Literary Devices in "A Doll's House"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" is a powerful story that has several underlying themes, including but not limited to family life and women's rights. The paper further relates that Ibsen's use of symbolism and his setting are unique and helps illustrate the story for the reader. In addition, with the use of these elements, he helped paint a picture of the scenes throughout the entire story for the reader. These are just a few of the literary devices that Ibsen utilized very well, and are the focus of this term paper.

From the Paper:

"One final intriguing use of symbolism involves Dr. Rank, the very good friend of the married couple. Dr. Rank admits that he is very ill from syphilis (which he has suffered from since birth) and he will soon pass. Upon returning from a masquerade, the three of them discuss of the next masquerade, and of what they will dress-up as. When Torvald raises the question to Dr. Rank, he responds vigorously, "At the next masquerade I shall be invisible." he adds "There's a big black hat- haven't you heard of the invisible hat? It comes down all over you, and then no one can see you.""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Gassner, John, and Sweetkind Morris. "Introducing the Drama: An Anthology". New York: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston, 1963. 133
• Henderson, Lesley. "Reference Guide to World Literature". 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literature Resource Center.Gale. Bergen Community College Library. http://0-go. galegroup.com.sslopac.bergen.edu:80/ps/start.do?p=LitRC&u=becomcol_ca>. April 8, 2008
• Ibsen, Henrik. "A Doll's House". Literature and the Writing Process. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan Day, and Robert Funk. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 2007. 1038-1089
• Lee, Jennette. "The Ibsen Secret: A Key to the Prose Drama of Henrik Ibsen". New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1910.
• Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "A Doll's House." Encylopedia of Feminist Literature. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://0-www. fofweb.com.sslopac.bergen.edu:80/activelink.asp? ItemID=WE54&iPin=EFL586&SingleRecord=True. April 8, 2008

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