Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House"
Chandra Barrier
Prof. Jade Love
ENG 113-450
July 13, 2012
Enlightenment
Drama has been used as a source of entertainment and enlightenment for hundreds of years and is often considered an art form. Just as with many other types of literature, drama relies on several separate components all working together to tell a story. These components serve to draw an audience in, create a believable situation, and illicit a particular response. The play “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen provides an excellent example for analysis, with each component strongly supported. Often the first, and most obvious, component that can be observed when reading drama is the point of view that it is written from. Point of view determines the perspective from which the story is told. In a play there is typically not a narrator, leaving the audience to witness the action and dialogue of all the characters and compose a personal interpretation. This approach allows the characters to come alive as more is divulged and discovered about each of their identities. This development of each character is known as characterization. One of the most complex characters of the play is Nora, the wife. In the opening of Act 1 she is portrayed as a materialistic, wasteful woman. Nora’s husband, Torvald Helmer, is the character who first brings this trait to light by stating, “Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again” (Ibsen, A Doll’s House, 804), and “It’s a sweet little spendthrift, but she uses up a deal of money” (Ibsen, A Doll’s House, 805). Both statements suggest that Nora often spends more money than she should, on unnecessary items. As more is learned about Nora, it is discovered that she has actually been shopping very wisely in order to save up a little money. Any penny she saved went to pay off a secret loan that Torvald knew nothing about. Nora had procured the loan behind her husband’s back in order to save his life when he had fallen ill eight years prior. She explains,
Prof. Jade Love
ENG 113-450
July 13, 2012
Enlightenment
Drama has been used as a source of entertainment and enlightenment for hundreds of years and is often considered an art form. Just as with many other types of literature, drama relies on several separate components all working together to tell a story. These components serve to draw an audience in, create a believable situation, and illicit a particular response. The play “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen provides an excellent example for analysis, with each component strongly supported. Often the first, and most obvious, component that can be observed when reading drama is the point of view that it is written from. Point of view determines the perspective from which the story is told. In a play there is typically not a narrator, leaving the audience to witness the action and dialogue of all the characters and compose a personal interpretation. This approach allows the characters to come alive as more is divulged and discovered about each of their identities. This development of each character is known as characterization. One of the most complex characters of the play is Nora, the wife. In the opening of Act 1 she is portrayed as a materialistic, wasteful woman. Nora’s husband, Torvald Helmer, is the character who first brings this trait to light by stating, “Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again” (Ibsen, A Doll’s House, 804), and “It’s a sweet little spendthrift, but she uses up a deal of money” (Ibsen, A Doll’s House, 805). Both statements suggest that Nora often spends more money than she should, on unnecessary items. As more is learned about Nora, it is discovered that she has actually been shopping very wisely in order to save up a little money. Any penny she saved went to pay off a secret loan that Torvald knew nothing about. Nora had procured the loan behind her husband’s back in order to save his life when he had fallen ill eight years prior. She explains,
Cited: Madden, Frank. Exploring Literature. Ed. Frank Madden. 5th ed. New York: Longman, 2012. 13. Print. Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Madden 803-56. Shmoop Editorial Team. “A Doll’s House” Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 10 July 2012.