Nora Helmer: Transformation from a Doll into an Adult

Nora Helmer: Transformation from a Doll into an Adult In 1862, Henrik Ibsen left for the docks in Christiania. The young man considered himself a complete failure; none of his plays were successful. Disappointed by this, Ibsen, with his family, boarded a ship and left Norway, metaphorically slamming the door behind him. Fifteen years later a similarly disappointed Nora Helmer would slam the door on stage at the end of A Doll's House. Humans learn from their experiences and observations of everyday life; it makes them mature and become more self-aware about the nature of their lives; this is called self-discovery. This idea is presented in the play, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, through several characters, but this idea is most evident in the character development of the protagonist Nora Helmer. In this play, the character of Nora Helmer is consistently developed by her actions and speech, as her character undergoes the transition from a “doll” to an adult. At the beginning of the play, Nora is presented as an ideal housewife who is very carefree. She has no identity, she simply follows the role that the society has taught her to play. Nora is also shown to partake in childlike acts such as lying to her husband about the macaroons. Additionally, Nora does not mind her husband calling her nicknames such as “little squirrel” or “little lark” because she accepts

  • Word count: 809
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The following essay will critically analyse a passage from the play "A Dolls House" by Henrik Ibsen.

A Doll's House The following essay will critically analyse a passage from the play "A Dolls House" by Henrik Ibsen. Between the pages 222 and 225 there seems to be shift in the plot, as Nora takes a different attitude towards her and Helmer's relationship. All of a sudden instead of trying to preserve it, she wishes to leave the house. It could be argued that her radical change in mind is not irrational or unprovoked. Before she starts getting changed to leave, Helmer had just finished forgiving her, for he had received and read Krogstad's second letter which included the forged document, but prior to this he had basically told her that he could no longer love her: Helmer: "...Oh, to think that I should have to say this to someone I've loved so much-someone I still .... Well, that's all over now-it must be;" Then spontaneously he starts forgiving her as he had received the second letter, everything else he had told her before was forgotten. It is very cold of him to go from one thing to another, hence it cannot possibly be believed that his feelings are true for Nora. People do not love a person one moment, and then deny them it, or vise versa. Nora's reason for leaving, as she explains, is that she feels he doesn't love her: Nora: "You've never loved me, you've only found it pleasant to be in love with me." As well as her taking no part in family decisions or even

  • Word count: 786
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Dolls House - Plot & Subplot.

A Dolls House - Plot & Subplot A Dolls house is a play from 19th century Norway about the awakening of a housewife from her unfulfilled life of domestic comfort. Living her life as if in a 'dolls house' Nora has been manipulated and controlled all her life by first her father and then her husband, yet she must think for herself and question all her beliefs when her marriage is put to the test, when her past comes back to haunt her. Having taken a loan to save her husbands life behind his back and forging her deceased fathers signature in the process, all her life is put at risk when the dishonest man she loaned the money from, Krogstad begins to blackmail her. The play opens on Christmas Eve with Nora just returning from Christmas shopping. Torvald has just received a promotion and will become manager of the bank for the New Year. Nora is eagerly anticipating his pay rise and begins persuading him to lend her some more money. She intends to use this to pay off the last of her loan. When Torvald expresses some concern that Nora is spending the money to soon she suggests that they could always borrow some. This leads to the first key moment in the play. Torvald is a proud man and is strongly against getting into debt. He is very proud of the fact that he has never been in debt and you realise the situation Nora is in having gone behind his back and putting their family in

  • Word count: 785
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House - short review

In Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House, Torvald and his wife, Nora, live a middle class, conservative life with three children. Nora stays at home while Torvald works as a manager at a bank. Previously, when Torvald was sick, Nora forged her father's signature on a bond to receive money for a trip to Italy so Torvald could recover. Only Nils Krogstad, another man at the bank, and Nora's best friend, Linde, know about her terrible secret. Linde and Krogstad have also failed in society like Nora: Krogstad has performed the same act of forgery, and Linde had to work to support her family while most women stayed at home. Nora and Torvald succeed in society but their relationship fails. Ironically, Krogstad and Linde maintain a true relationship although they are both failures. They are able to be honest with each other, converse seriously, and have both been wronged by society. Therefore, they are already exposed to criticism of the world. Krogstad and Linde are able to be honest with each other while Nora and Torvald are not. Although Krogstad committed a serious crime and Linde was forced to work to support her family, both of these burdens have already been removed from them. Therefore, they are able to be open because they have no secrets left to conceal. Linde tells Krogstad she believes they must "have a complete understanding [...] which is impossible with [...] concealment

  • Word count: 781
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Doll’s House.

A DOLL'S HOUSE Mark Tiberio December 19, 2003 English 20 IB Mrs. Cant Period 4 550 words A DOLL'S HOUSE Above all else, one is responsible to themselves. An individual alone can determine whether their actions are justified. In Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House the protagonist, Nora, is forced to make a crucial decision which will not only alter her life forever but, the life of her husband and children as well. Nora decides to leave her family to search for the truth. When an individual makes such a life changing decision it can not be taken lightly. In the end, however, the decision has to be based on what the person feels, not the obligations they have towards others. When a person experiences an epiphany, they frequently resort to radical , but often necessary actions. Comforts can often blind someone from the truth. When you get use to having something, you often begin to take it for granted. This is true in Nora's case. She never seems to leave the house. Everything comes to her. She is literally trapped in domestic comfort. Nora gets so use to her life, living in her "Doll's House", that she eventually loses touch with the outside world and consequently, reality. When Torvald chastises Nora for her lies as opposed to embracing and protecting her, she finally notices that she is being confined, that she is not truly loved. Nora recognizes that she has lost sight of

  • Word count: 770
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"A Doll's House" Henryk Ibsen.

Question 1) The relationship between Nora and Torvald is a strange one by our standards but when the play was written it would have been quite usual. In the beginning of the play it seems to be an almost childish relationship in the sense that he uses words like scamper and fritter and calls Nora Squirrel and little bird. He also sees her as childlike and defenceless, a view held by men about women then. He blames women for the morality of the children and for the purity of the world through their influence in the home. She plays along with his games and is a loving wife although later we learn she has an ulterior motive. Nora and Torvald both fell in love with the conceptions of each other, not their real selves. It turns out to be money that drives the relationship especially in Nora's case as she was constantly trying to get money and wishing for a richer lifestyle. It is not an equal relation ship as seen in an idyllic world because Torvald does not see Nora as a equal but as a lesser being, a role to which Nora submits to. Question 2) In the dialogue when Nora plays flirtatiously with Dr Rank we can see her character in more depth and see potential flaws. We can see that she has no regard for others and is only interested in having fun and enjoying life. This is because she has such a sheltered home lifestyle in which she cannot fully accept the reality of the outside

  • Word count: 760
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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What do the lingulstic features of Nora and Torvald's dialogue in the opening scene suggest to the audience about their individual personalities and relationship?

The first few pages of a book are very important because they set the scene; we make our first interpretations of the characters and what might happen. From the opening scene of "A Doll's House" we start to learn about Torvald and Nora's individual personalities and relationship. We can interpret this by the linguistic features in their dialogue. Nora is a very generous person. This is shown within the first few lines, "How much?" "A shilling" "Here's a pound. No, keep it." But this also shows she isn't very sensible when it comes to the true value of money. When Torvald questioned her about paying back a loan if he were to die, she replied, "Them? Who cares about them? They're strangers." The sentence structure is broken down by exclamation marks to put across how naïve Nora is. Nora is also very childish; the language used portrays this. Henrik Ibsen uses lexis to do this. "Pooh, we can borrow till then." Her attitude also comes across as very childish, without consideration to what might happen. "Come out here, Torvald, and see what I've bought." The sentence structure and use of punctuation shows how excited Nora is about the gifts she has bought for the children; this is another example of her childishness. From the opening scene we can tell Nora is quite deceitful; but not as much as further in the play. For example, the macaroons being hidden from Torvald, "(Pops

  • Word count: 748
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Barbie Dolls: Is Their Slim And Fashionable Imagery Good For Children?

Barbie Dolls: Is Their Slim And Fashionable Imagery Good For Children? Barbie dolls have been around for decades and have been some of the most popular dolls around. Young girls, and indeed boys, often enjoy playing make believe with their newest set of dolls. Always wanting the newest and most fashionable doll, the question must be asked, what comes of these dolls, and what affect do these dolls' fashionable and stylish 'lifestyles' have on children? Ruth Handler was the creator of the Barbie doll. She noted that her daughter enjoyed playing with adult paper dolls rather than children. When in Europe, Ruth found a doll called Lilli, which was originally made for adult usage. Ignoring the original purpose, Ruth bought the rights to the doll, changed its name and its hair-do, and thus 'Barbie' was born. This truth is that nobody wants to play with an ugly doll. The Barbie doll has always had its slim and 'beautiful' image as this defines what it was and what it stands for. It can be seen as the epitome of style for young children and making them obese or changing them into educational tools, will in turn ruin its whole point. The dolls are also made as a collectable item, and if their image is destroyed, and made to represent something that is not generally nice to look at, then their purpose as a collectable item is too ruined. Moreover, if children want to play with dolls

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Analysis of Act 3 For most of the play, we see Torvald delighting in Nora's dependence upon him but not in his control

Analysis of Act 3 For most of the play, we see Torvald delighting in Nora's dependence upon him but not in his control over her, but as the play progresses the side of Torvald we see is more pushover than dictator. In the scene following the party, Torvald's enjoyment of his control over Nora takes on a darker tone. 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." 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, especially since, after learning of Dr. Rank's imminent death, 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. 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

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Doll's House : Torvald's Use of Language

Torvald's Use of Language Torvald uses his language to show the audience that he treats Nora as a doll and to explain that he is in control. His thoughts and movements are her thoughts and movements, as she is purely a puppet who is dependant upon her puppet-master, Torvald. Torvald's language also shows his physical attraction over Nora, when he is teaching her the tarantella. After he teaches her the dance, he proclaims, "when you were dancing the tarantella, chasing, inviting, my blood was on fire; I couldn't stand it any longer, that's why I brought you down so early". Nora then says, "Leave me now, Torvald. Please! I don't want all this". Torvald then continues to way, "What do you mean? You're only playing your little teasing bird game with me; aren't you Nora? Don't want to? I'm your husband, aren't I?" The conversation between Torvald and Nora shows how there relationship is built on lust and physical attraction rather than love. Furthermore, the formality in which he speaks and his use of language all contributes to his character. His formality of speech when talking to Nora helps to show his feelings of a higher status than Nora. He shows his higher status above Nora on other occasions, for example, when Nora asks him, "What are all those papers"? He merely answers, "Bank business". By not explaining he is showing that her status is not high enough to

  • Word count: 674
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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