The Realistic Aspect of A Dolls House Sina Alhusseini, Mike Thompson, Celeste Post, & Brenda Calderone English Prd

Summary A Dolls House is about the Helmer family, more particularly the husband and wife; Torvald and Norah. The play is based in Victorian Era London and delves into what was then controversial issues of women roles in society and married life. Norah has a secret: that she forged a signature to procure money to save her husbands life. Being blackmailed and unable to follow through, the scandal is revealed to her husband who then rejects her but takes her back due to the blackmail being dropped. This shatters Norahs romantic views of life, and ultimately leads her to walk out on her husband and her children, stating that she had never been a real part of their life, just a Doll in a doll house (Ibsen 77).

Characters Norah- At the beginning of the novel, Norah is a happy, romantic character, seemingly in love with her husband and life. Until her scandal with the signature is revealed by Mr. Krogstad, who blackmails her in order to keep his position at the bank. Then she is rejected by Torvald which makes her believe that she has been living like a Doll in a doll house. (Ibsen 77) so she decides to leave her husband and children in order for her to go out and seek some sort of education for herself, in order to make her something more then a house wife.

Characters (Cont.) Torvald- Norhas husband. He is just promoted to the manager of the bank. It is revealed that he had gotten deathly sick a few years ago (due to overworking and depression) and in order to save his life, Norah secretly obtains money which she uses to fund a trip to Italy, where Torvald becomes healthy again. Torvald dotes on Norah to no end, calling her his Skylark and his Doll, but when the scandal is revealed he is horrified and disgusted by Norahs actions and even states that she is not fit to raise the children (Ibsen 72) but then when the scandal is dropped by Mr. Krogstad, Torvald goes back to loving Norah like crazy until she decides to get up and leave. He doesnt understand why she cant fall back in the illusion they shared and he is left at the end of the play wondering what it is he could do to win her back after she leaves, not realizing that she is forever lost to him. (Ibsen)

Characters (Cont.) Mr. Krogstad- A teller at the bank, he has a past of scandal but is trying to re-invent himself. He loans money to Norah but then realizes that her fathers signature was actually forged by her. He threatens to reveal Norah if she doesnt persuade her husband (the new bank manager) to keep his position at the bank. When she fails to do so, he reveals the scandal. However, his past love, Mrs. Linde, convinces him to withdraw the threat. (Ibsen)

Realism A Dolls House is a perfect example of realism because it is solely based off of the idea of the common life and how it uses a regular family with a hidden affair versus some elaborate setting with characters surreal to the human world (Realism (arts)). For instance, the viewers get the feeling that they are simply looking into the situation of the family instead of having some dramatic introduction or being prepared. So unlike the 19 th century plays, A Dolls House is simply more common and connectable with viewers that can relate somehow to the context. (Ibsen) VS

Expressionism In theatre, expressionism is a result in drama in which the main character has a social protest and the outer world takes second place to the inner turmoil experienced. Characters expressed via long monologues (A Dolls House Study Guide). In A Dolls House, Nora has a social protest where she wants to leave her home because she knows is best for her. She does not care what society expects of her but does what she believes is right (Ibsen).

Expressionism (Cont.) NORA. Maybe. But you neither think nor talk like the man I could bind myself to. As soon as your fear was over--and it was not fear for what threatened me, but for what might happen to you--when the whole thing was past, as far as you were concerned it was exactly as if nothing at all had happened. Exactly as before, I was your little skylark, your doll, which you would in future treat with doubly gentle care, because it was so brittle and fragile. [Getting up.] Torvald--it was then it dawned upon me that for eight years I had been living here with a strange man, and had borne him three children--. Oh, I can't bear to think of it! I could tear myself into little bits! (Ibsen 80)

Questions People May ask While Reading 1.What is the connection between social class and societal expectations? 2. What happens to individual who does not conform to societys expectations?

What is the connection between social class and societal expectations? In society people are expected to fall into different roles, the upper class fall into the role of running society, for example, business and governmental affairs. While the lower class is expected to work labor intensive jobs, provide for society and work for the upper class. In A Dolls House characters such as Krogstad and Mrs. Linde are expected socially and economically to work for Helmer. Furthermore, Helmer is expected to have house workers, an socially acceptable wife and well paying job. Back in the Victorian era social class explained how society expects people act in a certain way.

What happens to individual who does not conform to societys expectations? People who do not conform to society expectations are not new to the human race. What is new is what happens to the people who are divergent form society. At first, people either died or where forced to live in isolation, but more recently society feels that its better to attack, discriminate and shun these people all because they have a different opinion on how people should act. For instance, up until recently, people who had a different orientation that what was accepted by society would be bullied, disowned and forced to go to school that would conform them into what society accepts as normal. Today society is more accepting of different opinions, people and cultures, but if everyone conformed to society they lived in we would not have equal rights for women, different religions and progressive ideals.

Work Citied 1.Ibsen, Henrik, and R. Farquharson Sharp. Four Great Plays. New York: Bantam, Print. 2."Realism (arts)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Nov Web. 28 Nov "A Doll's House Study Guide & Essays." A Doll's House Study Guide & Literature Essays. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov Google.com/images