A Dolls House: Nora Essay -- A Dolls House Essays

AN  ANALYSIS  OF  NORA, THE MEN IN HER LIFE, AND  HER  NAVIGATATION  TO INDEPENDENCE The  play,  A  Doll  House,  written  by  Henrik  Ibsen  in  1879,  is  considered  a   landmark  in  drama  for  its  portrayal  of  realistic  people,  places,  and  situations.  Ibsen   confines  his  story  to  the  middle  class.  He  writes  of  a  society  that  is limited  not only  by  its  means  of  livelihood  but  also  its  outlook.  Ibsen  portrays  his characters    as  preoccupied  with  work  and  money, showing a reduction of values  in  and that lack of quality persons with morals.  Ibsen  takes  this  realistic  story  and  invests  it  with   universal  significance.  Wrapped  up  in  the  technique  of  this  well  constructed   play, Ibsen  is masterful  in  his  presentation  of  not  only  realism,  but he  holds  a  mirror  up   to the  society  of his day by  using  the male  figures  as  catalysts  for  Nora's  ultimate   knowledge  of  self-actualization.  He  accomplishes  this  with  such  precision that  the  audience  might  not  be  aware  all  the  subtleties  that  are  creating  their theatrical  experience.  Ã‚   In  A Doll House,  Nora  forges  the  name  of  her  father  and  risks  damaging  her   husband's  good  name.  Ã‚  Henrik  Ibsen  offers  remarkable  insight  into  the  nineteenth   century  preoccupation  with  the  family  and  the  role  of  the  father, and what role is projected upon those who are subjugated to him.  This  play  takes  up  the  subject  of   strong  women  and  weak  men within the plot. A  prominent  theme  within  this  drama   is  the  deterioration  of  the  male,  who is aware  of  his  role  as  a  "father  figure". This decomposition is observed by the female protagonist (Nora). It is this descent that the role of the father figure is shaped, while creating the  catalyst  for the catharsis or  change  in  Nora.     When  the  female  protagonist  challenges  patriarchal  authority,  she  does  so   by  undermining  in  one  form  or  another  both  the  dominant  male  and  his  family  name. The  following  analysis  focuses  on  Nora's  ultimate  realization  that  she  must  be  an   emancipated  person  to  be  her  true  self.  Her  navigation  through  the  elements  of   crises  are  focused  through  the  father-figures  in  her  life.  The  journey  towards  her   self-actualization  and  rising  freedom  can be found  within  her  relationships  with   the  men  in  her  life.  This  ultimately  identifies  the  relevant  thematic  elements   that  are  pivo... ...he  chooses  instead  to  see   herself  as  someone  in  process,  in  a  state  of  becoming,  rather  than  of having  defined   being.  Nora  discovers  that  because  her  own  signature  had  no  value,  she  had  to  take   the  name  of  the  dead/absent  father. Eventually  realizing  that  she  cannot  escape  the   ghost  or  the  name  of  the  absent  husband/father.  Ã‚   Thus, through Nora’s association and interaction with her father figures she, in a broader sense,  hints  at  the possibility  of  a  new dynamic for the family and society as a whole. A time in which the person, no matter the gender, is allowed to sign for him or herself rather, than use the name of an father. In  A Doll House  Nora  discovers  herself  disenfranchised  and  disembodied  by  her   father's/husband's  name.  This only occurs by virtue of her inner resolve and the inherit flaws Ibsen has given to the male characters of the play. She finally  rejects   both her father and husband  and  affirms her ambition to  write  her  own  destiny. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll House . Drama: A HarperCollins Pocket Anthology. ed. R. S. Gwynn. New York: HarperCollins. 1993. 153-212.