A Dolls House

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Doll 's House

The thesis of this is to examine two elements from Ibsen 's A Doll 's House

The symbol of the macaroon , which Nora hides from her husband Torvald is a symbol of Nora 's secret life from her husband . Torvald has told Nora that the macaroons are bad for her , plus the damage they cause on her teeth . The fact that Nora caches the treat when her husband is present symbolizes that Nora hides things from Torvald . The

macaroon is not the only thing she hides from him . She also hides the money she gets from him spending not the entire amount on the item she requested the money for but on paying off a debt . In the play , the symbol of the macaroon suggests that Nora is an independent woman , having a life outside of the house away from her husband a life she feels necessary to have and quite necessary to keep hidden from Torvald . Ibsen reveals this secret identity of Nora at the end or climax of the play in a dialogue between Nora and Torvald

Maybe . But you neither think nor talk like the man I could bind myself to . As soon as your fear was over-and it was not fear for what threatened me , but for what might happen to you-when the whole things was past , as far as you were concerned it was exactly as if nothing at all had happened . Exactly as before , I was your little skylark , your doll , which you would in future treat with doubly gently care , because it was so brittle and fragile . Torvald-it was then it dawned upon me that for eight years I had been living here with a strange man , and had borne him three children--- . Oh , I cannot bear to think of it ! I could tear myself into little bits ! Ah , Torvald , the most wonderful thing of all would have to happen (Ibsen 71-72

Another symbol of the play which Ibsen utilizes is the tarantella dance . In this symbol the reader may see how Nora is a by-product in the society in which she is living . Nora indulges her husband in doing the tarantella dance for him , but it is not done out of her desire to do the dance . Thus , in doing the dance , Nora is playing the role of Helmer 's doll , his puppet . When Nora does do the dance , it is a symbol of her own life the constant spinning , the needless ruffling of her petticoats , until the dance cannot go on anymore because the dancer is too exhausted . Thus , in every way the dance is the dance of Nora 's life as Torvald 's wife : she must be in constant motion , and then at the end of the play , she cannot bear to spin any more and leaves her husband

Modern drama juxtaposes a character 's dwindling faith in themselves and reality . The playwright 's tragic heroes have survived...