we realize that the excitement she has expressed over Torvald’s new, well-paying job. She is on the

upswing, with the promise of free flowing cash in the future. Her joy results from the fact that more

spending money means she can finally pay off her debt to Krogstad. While Torvald seems less enthralled by

money because he doesn’t talk about it except to chastise Nora for her spending, he is obsessed with having a

beautiful home, including a beautiful wife. He considers these things important to his reputation, and keeping

up this reputation requires money. Although Torvald accuses Nora of wasting money, Nora spends her money

mostly on worthy causes, whereas Torvald uses his for selfish, shallow purposes(wine, costly cigar etc)

Nora's attempt to take partial control of the money in their marriage by taking out the loan, ends in disaster, as Torvald feels morally shamed by her action. It has put him at the mercy of Krogstad and, it is implied, compromised his standing as a man and a moral member of society.

The individual and society

William L. Urban in his article Parallels in A Doll's House “As it happened, changes in gender roles were already occuring so swiftly that not even Ibsen was ready for them. There was a famous incident in Rome when a runaway wife justified her abandoning husband and children for another man by saying that she had already done what Nora did. Ibsen retorted, "But my Nora went alone." In short, for them the play was Nora and her discovery that her gender role was an obstacle to her personal fulfillment.though Ibsen viewed himself as a revolutionary individualist, critics have been reluctant to look at his play as a statement about human condition. They would rather see a social criticism symbolized by the slamming of the door in the final act.”

Victorian society is portrayed as a repressive influence on the individual. It has created a series of conventions and codes that the individual resists at his or her risk. For instance, in the character of the Nurse, Ibsen shows us how easy it would be for a person's entire life to be ruined through one youthful mistake - in her case, falling pregnant despite being unmarried.

Torvald defines his life by what society finds acceptable and respectable. He is more concerned about the attractive appearance of his wife and home and his reputation than he is about his wife's happiness and children. When she tries to convince him to keep Krogstad in his job, his main concern is what the bank employees will think of him if they believe he has been influenced by his wife. And even after he has rejected Nora, he wants her to remain under his roof to preserve the image of a respectable marriage.

Like Torvald, Krogstad is also obsessed with his reputation Much of his life has been affected by society's moral standards. He spent some time in disgrace after committing an "indiscretion" and even in the play he resorts to blackmail in his attempt to keep his job as a mark of respectability. His threat of blackmail gains its power from the immense authority that individuals are society's moral standards: if nobody cared much what society thought, then Krogstad could tell all and no one would be harmed.

Honour and Reputation in SocietyRespect in society was considered to be a major issue to live. Some have good standing in their

communities and will do anything to keep it, others have lost their good name and will do anything to

maintain their reputation.. Nora to hide her crime and to prevent her husband from contempt in

society, even tried to open the lock of the letter box to which he had no right to reach as an adult.

“ From now on, forget happiness. Now it’s just about saving the remains, the wreckage, the appearance.” (Act III)

after learning of Nora’s forgery Torvald speaks these words that constitute Torvald’s actual reaction to Nora’s crime, in contrast to the gallant reaction that she expects. Rather than sacrifice his own reputation for Nora’s, Torvald seeks to ensure that his reputation remains unsullied. His desire to hide—rather than to take responsibility—for Nora’s forgery proves Torvald to be the opposite of the strong, noble man that he purports himself to be before Nora and society.

Finally, its Nora who is in quest of true honour and reputation that she is unable to find in her home. As Torvald declared that she could live his house but not trusted and unloved.

Nora’s Definition of Freedom

Nora’s understanding of the meaning of freedom evolves over the course of the play. In the first act, she

believes that she will be totally “free” as soon as she has repaid her debt.

“Free. To be free, absolutely free. To spend time playing with the children. To have a clean, beautiful

house, the way Torvald likes it.” (Act I)

because she will have the opportunity to devote herself fully to her domestic responsibilities. After Krogstad

blackmails her, however, she reconsiders her conception of freedom and questions whether she is

happy in Torvald’s house, subjected to his orders and edicts. By the end of the play, Nora seeks a new

kind of freedom. She wishes to be relieved of her familial obligations in order to pursue her own

ambitions, beliefs, and identity.

Nora begins the play fulfilling a role that society prescribed for women - that of dutiful wife and mother.

Her role is restricted to such activities as creating a beautiful home, meeting the needs of her husband

and children, and singing and dancing prettily and seductively for her husband. Ibsen does not suggest

that there is anything inherently wrong with such duties, but he does point out the dangers of having an

individual's life defined by society in a way that ignores their personal identity and journey. In leaving

Torvald and her children, she will outrage society and stigmatize herself. This is a terrible price to have

to pay for self-fulfillment, but inevitable, given that society and the individual are so much at cross-

purposes. Society wishes to preserve the status quo, whereas self-fulfillment often means pushing

and breaking boundaries.

The theme of freedom is that Nora cannot find true freedom in this traditional domestic realm.. By the end

of the play, she sees that freedom entails independence from societal constraints and the ability to explore her

own personality, goals, and beliefs.

Torvald’s selfish reaction to Krogstad’s letter opens Nora’s eyes to the truth about her relationship with Torvald

and leads her to rearrange her priorities and her course of action. Her shift from thinking about suicide to

deciding to walk out on Torvald (abandonment) reflects an increased independence . Whereas she earlier -

succumbs to pressure from Torvald to preserve the appearance of idealized family life (from she lie about

eating macaroons to consider suicide—the ultimate sacrifice of herself in order to conceal her misdeeds), she

now realizes that she can exist outside Torvald’s confined realm

.

Secession

During the time in which the play took place society frowned upon women asserting themselves. Women were supposed to play a role in which they supported their husbands, took care of their children, and made sure everything was perfect around the house. Work, politics, and decisions were left to the males. One of A Doll's House's central theme is secession from society. It is demonstrated by one of its characters breaking away from the social standards of their time and acting on their own terms. No one character demonstrates this better than Nora.

Nora's first secession from society was when she broke the law and decided to borrow money to pay for her husbands treatment. By doing this, she not only broke the law but she stepped away from the role society had placed on her of being totally dependent on her husband. She proved herself not to be helpless like Torvald implied: "you poor helpless little creature!"

Nora's second secession from society was shown by her decision to leave Torvald and her children. Society demanded that she take a place under her husband. This is shown in the way Torvald spoke down to her saying things like: "worries that you couldn't possibly help me with," and "Nora, Nora, just like a woman." She is almost considered to be property of his: "Mayn't I look at my dearest treasure? At all the beauty that belongs to no one but me -that's all my very own?" By walking out she takes a position equal to her husband and brakes society's expectations. Nora also breaks society's expectations of staying in a marriage since divorce was frowned upon during that era. Her decision was a secession from all expectations put on a woman and a wife by society.

Nora secessions are very deliberate and thought out. She knows what society expects of her and continues to do what she feels is right despite them. Her secessions are used by Ibsen to show faults of society. In the first secession Ibsen illustrates that despite Nora doing the right thing it is deemed wrong and not allowed by society because she is a woman. While the forgery can be considered wrong, Ibsen is critical of the fact that Nora is forced to forge.

Ibsen is also critical of society's expectations of a marriage. He illustrates this by showing how Nora is forced to play a role than be herself and the eventual deterioration of the marriage. Throughout the play Nora is looked down upon and treated as a possession by her husband. She is something to please him and used for show. He is looked upon as the provider and the decision maker. Society would have deemed it a perfect marriage. Ibsen is critical of the fact that a marriage lacked love and understanding, as shown by Torvald becoming angry with Nora for taking the loan and saving him, would be consider as obvious. Nora explains that Torvald has

never understood her and that, until that evening, she has never understood Torvald. She points out that

—for the first time in their eight years of marriage—they are now having a “serious conversation.” She

has realized that she has spent her entire life being loved not for who she is but for the role she plays. To both

her father and to Torvald, she has been a plaything—a doll. She realizes she has never been happy in

Torvald’s dollhouse but has just been performing for her keep. She has deluded herself into thinking herself

happy, when in truth she has been miserable.

She feels alienated from both religion and the law, and wishes to discover on her own, by going out into

the world and learning how to live life for herself, whether or not her feelings of alienation are justified. Torvald

points out how she will appear to others, but Nora insists that she does not care. He then tries to

persuade Nora to stay in order to fulfill her “sacred duties” to her husband and her children, but Nora

responds that she has an equally important duty to herself . she must now do "My duty to myself."She no

longer believes Torvald’s assertion that she is “a wife and mother above everything else.” By saying,

“I believe that before all else (wife and mother) I am a reasonable human being,

just as you are---or, at all events, that I must try and become one.” (Act III)

Her choice to leave her husband and children in order to "educate myself" reveals a different Nora compared to the Nora from the beginning of the play. After stating that she has to "do it alone" without anyone's help exposes her desire to be independent.

Deception and Dillusion/ the unreliability of appearances

Over the course of A Doll’s House, appearances prove to be misleading veneers that mask the reality of the play’s characters and -situations. Our first impressions of Nora, Torvald, and Krogstad are all eventually undercut.

Nora initially seems a silly, childish woman, but then we learn that she has made great sacrifices to save her husband's life and pay back her secret loan. And as the play progresses, we see that she is intelligent, motivated, and, by the play’s conclusion, a strong-willed, independent and rational woman. Torvald, for all his faults, appears to be strong, benevolent devoted and generous husband, reveals himself to be cowardly, petty, and selfish when he fears that Krogstad may expose him to scandal. He is a shallow, vain man, concerned mainly with his public reputation, and too weak to deliver on his promise to shoulder any burden that would fall upon Nora. The Helmer marriage appears loving, but turns out to be based on lies, play-acting and an unequal relationship.

Krogstad too reveals himself to be a much more sympathetic and merciful character than he first appears to be a bitter, resentful extortionist. The play’s climax is largely a matter of resolving identity confusion—we see Krogstad as an earnest lover, Nora as an intelligent, brave woman, and Torvald as a simpering, sad man.

Mrs Linde first strikes us as self-sufficient, but we learn that she feels "empty" now that she has no

one to look after. Dr Rank acts the role of friend to Torvald and Nora, but we later discover the true

motive for his daily visits: he is in affection/infatuation with Nora.

Situations too are misleadin/deceptive both by us and by the characters. The seeming hatred between Mrs.

Linde and Krogstad turns out to be love. Nora’s creditor turns out to be Krogstad and not, as we and Mrs.

Linde suppose, Dr. Rank. Dr. Rank, our surprise confesses that he is in love with her. The seemingly

villainous Krogstad repents and returns Nora’s contract to her, while the seemingly kindhearted Mrs. Linde

ceases to help Nora and forces Torvald’s discovery of Nora’s secret though Nora is ready to plea Torvald for

provision of favours for her.

The characters are engaged in various sorts of deception to enable them to enjoy acceptance or approval

by others and society in general.

Dr Rank pretends to Torvald that nothing is a miss with his health because Torvald cannot deal with

anything disagreeable, such as death ‘the ugly side of life’.

Because Torvald craves respect from his employees, friends, and wife, status and reputation are important to

him, he creates an image of appearance at the expense of the true happiness. It results in the instability of

appearances within the Helmer household at the end of play. Any disrespect for example when Nora calls him

petty or when Krogstad calls him by his first name, angers Torvald greatly. By the end of the play, we see that

Torvald’s obsession with controlling his home’s appearance and his repeated suppression and denial of reality

have harmed his family and his happiness irreparably.

Ultimately, Torvald’s selfishness becomes apparent in his lack of concern about his wife’s fate, despite the fact that she committed a crime to save his life. He panics upon learning of Nora’s crime not because he cares about what will happen to her but because he worries that his reputation will be damaged if knowledge of Nora’s crime becomes public. Instead of treating Nora with understanding and gratitude for her noble intent, he threatens and blames her and then immediately begins to think of ways to cover up the shame that she has cast on his family. Though once he claimed with apparent sincerity, that if he would take upon himself any burden that fell upon Nora. His claim appears to arise from his tendency to fantasize about his and Nora's life together.

“ You know, Nora, I've often wished that you could be threatened by some imminent danger so that I could risk everything I had - even my own life itself - to save you." (Act III)

She has kept the source of the money a secret and hides her own strength,. Mrs. Linde is doubtful that

Nora is right to keep her actions a secret, but Nora replies that because she doesn’t want his “man’s pride” to

be hurt saying that Torvald “would be so ashamed and humiliated if he thought he owed me anything.”

Nora deceives Torvald lying to him about trivial matters such as eating sweets. She also reveals to Mrs. Linde that she took on some copying work the previous winter. This work (and not -ornament-making) was the real reason that she closed herself up in a room during the weeks before the previous Christmas.The essential tension, running throughout A Doll's House comes from Nora's fear of a secret being discovered. Her absolute terror of this revelation leads her to tell lie after lie. She is potrayed as prone to lieing. A far more serious case of deception concerns the loan Nora illicitly acquired in order to save Torvald’s life. Though this deception is of far greater magnitude than the lies about the macaroons and involves a breach/violation of law (Nora is guilty of forgery), we can understand Nora for her actions because she is motivated by noble and selfless intent. In both instances of deception, Nora lies because of Torvald’s unfair

stereotypes about gender roles. If Torvald could accept likings and thinking over trivial matters and didn’t feel the need to have control over her every movement, Nora would not have to lie to him on major issues.

The outcome of this tension is that "the wife in the play is finally at her wit's end as to what is right and wrong"; she therefore loses her foothold in society and must flee the man who cannot dissociate himself from the laws of society.

MoralityThe theme of morality relates closely to that of the individual and society, in that society defines the suffocating moral climate that A Doll's House satirizes. Nora begins to question society's morals when she realizes how it would criminalize her for forging her father's signature, an action that she believes to be morally acceptable in the circumstances, if legally reprehensible.

"Hasn't a daughter the right to protect her dying father from worry and anxiety? Hasn't a wife the right to save her husband's life? I don't know much about the law, but I'm quite certain that it must say somewhere that things like that are allowed." (Act I )

The most heroic action of her life, her sacrifice to save her husband's life, becomes an unforgivable crime in the eyes of society and its dutiful representative,

“Torvald. It is not surprising that part of her journey of self-discovery at the play's end is to consist of finding out "who is right, the world or I." ( Act III )

Though Nora herself is not morally ideal. She is prone to tell lies. As well as she pretends that She is childish. But infact, Nora knows that if she behaves in a certain subservient way and flatter Torvald, he would give her more money, reveals that she has an insightful and manipulative side. She later uses similar manipulations on Dr Rank(through stockings), drawing attention to the way in which women in an unequal society tend to barter sexual favors in return for money. Nora is not as naïve as she pretends to be as

Before Ibsen revolutionized drama through his embrace of realism, many plays contained a character with the role of 'moral foil', a commentator on the actions of others. Ibsen partially subverts the notion of the 'moral foil' in the characters of Dr Rank and Mrs Linde. They arrive in the play at the same time, which alerts us to the fact that they share a dramatic purpose.

Moreover, To some extent, they are truth-bringers in the false setup of the Helmer marriage. But these characters turn out to be as fallible and morally compromised as most people are in real life. Mrs Linde has betrayed her true love, Krogstad, by marrying another man for money and security, an act which has left her "empty." And Dr Rank is not entirely the selfless friend to Torvald that he first appears to be: he visits because he is in love with Nora.

Both were the persons Nora had trusted more than even her husband. With Mrs Linde, she had shared her secrets but decides not to persuade Krogstad to recall his letter, as she believes it is time the Helmers faced the truth about their marriage. "But now a whole day's gone by and I've witnessed things in this house that I could hardly believe. Helmer must know the whole story. This wretched secret must be brought into the open so that there's complete understanding between them. That's be impossible while there's so much concealment and subterfuge." (Act III)

With Dr. Rank she could share her innocent feelings but Dr Rank talks to Nora as the intelligent person she is, not as the silly doll-child that Torvald prefers.

"I promised myself that I'd tell you before I went away, and I could never have a better opportunity. Well, Nora, now you know. And you know, too, that you can trust me - more than anyone else." Act II)

Dr. Rank has inherited his tuberculosis from his father, who had extra marital affairs and in much the same way about the nurse who had an illegitimate child. As he does in other plays, such as The Wild Duck, Ibsen explores the moral ideals of society.

InheritanceNineteenth-century breakthroughs in genetic science led to a growing interest in inherited disease and traits. A Doll's House contains several references to the idea that both physical disease and moral traits are passed down through generations e.g. the play suggests that corruption is hereditary. Torvald, after he reads Krogstad's first letter and rejects Nora, forbids her from bringing up their children as he thinks she will taint them morally. She herself is already convinced of this and has begun to distance herself from them. Torvald believes that Krogstad's children will be poisoned by their father's moral crimes. Dr Rank a morally questionable life, has inherited tuberculosis of the spine, the disease that kills him, from his father, who led a promiscuous/ life and contracted venereal disease.

Frequent references to Nora's father often equate her with him because of her actions and her disposition.Due to her morally reprehensible actions, Nora worries that (fraudulently signing her father's name) will infect her children according to Torvald psychology. Exposing Torvald past criminal acts "Because an atmosphere of lies like that infects and poisons the whole life of a home. In a house like that, every breath that the children take is filled with the germs of evil." (Act I )

"What a terrible awakening! For these last eight years you've been my joy and my pride - and now I find that you're a liar, a hypocrite - even worse - a criminal! Oh, the unspeakable ugliness of it all! Ugh! I might have known that something of this sort would happen - I should have forseen it. All your father's shiftless character - Be Quiet! - All your father's shiftless character has come out in you. No religion, no morality, no sense of duty...So this is what I get for condoning his fault! I did it for your sake, and this is how you repay me! Act 3

Parental and Filial Obligations

Nora, Torvald, and Dr. Rank each express the belief that a parent is obligated to be honest and upstanding,

because a parent’s immorality is passed on to his or her children like a disease. In fact, Dr. Rank does have a

disease that is the result of his father’s depravity. Dr. Rank implies that his father’s immorality—his many affairs

with women—led him to contract a venereal disease that he passed on to his son, causing Dr. Rank to suffer

for his father’s misdeeds. Torvald voices the idea that one’s parents determine one’s moral character when he

tells Nora, “Nearly all young criminals had lying -mothers.” He also refuses to allow Nora to interact with

their children after he learns of her deceit, for fear that she will corrupt them.

Yet, the play suggests that children too are obligated to protect their parents. Nora recognized this

obligation, but she ignored it, choosing to be with and sacrifice herself for her sick husband instead of her sick

father. Mrs. Linde, on the other hand, abandoned her hopes of being with Krogstad and undertook years of

labor in order to tend to her sick mother.

Ibsen does not pass judgment on either woman’s decision, but he does use the idea of a child’s debt to her

parent to demonstrate the complexity of familial obligations.

Religion

The play takes place around Christmas. The first act occurs on Christmas Eve, the second on Christmas Day, and the third on Boxing Day. Here Christmas is never presented as a religious holiday, although there is a great deal of talk about morality throughout the play,. In fact, religion is discussed primarily as a material experience, what normally are important values for people and their relationships—social and moral responsibilities assigned by religion i.e. When Torvald urges Nora to stay, he inquires her about her sacred (religious duties). Moreover, religion is directly questioned later by Nora in the this act. Here, Nor feels that religion—is subordinate to humanity and rights of an individual by saying,

“I will see if the clergyman said is true, or at all events if it is true for me.” (Act III)

ForeshadowingFirstly Nora’s eating of macaroons against Torvald’s wishes foreshadows her later rebellion against Torvald.Moreover her prophecy “Something glorious is going to happen” in Act II foreshadows that some major event is going to take place. she tells Mrs. Linde about what will happen when Torvald reads Krogstad’s letter detailing Nora’s secret loan and forgery. The meaning of Nora’s statement remains obscure until Act Three, when Nora reveals the nature of the “glorious” happening that she anticipat

She believes that after the revelation of truth of her sacrifice, when Torvald learns of the forgery and Krogstad’s blackmail, Torvald will take all the blame on himself and gloriously sacrifice his reputation in order to protect her. When Torvald eventually indicates that he will not shoulder the blame for Nora, Nora’s faith in him is shattered. Once the illusion of Torvald’s nobility is crushed, Nora’s other illusions about her married life are crushed as well, and her disappointment with Torvald triggers her awakening. She can no longer live with a husband who cannot

Nora expects that “something glorious” would have to happen as she thought Torvald is going to change

i.e.accomplish “something glorious” by bridging the mental gap which would bring his understanding and sympathies into agreement with her point of view. Her last word to Torvald are:

“Both you and I would have to be so changed that---our life together would be a real wed lock.”

These ironic words brought such dramatic changes in society that truly a glorious triumph of individualization could be seen within the society.

SYMBOLS  AND MOTIFS

Macaroons - symbolizes Nora’s deceit to her husband

The Christmas tree – symbolizes Nora’s happiness and security in his household

New Year’s day – indicates the change bringing time

Hide and Seek – The play of children and Nora – a symbol of deception

or hiding from kids since Nora is leaving them.

Toys - symbolizes the act of pushing the roles onto Nora’s children

Fancy costume - symbolizes Nora’s pretending to enjoy her life

embroidery - symbolizes the stereotypes pressed on woman.

Tarantella - symbolizes Nora’s agitation at her struggle with Krogstad and with her husband

Letter box and letter - symbolizes a trap for Nora and the cause of her demise.

Black hat, black cross and black shawl (or suicide)- symbolizes death (of relations)

Stockings - symbolizes Nora’s attitude trying to please men and her flirting with Rank.

ring - symbolizes the marriage, and the end of it.

Light – bringing from fantasy to reality

Stove – the source of heat

The Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree is a festive object meant to serve a decorative purpose,

In the play it symbolizes Nora’s position in her household as a decorative thing who is pleasing to look at

and adds charm to the home or Nora’s happiness and security in his household. There are several

parallels drawn between Nora and the Christmas tree in the play. Just as Nora instructs the maid to hide it

until it has been decorated given a glimpse of house hold joy associated with Christmas. It establishes both

the time of the year and Nora’s involvement in her family’s well-being. After Krogstad leaves giving a threat to

Nora, she orders the maid to bring the tree and place it in the middle of the room indicating sense of

security. While decorating it she feels joy and forgets the threat. Two.

Also, at the beginning of the second act, after Nora’s psychological condition has begun to erode, the tree is no longer in the center of the room and is "stripped of ornament." by "burned-down candle stubs on its ragged branches. A very different mood is projected through the altered look of the

Christmas tree, indicating that she is correspondingly “dishevelled.” It is described as standing bare in the

corner, stripped off its ornaments and its candle burnt out suggest her fear and anxiety concerning

security of her marriage.

New Year’s Day

The action of the play is set at Christmastime, and Nora and Torvald both look forward to New Year’s as the

start of a new, happier phase in their lives. In the new year, Torvald will start his new job, and he

anticipates with excitement the extra money and admiration the job will bring him. Nora also looks forward to

Torvald’s new job, because she will finally be able to repay her secret debt to Krogstad. By the end of the

play, however, the nature of the new start that New Year’s represents for Torvald and Nora has changed

dramatically. They both must become new person and face radically changed ways of living. Hence, the

new year comes to mark the beginning of a truly new and different period in both their lives and their

personalities.

Macaroons

They symbolized Nora’s deceit to her husband. Her surreptitious eating of macaroons is a minor deceit suggestive of the child at the cookie jar. This motif will change from playful to serious as we learn of the secret self-sacrifice our "little spendthrift" has indulged in to raise money for a costly extended trip to warmer climes beneficial for her husband's health.

Toys

Nora’s selections of Christmas gifts for her kids are ‘a sword and a horse for her male children and a doll

for her daughter’ shows that she reinforces the stereotypical gender roles that hold her in subservience to

Torvald. Nora sees her daughter the same way she has likely been treated all of her life—as a doll.

Letters

The plot’s twists and turns depend upon the writing and reading of letters, which function within the play as the

subtext that reveals the true, unpleasant nature of situations obscured by Torvald and Nora’s efforts at

beautification. Krogstad writes two letters: the first reveals Nora’s crime of forgery to Torvald; the second

retracts his blackmail threat and returns Nora’s promissory note.

The first letter, which Krogstad places in Torvald’s letterbox near the end of Act Two, represents the truth

about Nora’s past and initiates the inevitable dissolution of her marriage—as Nora says immediately after

Krogstad leaves it, “We are lost.” Nora’s attempts to stall/delay Torvald from reading the letter represent her

continued denial of the true nature of her marriage.

The second letter releases Nora from her obligation to Krogstad. Retracting his threats and enclosing her

bond, initiates her release from her obligation to Torvald. Upon reading it, Torvald attempts to return to his and

Nora’s previous denial of reality,

But Nora recognizes that the letters have done more than expose her actions to Torvald; they have exposed

the truth about Torvald’s selfishness, and she can no longer participate in the illusion of a happy marriage

and released her from a illusionary relationship.

Dr. Rank’s method of communicating his imminent death is to leave his calling or visiting card marked with a

black cross in Torvald’s letterbox. In an earlier conversation with Nora, Dr. Rank reveals his understanding of

Torvald’s unwillingness to accept reality when he proclaims, “Torvald is so fastidious, he cannot face up to

-anything ugly.” By leaving his calling card as a death notice, Dr. Rank politely attempts to keep Torvald from

the “ugly” truth. Other letters include Mrs. Linde’s note to Krogstad, which initiates her -life-changing

meeting with him, and Torvald’s letter of dismissal to Krogstad.

The locked letterbox indicates Nora’s restriction in his house and the child-like treatment of Torvald towards her.She is even not allowed to access the mail. In those times, women did not even possess a

key to the family mailbox. They had only hairpins that were insufficient to the task of turning a lock's tumblers.

Light

Light is used to illustrate Nora's personal journey. After the turning point of Torvald's claim to want to take everything upon himself and During the scene while Nora is talking to Dr. Rank, the light begins to grow dark/ the stage lighting has gradually dimmed symbolizing a deed of darkness for an objectionable proceeding of declaration of love.Though just as Nora sinks to new levels of manipulation which is off course not in keeping with a romantic situation.

When Dr. Rank reveals his affection, Nora is jolted out of this fantasy world into reality and insists on bringing a lamp into the room, she is symbolically trying to break the intimacy and the declaration of love Rank is about to make telling the doctor that he must feel silly saying such things with the light on. To receive financial assistance from the dying doctor would be to prostitute herself and to make Rank into the rich old man she fantasizes about in conversation with Mrs. Linde - a man beguiled by her charm and beauty who would at death bequeath to her his vast fortune.

Even in Act III Nora strikes a match to lit Dr. Rank’s cigar for the fact that Nora has been the only light in his gloomy existence .He had always found her company to be source of comfort While lighting, she wishes him to sleep well tells him to wish her the same, indicates that she is giving him the hint (bringing him to light) that she is also committing suicide. Light, enlightenment, and shedding light on something all function as metaphors or idioms for understanding.

Stove

Fire is an instinctive physical remedy for a nervous discomfort. The stove is a conventional source of heat in Nora’s emotion. As Krogstad goes to Helmer’s study to have a talk, the significance of stove includes emotional as well as physical warmth.

As she closesthe door behind Krogstad has gone ,she “sees the stove” reveals her agitated state of mind.

Similarly when Dr. Rank has declare his love for her she seeks mental disturbance caused by unexpected declaration of his love inhibiting his plan to ask him for money.

Costume and Dress

The traditional post-Christmas costume party objectifies the marriage masquerade the Helmers have been living. Nora's costume emphasizes the romantic illusion she he has been presenting to her husband, but the fun and games are ending. Nora's ambroidered fancy dress for the party symbolizes the pretense or the mask she plays to pretend her marriage to Torvald as successful. The ambroidery refers the stereotypes pressed on woman. She gets it mend for his

reputation in society symbolizes that she is maintaining a pretension of her happy marriage. She tells Torvald that no one can see her in her dress until the evening of the dance. . Just as the Christmas tree cannot be "unveiled" until it is in its full splendor, Nora wishes to remain undercover until she has had the opportunity to "decorate" herself. Nora is supposed to be wearing it at the Christmas ball in neighbour’s party for Tarentalla dance on Torvald’s wish. It could be noticed that when she leaves Torvald in the last act, she puts the black shawl (with an intention of death) ready to rushout of the house. But after the releasing letter from Krogstad, observing Torvald reaction before and after the letter, she first changes into different clothes and then she had an open discussion with Torvald in a serious and realistic way, which suggests that she has uncovered the mask of fancy dress Now she is a new and changed woman, she is not going to be his doll now.

The Shawls:

When Nora rehearses the Tarantella (which is a dance of life and death), she is wearing a long, multi-coloured shawl, represents a desire to cling to the many delights of life in the midst of the Tarantella. But for the actual performance of the Tarantella at the party she wears a big black shawl over her fancy-dress. By contrast, the black shawl symbolizes Nora’s death-wish. (she had already made up her mind at the end of Act II to put an end to her life after the fancy-dress ball, and she had said at that time that there were only thirty-one hours more for her to live).This difference is of crucial significance. When afterwards it seems to Nora that Torvald would take upon himself the blame for her guilty action, she picks up the black shawl and gets ready to rush out of the house in order to commit suicide(death to relation with him) in order to save his reputation.

Stockings

- symbolizes attitude trying to to delight and beguile males. In the scene involving Dr. Rank and Nora's silk stockings, Nora realizes the extent to which she has utilized flirtation and sexuality in order to get what she wants or merely Implicit in this realization is the role of females in society. Women in general were denied rights and subjected to laws made by men. Their purpose in life was to cook, sew, bear children and, if so gifted with beauty and wit, to be attractive arm-candy to their men, who voted, made the rules, and operated the mechanisms of society.

The tarantella:

The tarantella is an Italian dance that was traditionally performed by those who had been stung by the tarantulla, a poisonous spider.. The spider's bite was believed to cause tarantism, an uncontrollable urge to dance ever faster and more frenziedlyas it is becomes a wild dance of life and death for them.

Nora had learnt the dance from Torvald while her visit to Italy. She performs the dance at the neighbour's holiday party on Christmas. . She rehearses it throughout the play, using its intense music at times to delay Torvald’s mind off the letters, and other times to play the dutiful doll to her doting husband. The rapid movements of the dance by Nora shows the increasing torment of her soul and frantic struggle against her fate. Nora’s dancing heightens the pathos and the irony of her situation. The frantic movements of Nora described truly by Torvald as,

"Nora, darling, you're dancing as if your life depended on it!" (Act II)Also proved in her own words as,

“Five O clock. ……….Then the tarantella will be over. Thirty one hours to live.”(Act II)

means that she would live there until 31 hours of distress/torment, then death of her relations.

The symbolic imagery of Doors:

Even the many references to doors opening and closing in the play have a symbolic purpose. The play begins with a door opening, and it ends with a door slammed shut. The imagery of the doors throughout relates to theme of caged/prisoned and free animals. It relates to open possibilities and to closed possibilities; it relates to the possibility of change and the impossibility of change; it relates to a sense of choice made freely and it relates to choices determined by heredity and by social compulsions.

Nora walks out on husband and children to find and assert her humanity. One wonders if Ibsen was aware that his final stage direction, the sound of a door slamming shut, would come to symbolize the closing of 19th century beliefs and the birth of Modernism.

Conclusion

Refusing to be considered a feminist, Ibsen nevertheless expressed his view of a double-standard society. As he once forced a female character in an earlier play, The Pillars of Society, to cry out, "Your society is a society of bachelor-souls!", he seems to have personified this male-oriented viewpoint by creating Torvald Helmer.

A Doll's House's theme of secession from society was made to be critical of society's view on women and marriage. Ibsen used Nora's secessions as an example to illustrate that society's expectations of a woman's role in society and marriage were incorrect. Her decision to leave was the exclamation point on his critical view of society.

It is quite impossible, however, to write a whole play with such a specific problem in mind. As characters and situations are formed by the dramatist's imagination, a more general, abstract thesis develops, with the specific problem becoming only a part of the whole.

Thus A Doll's House questions the entire fabric of marital relationships, investigates the development of self-awareness in character, and eventually indicts all the false values of contemporary society which denies the worth of individual personality.

INTRODUCTION

A Doll's House was published on December 4, 1879, and first performed in Copenhagen on December 21, 1879. The work was considered a publishing event and the play's initial printing of 8,000 copies quickly sold out. Ibsen believed that women were best suited to be mothers and wives, but at the same time, he had an eye for injustice and Helmer's demeaning treatment of Nora was a common problem. Although he would later be embraced by feminists, Ibsen was no champion of women's rights; he only dealt with the problem of women's rights as a facet of the realism within his play. His intention was not to solve this issue but to illuminate it.

In his notes for A Doll's House, Ibsen writes that the background of his projected drama "is an exclusively masculine society with laws written by men and with prosecutors and judges who regard feminine conduct from a masculine point of view." Since a woman is allegedly motivated out of love for her husband and children, it is unthinkable to her that laws can forbid acts inspired by affection, let alone punish their infraction.

Although Ibsen's depiction of Nora realistically illustrates the issues facing women, his decision in Act III to have her abandon her marriage and children was lambasted by critics as unrealistic, since, according to them, no "real" woman would ever make that choice. That Ibsen offered no real solution to Nora's dilemma inflamed critics and readers alike who were then left to debate the ending ceaselessly.

The play was so controversial that Ibsen was forced to write a second ending that he called "a barbaric outrage" to be used only when necessary. The controversy centered around Nora's decision to abandon her children, and in the second ending she decides that the children need her more than she needs her freedom.

This play established a new genre of modern drama; prior to A Doll's House, contemporary plays were usually historical romances or contrived comedy of manners. Ibsen is known as the "father of modern drama" because he elevated theatre from entertainment to a forum for exposing social problems. Ibsen broke away from the romantic tradition with his realistic portrayals of individual characters and his focus on psychological concerns as he sought to portray the real world, especially the position of women in society.

Dialogue is well used to show that the ways that men viewed women, were sometimes the same and sometimes different to how women viewed themselves. Attitudes to women are cleverly illustrated in relation to their sacrifices, financial dependence, marriage and treatment as possessions.

Koht commented“It has been noted that Ibsen's text of A Doll's House has no wasted

dialogue and that every character, every line, has a purpose”

So,

Let’s explore the themes, the symbols and the motifs of Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House"

References

Review – An Enemy of the People by Henrick Ibsen A Potted Biography of Henrik Ibsen by Hedda Gabler Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Project Gutenberg, 2008. Web. 18 May. 2010 Davidoff, Leonore, and Catherine Hall. Family Fortunes: Men and Women of the English

Middle Class 1750-1850. London: Routledge, 1987

Tornqvist, Egel. "Comparative Stage Semiotics: The End of Ibsen's 'A Doll's House .'" Theatre Research International vol.19 no. 2 p. 156-164

Davis, James. "Bloom, Madden Shine in FIne 'Doll's House.'" The Daily News. January 14, 1971.

Atkinson, Brooks. "Review of 'A Doll's House' by Henrik Ibsen. The New York Times December 29. 1937. 28:6.

Bradbrook, M.C. Ibsen the Norwegian. Hamden: Archon Books, 1966.

Ackerman, Gretchen Ibsen and the English Stage 1889-1903. New York and London: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1987.

http://www.gradesaver.com/a-dolls-house/study-guide/major-themes

w.novelguide.com/adoll'shouse/themeanalysis.html http://ww http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=28983 Theme Analysis of "A Doll's House"

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/A-Doll-s-House-Critical-Essays-Theme-of-A-Doll-s-House.id-80,pageNum-81.html

Critical Essays Theme of A Doll's House

www.bookrags.com

A Doll’s House Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906summarycentral.tripod.com/adollshouse.htm -

A DOLL'S HOUSE: AN ILLUSTRATION OF SYMBOLISM

An analysis of the symbolism in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House"

www.theatrehistory.com/misc/henrik_ibsen_003.html

CRITIQUE

1)Parallels in A Doll's House

William L. Urban (department.monm.edu/classics/speel_festschrift/urban.htm)

http://summarycentral.tripod.com/adollshouse.htm

Symbols in A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen

www.helium.com/items/1143100-a-look-at-symbolism-in-ibsens-a-doll-house

1) by Kerry Michael Wood

2) by Farhan Mandani

3) by Krystle Hernandez

4) by Andrew Ravenscroft

Torvald and Nora in the 1922 Film, A Dolls House – Doctormacro

The roles of women in nineteenth century society are highlighted by the portrayal of Nora Helmer, the main character

in Henrik Ibsen's play,

“A Doll's House”

1

A DOLL'S HOUSE by Henrik Ibsen In a new version by Frank McGuinness

The roles of women in nineteenth century society are highlighted by the portrayal of Nora Helmer, the main character

in

Henrik Ibsen's play,

“A Doll's House”