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

ANANALYSISOFNORA, THE MEN IN HER LIFE,ANDHERNAVIGATATIONTO INDEPENDENCE     Theplay,A lady mark,writtenbyHenrikIbsenin1879,isconsideredalandmarkindramaforitsportrayalof graphicpeople,places,andsituations.Ibsenconfineshisstorytothemiddleclass.Hewritesofasocietythatis limitednot onlybyits conveyoflivelihoodbutalsoitsoutlook.Ibsenportrayshis characters aspreoccupiedwithworkandmoney, demo a reduction of valuesinand that lack of quality persons with morals.Ibsentakesthisrealisticstoryandinvestsitwithuniversal bulls eyeificance.Wrappedupinthetechniqueofthis strongconstructed play, Ibsenis masterfulinhispresentationofnotonlyrealism,but heholdsamirrorupto thesocietyof his day by usethe malefiguresascatalystsforNorasultimateknowledgeofself-actualization.Heaccomplishesthiswithsuchpreciseness thattheaudiencemightnotbeaw arallthesubtletiesthatarecreatingtheirtheatricalexperience.     InA Doll House,Noraforgesthenameofher begetterandrisks prejudiciousher m aintainsgoodname.HenrikIbsenoffersremarkableinsightintothenineteenthcenturypreoccupationwiththefamilyandthe exerciseofthefather, and what role is projected upon those who are subjugated to him.Thisplaytakesupthe strung-outofstrongwomenandweakmen within the plot. Aprominent issuewithinthisdramaisthedeteriorationofthemale,who is awareofhisroleasa"fatherfigure". This decomposition is observed by the female adorer (Nora). It is this descent that the role of the father figure is shaped, while creating thecatalystfor the purge orchangeinNora.     Whenthefemaleprotagonistchallengespatriarchalauthority,shedoessobyundermininginoneformoranother twothedominantmaleandhisfamilyname. ThefollowinganalysisfocusesonNorasultimate acknowledgementthatshemustbeanemancipatedpersontobehertrueself.Her glidethroughtheelementsofcrisesarefocusedthroughthefather-figuresinherlife.Thejourneytowardsherself-actualizationand revoltfreedomcan be foundwithinherrelationshipswiththemeninhe rlife.Thisultimatelyidentifiestherelevantthematicelementsthatarepivo... ...hechoosesinsteadtoseeherselfassomeoneinprocess,inastateofbecoming,ratherthanof having bebeing.Noradiscoversthatbecauseherownsignaturehadnovalue,shehadtotakethenameofthedead/ preoccupiedfather. Eventuallyrealizingthatshecannotescapetheghostorthenameoftheabsenthusband/father.     Thus, through Noras association and interaction with her father figures she, in a broader sense,hintsatthe possibilityofanew 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. InA Doll HouseNoradiscoversherselfdisenfranchisedanddisembodiedbyherfathers/husbandsname.This only occurs by virtue of her intragroup resolve and the inherit flaws Ibsen has given to the male characters of the play. She finallyrejects both her father and husbandandaffirms her ambition towriteherowndestiny.Works CitedIbs en, Henrik. A Doll House . Drama A HarperCollins Pocket Anthology. ed. R. S.      Gwynn. New York HarperCollins. 1993. 153-212.