A Doll's House' By Henrik Ibsen: An Analysis

The play that moved me the most was A Doll’s House by Henrik Isben. It moved because of how real it was. Everyday stories are written in a fairy tale sense. Many stories are written to have a happy ending, that goes for plays as well. People want that happy ending, the prince and princess getting happily married in the magical kingdom. However, in A Doll’s House, we saw that marriages aren’t all hugs and kisses, rainbows, and sunshine. This play shows the ups and downs, the sides that many people have but don’t share.

One reason that I enjoyed this play the most is that it brought out new ideas to deal with the controversies in the plays. No one expected Nora to end up alone in the end, everyone is used to the mother having custody of the children. But in the end, Nora was alone, free of the hassles and toxic energy that was happening in her life due to her husband. I enjoyed the fact that Nora wanted to break free from the norm that was expected of a woman back in that age. It showed bravery and courage.

The husband, Torvald, is simply rude. He is ignorant and doesn’t care for Nora, his wife. He was the breadwinner and used that to his advantage. Nora felt that she was a doll, in Torvalds dollhouse or “playhouse”. I enjoyed the fact that Nora wanted to break free she knew she had to find herself and not be held captive by the toxic, abusive language that was thrown upon her by Torvald. Nora was a feminist in my eyes, she stood up for herself and I find that admirable. Many of us want to be able to find the strength to stand on our own but are afraid of what would happen. I admire Nora so much for her bravery. She stood up at a time when it was unacceptable and out of the blue to do so.

Being real is very important to me. Seeing the different things that happen in everyday life can be hard. I don’t want a fairytale ending to be able to feel good about myself. I want a hero that is just like everyone else. Someone relatable, one the audience can connect to, and that are Nora. Nora is a hero, she is a woman to look up to and that is why I enjoyed A Doll’s House. I wanted to be her, I can just imagine seeing this play as a person for the first time when it came out and being in amazement of the whole thing.

Dramas act differently on the human mind, body, and soul than short stories do. That is no surprise. With dramas, some plays are associated with it. Expectations to live up to. In A Doll’s House by Henrik Isben, you were captivated by the integrity that Nora had despite the era she lived in.

Short stories and poetry are different because they can end abruptly with no warning. Poetry can be brutal. Yet, it will be called poetic so it can make you feel the pain that was felt when writing the poem. Poetry however does not always have characters or plots, unlike short stories where the characters and plots that create ups and downs toying with your emotions. Where in plays you see the rise and fall of the complex story that is played out in the plays.

Poetry has always been my go-to when needing to find something I can relate to. I can read the poem, over and over again and not get bored of it. I love the simple simplicity that a poem has. How just a 4 line poem can mean so much with so little information. And that is the beauty of a poem, it is simple but can leave a powerful feeling within a person. Short stories provoke many emotions due to the ability to have a rise and fall in the story. They can connect with a person who is down and then build themselves back up, different from a poem in a way that it takes more information to create such a feeling. And lastly plays, plays are amazing because they are visual. The audience can see the emotion that is left on the stage, and see the happiness or tragedy that occurred in a scene. Plays are often more appreciated because they are done in person, without retakes, real live action. Which also provokes a greater feeling of appreciation when all is done.

Plays, short stories, and poetry all try to create a special feeling within the consumer watching/reading them. Each one creates a different feeling, but the overall effect is the same when one is well done. And each touches someone differently and leaves a memory. I was touched by plays, poems, and short stories throughout this semester and I won’t forget them. Each genre of writing was able to speak to me and I was able to enjoy and appreciate them. However, I appreciated the different ways that each of them created different feelings for me.