Animal Symbolism in A Doll's House and The Metamorphosis

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Animal Symbolism and its Symbolical Use in A Doll’s House and

The Metamorphosis

Ashwin Betrabet

IB Junior Literature

Mrs. Marciniak

May 23, 2006

In Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, and Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, animal symbolism is used to describe the protagonists and their relationships within their families.  However, both authors use animal symbolism in different methods to exemplify these relationships; while Ibsen uses nicknames to describe Torvald’s condescending view of Nora, Kafka uses a transformation to show how Gregor has turned into the person he is inside.  Both authors use these methods to clearly demonstrate the characters’ personalities and characteristics, they way they are viewed by their loved ones, and how they interact with other people.

In A Doll’s House, we get a clear picture of Nora’s daughter-father relationship with her husband, Torvald, through the use of belittling animal nicknames, which he seems to think suit her.  Throughout the play, we find Nora acting like a child; she secretly takes macaroons, she constantly begs Torvald for money, and she shows off to her friend, Kristine Linde.  These are characteristics typically seen in children, and Torvald exemplifies these characteristics in her by calling her nicknames such as “my little skylark,” (Ibsen 1), and “my little squirrel,” (Ibsen 2).  In The Metamorphosis, Kafka uses a transformation to reveal Gregor’s personality.  In the beginning of the story, we find Gregor waking up in bed as a cockroach.  Gregor locked himself in his room the previous night, indicating that he has a cowardly nature, as do insects.  When the chief clerk from Gregor’s work comes to talk to him, we find out that his work ethics are poor, indicating that he is lazy.  “For some time past your work has been most unsatisfactory.” (Kafka 77).  Since he still lives with his parents, we can assume that he is not able to look after himself, although he is the breadwinner of the family; though he is supplying his family with an income, he is not able to stand on his own two feet and live in a house of his own while supporting his family.  Gregor expresses his discontent with his job and his lifestyle when he says "If I didn't have to hold my hand because of my parents I'd have given notice long ago," (Kafka 68-69).  In these ways, the characteristics of Nora and Gregor are revealed through the use of animal symbolism.

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Animal symbolism is also used to illustrate the relationships between the protagonists and their families.  By calling Nora by affectionately belittling names, Torvald 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 after he finds out that she illegally borrowed money from Krogstad. When he is greeting or adoring her, however, he calls her by childish animal nicknames, such as “skylark” and “my little song-bird,” (Ibsen 31).  By using such diminutive names, Torvald not only asserts his power over Nora but also dehumanizes her ...

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