Themes in "A Doll's House"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the first theme of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" is the significance of money within the patriarchal family system, which reinforces the notion of the male being the member of the household in charge of earning and doling out money. The author points out that Nora eventually realizes that she has the same role, which she played in her father's home; she remains an interesting figure-piece to be put on display without receiving true love. The paper relates that Nora's abandonment of her children can be perceived as a sacrifice for their benefit because Nora believes that her false role could rub-off on her children, which will lead them to the same hollow life she has.

From the Paper:

"This is what prompts Nora to begin to divulge her secret dealings: she is affronted that another woman would look at her and be fooled by her role as Torvald's "little featherhead." The fact that she tells Mrs. Linde about the loan after this, reveals that she believes her experience in the real, troubling world to be more valuable than the sheltered scope of her life's apparent accomplishments--husband, children, and money. This is how the feminine role begins to crack for Nora: she encounters a woman whom, according to the patriarchal rule of society, she should pity; but instead, she is somehow envious of Mrs. Linde's experience, as well as defensive of her own."

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• Analytical Essay # 29976 : "Significance of Title in "A Doll's House"

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