Family Values

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the theme of honoring oneself versus acting as is socially expected of one, which is a central theme throughout the play. It shows how "A Doll?s House" conveys the controversial story of a Victorian woman and her struggles to find herself in the midst of a strict, regimented society. Through the contrasting characters of Nora and her husband Helmer, the theme of honoring oneself versus honoring the role society gives us, is revealed.

From the Paper:

"Helmer's character embodies the idea of honoring one's role in society in preference to one's own personal, deeper values. Helmer is portrayed to the reader as the "classical" image of a Victorian husband in that he is focused on his work, and doesn't really value his wife for the person she is but rather only for the tricks she will do to entertain him. He constantly complains about how much she is costing him, versus telling her how much he loves her, and when he does give her money, it is almost as if he is simply paying for the next act she can provide to amuse him. As he says himself ?It's a sweet little bird, but it gets through a terrible amount of money. You wouldn't believe how much it costs a man when he's got a little songbird like you.? This would imply that he views her as no more than a performing monkey, a doll for him to play with, a puppet condemned to dance by the strings which are under his control. In Victorian society perhaps this would have been quite normal as the duty of the wife to be merely a plaything for her husband to enjoy, and a mother for his children."

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