A Doll's House
A Doll's House
A Doll's House is a famous play by Henrik Ibsen. The play is satiric and even unsettling for many readers. In class we watched the play as a film rather than reading it to get a better understanding of the plot and characters. Nora is the estranged wife and Helmer is her husband.
In the beginning Nora is quiet and naive but towards the end she opens up and becomes much more demanding. The change is a transition of character throughout the entire play, from beginning to end. It is most evident after her conversation in the beginning of the play when she realizes that her secret is not safe anymore.
The theme of the play is the woman's role in marriage and her struggle for self-independence and friendship. The conflict is between Nora and herself trying to cover up the loan that she took out without her husband finding out about. Nora is then bribed as a result of her deceitful deed.
After the play ends there is still some unfinished business left behind, especially between Nora and Helmer. The end is unsettling and is open for opinions of interpretation for what will happen next. I think that it is completely over and they will never see each other again. Nora has become stubborn and is very determined to be independent as a woman in society.
The Doll House is one of the great satiric plays of the 19th century. Henrik Ibsen does a great job depicting the dilemma that women face so often in society, especially during this time period. However, "the times they are a changing" as Bob Dillon says and it is not necessarily as bad for women today.
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