Another example of this is at the beginning of the play when Nora brings a Christmas tree home, which is a symbol of a festival concentrating upon the renewal of life and family happiness. This is decorated and in the centre of the room and Nora’s attention until the mood of the play changes and the tree is placed in the corner stripped and candles burnt to their sockets. This represents how Nora dresses up her marriage like she dressed the tree up but eventually all is revealed.
The sweet macaroon biscuits that Nora conceals from Helmer reveal her childlike attitude because this shows that she has the capability to deceive and delight in secret rebelliousness against Helmer’s parental authority over her. An example of this is on page 27 “(wags his finger). Has my little sweet-tooth been indulging herself in town today, by any chance?” just this sentence on its own shows who’s in charge in the relationship and how Helmer sees his wife.
When Nora rehearses the tarantella she is wearing a long multicoloured shawl with feathers on which reinforces the fact that Helmer called her a songbird. But for the actual performance at the party she wears a long black shawl. Such differences are of crucial significance in the play. The colourful shawl would seem to embody a desire to cling to the many delights of life in the midst of the Dance of Life and Death that is the tarantella. By contrast the black shawl conceals the colourful Italian fancy dress costume proving her falseness.
The lighting in the play is also used to show reality and hidden significant purposes that aren’t easy to notice if one is simply reading the script such as when a character is hiding something the lighting becomes dull.
Language
"A Doll's House", serves as an example of the kind of issue-based drama that distinguishes Ibsen from many of his contemporaries. The play's dialogue is not poetic, but very naturalistic, and the characters are recognisable people. Given the sense of modernity that the play possesses it seems unusual to compare it to another 19th century plays. The play has no violence and it’s very simple its action is based on everyday life with many examples of dramatic irony
Contextualising the Play
This play focuses on the way that women are seen, especially in the context of marriage and motherhood. Torvald, in particular, has a very clear and narrow definition of a woman's role. He believes that it is the sacred duty of a woman to be a good wife and mother. Moreover, he tells Nora that women are responsible for the morality of their children. In essence, he sees women child-like, helpless creatures. The perception of manliness is also discussed, though in a much more subtle way. Nora's description of Torvald suggests that she is partially aware of the lies inherent in the male role as much as that of the female. Torvald's conception of manliness is based on the value of total independence. He hates the idea of financial or moral dependence on anyone. Tied to the discussion of men and women are the frequent references to Nora's father. Throughout the play, there are references to Nora's father. Furthermore, Nora is frequently equated with him, from her actions to her disposition. It is suggested that Nora does wish that she were like her father and, taking that further, male. Her desire suggests a deeper understanding of the confinement she faces than might otherwise be apparent. Torvald calls Nora, as a symbol of woman, a number of names throughout the play. These include "little songbird", "squirrel", "lark", "little featherhead", "little skylark", "little person", and "little woman". Torvald is extremely consistent about using the modifier "little" before the names he calls Nora. These are all usually followed by the possessive "my", signalling Torvald's belief that Nora is his. Torvald's chosen names for Nora reveal that he does not see her as an equal by any means; rather, Nora is at times predictable and silly doll and at times a captivating and exotic pet or animal, all created for Torvald.