Doll's+House+Data+Sheet


 * Title:** Doll's House
 * Author:** Henrik Ibsen
 * Original Date of Publication:** 1879
 * Literary Period:** Realism, modernism
 * Genre:** Realistic drama

=__Theme:__= Ibsen demonstrates the sacrificial role of women, the female plight and the fake visages through his exploration of flawed characters and realistic dialogue. Ibsen generalizes the characters and settings to morph into motifs for his Victorian society and the ideas circulating concerning the roles of women and continual subjugation.He demonstrates how women are expected to be subservient to their husbands and are greatly limited in society. The only methods of escape for women were prostitution and death. Furthermore, he demonstrates how “the sins of the father” are connected to the mother and her impact on her own children. Women are expected to sacrifice their entire lives, desires, dreams for their children. However, men are not required to perform any parental roles. Through his characters, Ibsen demonstrates the visages people utilize to change their demeanor. Although one may seem happy and joyful, the inside could be very different. Ibsen attempts to show Victorian society of it unfairness, sexism,and discrimination of women.

=__Relevance of setting:__= Doll's House takes place in an anonymous suburb, mos likely somewhere in Europe. By keeping it anonymous, Ibsen relates the domestic issues and subjugation women face in all areas of the world. By generalizing the rooms and keeping everything as little detailed as possible, Ibsen creates a setting that his audience can easily relate to. Instead of remaining Nora and Helmer's house, it becomes the basis for many marriages in European culture. Ibsen writes during the Victorian Era, a time when women had barely any rights, were completely controlled by their husbands, and had little options of escape. The title Doll's House refers to the Helmer household. Nora resembles Helmer's doll; he gets to dress her, treat her like a small child, and bend her will to his own. She has no control over him although she believes she possesses some influence. Their household is the doll house and is shown to continue to make perfect little dolls for society. Not only is Nora depicted as doll-like early on, but her children are also referred to as doll babies. Nora is horrified of her children growing up to be like her: controlled and dominated by the men in her life. The setting never changes from the Helmer household as if Ibsen is making a point that Nora was expected to remain in the house, complete chores, take care of the children. She is separated by society by being confined to this cage except when she shops: another stereotypical trait of females. Nora's life revolves around her house which superimposes the audience to understand that women did not have any other roles in society. They were not expected to work or be individuals. Instead, it is revealed that the mother is expected to be the primary caregiver of the children and to keep the dollhouse clean and perfect.

=__Plot summary (beginning, middle, end)__=

Beginning:
The scene opens as Nora is finishing shopping for Christmas gifts. She is shown to be very generous and in high spirits. She skips, claps, and prances around like a child while eating macaroons. It is revealed that it is Christmas Eve; Torvald comes out of his office to scold Nora playfully for her "spendthrift" methods and refers to her with many nicknames such as "hummingbird" and "little skylark". Torvald asserts his dominance over Nora who plays his little game, even flirting along with him. When Torvald asks her about eating sweets, she lies and hides the macaroons. Torvald is being promoted to a manager, so he is expected to get a raise soon. Torvald reveals that he hates the idea of debt and loans as Nora claims they can spend for money this year. As Nora tries to show her the deals she achieved on the toys for the children, he ignores her and reminds her of last Christmas, when she spent so much time making homemade gifts but then the cat destroyed everything. Torvald claims that Nora gets her money spending ways from her father, claiming she inherited many of his negative traits. She disagrees, wishing she had more of his temperament. The doorbell rings because of the arrival of Dr. Rank and Christine Linde. At first Nora does not recognize her old friend due to her "thin" and "pale" nature. When she does recognize her and explode in a fit of joy, Torvald ignores Nora and reveals that he hadn't listened to Nora's stories of Christine. Nora and Christine speak about their lives; Nora parades around and boasts about her beauty, marriage, and money. Christine claims that Nor is wildly naive and Nora reveals her deepest secret. She refers she broke the law by taking out a loan when Torvald grew sick thus saving his life. She worries that Torvald would be furious if he found out. It is also revealed she lied about making the Christmas gifts; she was secretly typing and making money to help pay off the debt. She assists Christine in getting a new bank position from Torvald. Rank, Torvald, and Christine go off to the bank. Nora plays with her children and is disrupted by Krogstad. She is frightened by his appearance; he is the loan shark. He blackmails her into convincing Torvald to let him keep his job or he will reveal her secret. he claims she will go to jail for not only taking out a loan but forging her father's signature. As he leaves, Nora begins to worry about corrupting her children due to her "sins".

Middle:
Nora is terrified of plaguing her children with any evil, so she does not allow them to see her. She also is worrying about Krogstad's threat that would ruin he marriage and life. Christine tells Nora that she should reveal her secrets to Torvald to cleanse their marriage. She also calls Nora out for her flirting games with Rank as well. When Torvald arrives, Nora beings playing he role as a little squirrel or skylark, begging Torvald to please her and grant her one favor. As she dances and flits around her, he plays along. When she implores him to keep Krogstad at the bank, Torvald shuts her down. He explains that Krogstad disrespected him by his first name and needs to show his new team that he is the boss. He claims that people will think of his as weak if he bends to his wife's wishes and that he must remain in full control. Nora begs that her life depend son it but he brushes it aside. He sends the letter of Krogstad's dismal and claims that Nora must prepare her tarantella dance and tambourine routine to preform at the party later. As Torvald goes off to do work, Rank appears and explains that he is dying. He also claims that he doesn't want Torvald to see his horrid state when it gets worse because Torvald hates ugly things. They discuss the effects of the sins of the father. Nora then begins to flirt with Rank and playfully swats him with her nylons. As she flirts with him, he reveals to have loved her along. She immediately rejects him but claims he can still watch her dance later. Krogstad then shows up and Nora has to sneak away to secretly meet him. Krogstad explains that she didn't keep the end of her deal, so he is going to inform Torvald. Although she begs and please, Krogstad drops the letter off in the box as he leaves. Nora is unable to access the letter because it is locked, and only Torvald has the key. She immediately finds Torvald and attempts to distract him from work. She asks him to help he learn her dance, and they spend the rest of the day working on her dance. The scene closes as they go to the party.

End:
Christine shows up at Krogstad's house to attempt to prevent him from revealing the truth to Krogstad. She claims that she wishes to be a mother and that he needs a wife. However, she changes her mind and betrays Nora, claiming that Torvald must know the truth. Krogstad has a change of heart but stops himself from retrieving the letter when Line explains that it must be done. When Linde goes back to Nora's house, she claims to have waited to see Nora's dress. Nora still attempt sot distract Torvald from getting the mail. Rank shows up as well to get a cigar. When he leaves, he drops off a card with a black cross, representing that it is the last time he will see Torvald. Torvald explains that he desires to protect Nora and be her knight in shining armor. She wait outside his door as he reads the letters. When he discovers what she has done, he loses it and calls her wicked, horrid, and evil. He claims she shouldn't be allowed around their children and that their marriage is over but she will still be expected to make public appearances. Nora simply stays still and silent. He rants about her being an atrocious person and shows his hypocrisy. Suddenly, a letter arrives from Krogstad asserting that he doesn't intend to report anything and is going to forget the whole incident. Immediately, Helmer begins to praise Nora as his skylark once more and talks about how amazing their life will be. For the first time, Nora stands up for herself; Torvald is not the prince charming she thought he was. She explains that she is leaving to find her own life and that they will never be together unless the most wonderful thing happened-a thing that could create a marriage of equality.

=__Memorable quotes and significance__= Nora explains to Torvald that they don't actually love each other. Torvald does not know anything about her. He is unsure of what to get her as a gift; he does not remember her friends; he does not listen to her stories or life. He has taken her for granted the entire time, and she realizes that she doesn't love him either. She has been trained to play the part of a doll and believed it was just part of her life. Torvald is in love with the concept of a wife who obeys his wishes, keeps the house clean, and raises the children. He is in love with the idea of a submissive housewives and disregards Nora's actual personality and traits. He enjoys their relationship dynamic, but he doesn't love her.
 * //"You have never loved me. You have only thought it pleasant to be in love with me"//**

Torvald communicates the idea of the sins of the father. In literature, it is common for characters to inherit the sins of their parents. For example, Rank claims to have inherited an illness because of his father's life and decisions before he was born. Torvald believes the Nora likes to waste money like her father although it is shown that she is adept at saving money.
 * //"Still one must take you as you are. It is in the blood; for indeed it is true that you can inherit these things, Nora"//**

Nora ponders the idea of revealing her secret to Torvald when their older. She claims that he may fall out of love with her anyway when she is older, wrinklier, and cannot perform dances or shows for him. She claims that if he ever bores of her or tires of her, she will contemplate about revealing the fact that she took out an illegal loan. However, quickly after she asserts he will never tire of her, showcasing her egoism and naivety toward her husband's actions and beliefs.
 * //"I mean, of course, when Torvald is no longer as devoted to me as he is now; when my dancing and dressing-up and reciting have palled on him; then it may be a good thing to have in reserve"//**
 * //"Hasn't Miss Sweet Tooth been breaking rules in town to-day"//**

Torvald and Nora play little games with each other where Torvald is the master and Nora is the puppet. When she lies about the macaroons, it shows that she has been continually manipulating him. She has been attempting to gain small controls of freedom and power, the macaroons symbolize the small indepedences she's been desiring. These emotions eventually build until they come crashing down after Torvald reveals his true nature. Nora has always desired autonomy and to live her own life but her thoughts have been clouded due to society, her father, and Torvald.

Nora claims that she has control over Torvald and his decisions. She claims that some women have their own methods of control such as those through beauty, flirting, and manipulation. She honestly believes she has a tiny say in her marriage, but it is later revealed that Torvald only humors her when he agrees with here desires. When it comes down to it, Torvald will demand her obedience and assert his control, extinguishing any power she thought she had.
 * //"Sometimes one has a tiny bit of influence, I should hope because one is a woman, it does not necessarily follow that--"//**

Nora blames her father and Torvald for creating her into a doll. She ignores the role she has constantly played in their little games and how she encouraged her husband's behavior. After realizing Torvald would abandon her in her time of need and that he doesn't truly love her, Nora asserts that she cannot stay with him. She claims that he won;y actually miss her; he will miss the role she played. He likes to have someone to control: someone he can make submit to him. She asserts that he may be upset, but it will only be because his toy is taken away from him and that he only will regret losing what makes him feel manly and important.
 * //"Perhaps--if your doll is taken from you"//**

=__Significance of opening scene__= Ibsen demonstrates the childlike way Torvald treats Nora through details like “wagging finger” and “little squirrel.” Torvald treats Nora like a doll; he patronizes her ability by reducing her into an airhead and spendthrift. Furthermore, he demonstrates his hypocrisy and selfishness when he claims she wastes money and isn’t capable of learning how to budget although she has managed to pull of Christmas singlehandedly. Torvald constantly calls Nora little pet names like “Miss Sweet Tooth”, “Little featherhead”, “little girl” which enhances their relationship dynamic. Nora plays along with his game, using her flirtatious manner to her advantage. She lies to him about eating macaroons which represents one of her small freedoms. She is shown to desire independence and autonomy from the start, even if she is unsure of it herself. Through manipulation and lies, she attempts to usurp a small amount of power herself. Torvald is extremely dominant; Nora is expected to be obedient and cater to the normal routine of the domestic butler. She is given an allowance, not allowed to touch any funds. He chastises her behavior, undermining her intelligence and constantly criticizes her actions through a playful yet harmful manner.

=__Significance of closing scene__= Nora realizes that Torvald is not her prince in shining armor. Right before he discovers her secret, he claims that ge will always protect her and come to the rescue. She is certain he will save her and they will live a fairytale ending. However, when he turns on her and accuses her of being wicked and a monster, she relaxes his true nature. It’s as if all of his past transgressions are reawakened in her eyes. He patronizes her, demands her to be submissive, treats her like a doll instead of a person, and allows her to have no choice or freedom. Nora realizes that she doesn’t know who she is’ she has been taught her entire life to cater to men. Her dad treated her like a doll child, and now Torvald still treats her in a similar childlike manner. Torvald is dumbfounded, enhancing how he is ignorant and selfish of all other’s feelings. Nora claims that “the most wonderful thing” would have to happen before they could ever be together. She asserts that this would be the possibility for them to have an equal and harmonious relationship where they share roles. Nora leaves her children and family, asserting that her duties are more important than her duties to her children. However, she honestly believes she cannot help her children and that she will only cause them pain and harm. Ibsen contemplates the responsibilities one has to the children and if a mother should consider herself before her children. He addresses how the father is continued to be blameless in these scenarios. However, Nora’s life is wild ytl uncreation. Sh wouldn't be able to get a job or provide for herself which could leave prostitution or death.

=__Describe the author's style__= Ibsen is a realist who achieves the meaning of his play through dialogue and interactions between characters. Ibsen was one of the first fathers of realism, he introduced this new typ eof genre in the Victorian Era. In realistic dramas, the character's speak similarly to how normal people would converse in everyday life. he does not attempt to create beautiful, long twisting verses that make the play poetic. He also doesn't use the typical language of other Victorian Era plays. The play is rather straightforward and built on dialogue. However, he focuses on the flaws and traits of all his characters who represent everyday people. They are not likable or dislikeable necessarily. many of them exhibit regular human traits that make them flawed. Through his use of realism, Ibsen connects to the audience by relating it to their own live's and experiences

=__Characters__=
 * Nora:**
 * role:** **wife of Torvald, the doll of the story, the major character that the plot revolves around**
 * significance: she represents the idea that all housewives must be like dolls/obey their husbands/she chooses her duties to herself over those of her family**


 * Torvald:**
 * role: dominant, oppressive husband of Nora**
 * significance****: he is a major hypocrite that shows Nora he is not prince charming/ he only cares for himself**


 * Dr. Rank:**
 * role: family friend/ doctor/ he is in love with Nora**
 * significance****: he represents the sins of the Father**


 * Christine Linde:**
 * role: Nora's old friend from school**
 * significance: she is similar to a voice of reason but also betrays Nora by attempting to stop Krogstad from taking back the letter**


 * Krogstad:**
 * role: the antagonist, he blackmails Nora**
 * significance****: it is shown that he is a considerate person that committed questionable actions out of desperateness/ he attempts to right his wrong signifying change**

=__Symbols__= T**he tarantella: sexual in nature/passionate dance/****temptation**
 * The Christmas tree (adorned or unadorned): In act 2, it is disheveled and dying which represents the fear and misery Nora feels because of Krogstad's threats. symbolizes Nora's position oin her home (pleasing to look at and part of the dollhouse)/ reflects her current emotions and state**
 * Doll-wife, doll-child: female stereotype/objectification**
 * Macaroons: small** **independences**
 * Nora's Costume: manipulation/adds to Nora's role as a doll/representation of the female plight/covering her true self/a visage**
 * A mailbox with a key: control-lack of power on Nora's part**
 * The freezing black water: suicide/death**
 * Disease: ugliness**