Essay about The Rebellion of Nora in Ibsens A Dolls House

The Rebellion of Nora in A Dolls House A Dolls House, by Henrik Ibsen, was written during a time when the role of woman was that of comforter, helper, and supporter of man. The play generated great controversy due to the fact that it featured a female protagonist seeking individuality. A Dolls House was one of the first plays to introduce woman as having her own purposes and goals. The heroine, Nora Helmer, progresses during the course of the play eventually to realize that she must discontinue the role of a doll and seek out her individuality. David Thomas describes the initial image of Nora as that of a doll wife who revels in the thought of luxuries that can now be afforded, who is become with flirtation, and engages†¦show more content†¦The mere fact that Noras well-intentioned action is considered illegal reflects womans subordinate position in society; but it is her actions that provide the insight to this position. It can be suggested that women have the power to choose which rules to follow at home, but not in the business world, thus again indicating her subordinateness. Nora does not at first realize that the rules outside the household apply to her. This is evident in Noras meeting with Krogstad regarding her borrowed money. In her opinion it was no crime for a woman to do everything possible to save her husbands life. She also believes that her act will be overlooked because of her desperate situation. She fails to see that the law does not take into account the motivation behind her forgery. Marianne Sturman submits that this meeting with Krogstad was her first confrontation with the reality of a lawful society and she deals with it by attempting to distract herself with her Christmas decorations (Sturman 16). Thus her first encounter with rules outside of her dolls house results in the realization of her naivety and inexperience with the real world due to her subordinate role in society. The character of Nora is not only important in describing to role of women, but also in emphasizing the impact of this role on a woman. Noras child-like manner, evident through her minor acts of disobedience andShow MoreRelatedNora Helmer versus Hedda Gabler in Male Dominated Society Essay1101 Words   |  5 PagesHenrik Ibsen’s stories of Hedda Gabler and A Doll House, we witness examples of a single individual against the overwhelming society. Nora left her family and marriage behind to become an independent individual without the control of men; whereas, Hedda Gabler choose death as her ultimate solution when she was threatened to be control by man. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House was written in 1879 in a style of realism, which depicted life more truthfully without idealized literary elements. A Doll’s House conveysRead MoreA Doll s House By Henrik Ibsen1293 Words   |  6 Pages1879 A Doll’s House by Norwegian author Henrik Ibsen was banned throughout Britain as it challenged ideologies specific to those of Europe during the late nineteenth century. The drama presents itself as a social commentary by provoking the conservative ideals of the role of women and marriage. In the twenty-first century the performance stands harmless. Contrariwise, women of the Victorian age were seen as childlike and subservient, which resulted in much controversy surrounding Ibsen’s modern ideasRead MoreHerik Ibsen: Father of Modern Drama1459 Words   |  6 Pagespositions in society, meaning they were kings or aristocrats. The conflicts in these plays usually involved a hero’s mission, and therefore, they were ha rder to connect to in a personal level (Saleh). Yet all was bound to change when a large wave of rebellions hit Europe. Due to the Revolutions of 1848  in Europe, the public began to demand their governments political, economic, and social reforms. The people were looking for a more representative government that would not condemn people based on theirRead MoreA Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen Essay961 Words   |  4 PagesIn Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, pointedly captures the reality of the Victorian Era within the play. Nora Helmer, the protagonist of the story, represents the typical women in society during that era. The audience’s first impression of Nora is a money obsessed, childish, obedient house wife to her husband, Torvald Helmer. However, as the play progresses one can see that Nora is far from being that typical ideal trophy wife, she is an impulsive liar who goes against society’s norm to be whomRead MoreRebellion Against Society in Ibsens A Dolls House Essay677 Words   |  3 PagesRebellion Against Society in A Dolls House      Ã‚  Ã‚  An underlying theme in A Dolls House, by Henrik Ibsen, is the rebellion against social expectations to follow what one believes in their heart. This theme is demonstrated as several of the plays characters break away from the social norms of their time and act on their own beliefs. No one character demonstrates this better than Nora.   Nora rebels against social expectations, first by breaking the law, and later by taking the drastic step ofRead MoreComparison of A Dolls House and Antigone1248 Words   |  5 Pages --Excerpt from ‘The Empowered Woman’ by Sonny Carroll In my mind, Sonny Carroll’s poem perfectly represents what an empowered woman should be; firm, determined and able to stand on her own feet. The characters of Nora and Antigone, from Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ and Sophocles’ ‘Antigone’ respectively, completely fit my description of ‘the empowered woman’. As inspiring figures, they left me wondering how they maintained their identities even in their patriarchal societies. What touchedRead MorePet Names and Belittlement: Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House1329 Words   |  6 PagesIn a dolls house, Ibsen has combined several characters with diverse personal qualities and used them to develop the story line as well as bring to life the major themes and issues that the plot is meant to address. Primarily there are two types of characters who can be categorized as static and dynamic, the static characters remain the same form the start to the end of a story and despite the e vents taking place around them, and they do not change their perception or altitudes. These types of charactersRead MoreA Doll’s House and Top Girls2459 Words   |  10 Pagesof A Doll’s House and Top Girls Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls both are a pillar of critical writing about the society they were originally produced in and have a central theme of the oppression of women, which makes them great sources of feminist reviews. Although Ibsen â€Å"abandoned the concept that the play was about gender roles† (Urban, 1997), the central question is beyond the original context within which the plays were produced and received. A Doll’s House canRead MoreHenrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House1433 Words   |  6 Pagesdramas, A Doll’s House and Death of a Salesman societal appearance’s stands above all else. Henrick Ibsens A Dolls House embarks on the gender fitting and domesticity of the Victorian Era at its worse as Nora Helmers unrealistic marriage falls within her grasps, leading to rebellion. Arthur Miller, on the other hand, sets forth the tragedy of the common man through the tragic hero of Willy Loma n and the â€Å"American Dream† in Death of a Salesman (Shmoop Editorial Team 4). In comparison, Nora and WillyRead MoreA Dolls House and the House of Bernarda Alba Essay1111 Words   |  5 PagesFederico Garcia Lorcas â€Å"The House of Bernarda Alba† and Henrik Ibsens â€Å"A Dolls House† both protest against the confinement of women of their days. Although the Houses are set differently in Spain of 20th century and Norway of 19th century respectively, both the plays relate in illuminating their respective female protagonists, Adela and Nora, as they eventually develop a sense of individuality and self-expression and emerge as free individuals from repression. The authors’ attempts allow the reader