A Doll's House 2

A detailed Summary of A Doll's House 2

Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, considers a very delicate situation experienced by a Scandinavian family in 1879. Nora Helmer, the main character and adored wife of Torvald faces a life-altering dilemma. She has to decide whether to remain with her obsessive husband in his sheltered home, playing the part of a doll, or take the initiative to leave and seek out her own individuality.

There are three minor characters that have a significant impact on the final decision that Nora attains. Each one, representing some particular social aspect, is essential to the development of Nora's character. Krogstad, Dr. Rank and Mrs. Linde have all had a long-standing relationship with the Helmer family, but neither character can provide Nora with a completely reassuring path to follow. She must discover this for herself, as they can only help to point her in another direction other than the one that Torvald has.

Nils Krogstad is in fear of losing his job at the bank. He will stop at nothing in order to retain his position, as he has struggled relentlessly to get to where he is now. Krogstad was guilty of committing the same crime as that of Nora and although their motives were different, the law still regards their actions as fraudulent.

Dr. Rank is also a long-time acquaintance of the Helmer's and makes frequent visits to their household. Nora enjoys secretly flirting with him until he admits that he has had a profound affection towards her for quite some time. This causes her to become upset towards Dr. Rank because his confession means that they can no longer continue their secretive game together. The connotation of the name 'Rank' has a symbolic meaning in Ibsen's play. The word rank denotes a stink or rot and may very well represent the depression experienced in Nora's life. The significance of his life helps to exemplify the loneliness and misery experienced by someone living in solitude. Evidence of his desolation occurs when he says, "I'm slowly sinking. There's nothing to be done about it" (Ibsen 45), and furthermore when he explains how he does not wish to see Torvald once the dying process begins.

In the end, all three minor characters have undergone a radical change, having arrived at some other position in life. Krogstad and Mrs. Linde have become a couple, and Dr. Rank is soon to pass away. This is significant, as Nora has chosen to abandon her family to pursue her own independence and individuality. She will no longer play the part of a doll and depend on Torvald to support her and resolve all of her problems and thus, takes a giant step forward towards the development of women as their own individuals. Ibsen's A Doll's House explores the role of women in the late 1800's and stresses the importance of their realization of this believed inferiority.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Dr Rank, Nora Helmer, Nils Krogstad, Nora Ibsen, Doll's House, Kristine Linde, There's Ibsen, Rank Linde, dr rank, Krogstad Linde, ibsen 45, nora helmer, character krogstad, doll's house, ibsen's doll's, Ibsen's Doll's, minor characters, ibsen's doll's house,

Approximate Word count = 1049
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels