1. Answer the question 1.

Textual references
2. Show an understanding of the text 2. Dramatic Elements
3. Understand authorial choices 3. Author/ Audience references
4. Conclusion 4. Question words

Structure

● Introduction
- General statement on topic of question
- Sentences that connect to its relevance to 2 texts
- Briefly summarise the texts (CONTEXTual details essential to question, names of works, years
of publication, authors’ names)
- Thesis statement where answer question directly and list 3 main ideas/arguments or
compare/contrast
● Body Paragraphs
- 4-6 body paragraphs (2 for each aspect)
- Clear/focused topic sentences (establish focus of paragraph, text + argument in relation to
question and connected to thesis)
- Evidence from works (quotations, specific examples, explain text details, link to question,
make inferences about content of texts)
- Devices (2-3/paragraph) to show understand writers’ techniques + use of lit terms
- CONTEXT of production and reception as relevant to the thesis
- Explain effect to illustrate authors’ message (reinforce the question)
- Concluding sentence to connect to thesis
● Conclusion
- Rephrase the thesis
- Summarize/reflect on essay topic (question) and CONTEXT
- Statement of overall impact/greater relevance

Introduction of the play:

The play, A Doll’s House, is undeniably one of the most influential plays of the 19th century. It is a
Realist modern prose drama set in a Norwegian town, which mimics the life of a typical
middle class Norwegian family during this period. Written by Henrik Ibsen, and published in
the year 1879, the play is NATURALISTIC; wherein they create an illusion of reality by using
themes ranging from gender-specific social obligations to reputation and status. “A Doll’s house”
was one of the first plays to feature radical ideas that questioned patriarchal norms and moral
standards in society. As a matter of fact, Ibsen’s plays pioneered a revolution in theatre as well as
in society through a focus on relatable characters in real-life situations, representing injustices
that occur by the norm in a so called “just” society.

Thesis statement: The author uses ______ literary devices to ______.

Authorial choices:
1. Themes:
a. Deceit
b. Reputation
c. Marriage
d. Sacrificial role of women

2. Characterization
a. Nora Helmer: Ibsen carefully constructed Nora so that her independence and
farsightedness have always shown through her adolescent capriciousness.
Although her father and husband have seriously injured her practical education,
Nora has retained enough native wisdom to confront an emergency. That she
bungles the situation by a careless forgery provides further credence to her
independence of thought as well as to her lack of sophistication. This mixture of
wisdom and childishness is Nora's strongest quality. It enables her to oppose the
knowledge of books and the doctrines of her worldly husband and to test by
experience the social hypothesis which declares that duties to the family are the
most sacred.
b. Torvald Helmer: Torvald is shallow enough to be a mere foil for the character of
Nora. Unfortunately, he is depicted with enough detail to appear a very plausible
type of man, typical of many contemporary heads-of-the-family. He is a
well-constructed social product, a proud specimen of a middle-class husband.
Because Nora has been so sheltered all her life, Torvald represents all the outside
world she knows. Not only does he stand for the world of men and the world of
business which has no place in her house-bound life, but he represents society at
large, including all the community and legal ethics which do not concern her and
religious ethics in which she has had no training. Ironically Ibsen sets up Torvald
according to the same representation. For the author, Torvald stands for all the
individual-denying social ills against which Ibsen has dedicated all his writing.
As a victim of his narrow view of society, Torvald inspires sympathy rather than
reproach.
c. Christine Linde, Nora Helmer's contemporary, serves as a direct comparison with
Ibsen's heroine. By recounting how she denied her rights to love and
self-determination by marrying for financial security, Christine foreshadows how
Nora will confront a bitter future after learning that her marriage is based on
deception. Nora, according to Christine's example, must eventually conclude,
through her own sufferings, that the only way of life which can survive crises is one
based on truthful relationships. The ability for Christine to rebuild her life with
Krogstad can be accepted as a note of hope in Nora's case. Perhaps in the years to
come, Nora and Torvald will also be able to restore their marriage.
d.
3. Points of view
 a. Nora’s understanding of the meaning of freedom evolves over the course of the
play. In the first act, she believes that she will be totally “free” as soon as she has
repaid her debt, because she will have the opportunity to devote herself fully to her
domestic responsibilities. After Krogstad blackmails her, however, she reconsiders
her conception of freedom and questions whether she is happy in Torvald’s house,
subjected to his orders and edicts. By the end of the play, Nora seeks a new kind of
freedom. She wishes to be relieved of her familial obligations in order to pursue her
own ambitions, beliefs, and identity.
b.
4. Metaphors
a. Small animals
5. Symbols
a. The tarantella dance-
b. The Christmas tree (adorned and unadorned)
c. Dolls
d. Macaroons
e. Nora’s costume
f. Money
g. Small animals
h. Doors (doors of house, slamming of door at the end)
6. Imagery
a.
7. Irony
a. Helmer’s views on debt VS Nora’s loan
b. How Nora expects vs how Helmer reacts to the truth (“I’m saved.”. “”But nobody
would sacrifice their honour for the one they love.”
8. Conflict
a.

Ibsen Quotes for conclusion

“I do but ask; my call is not to answer.”
“I’m not even quite sure what women's rights really are. To me it has been a question of human
rights”

Important quotes.
Act 1: One day I might, yes. Many years from now, when I’ve lost my looks a little. Don’t laugh. I
mean, of course, a time will come when Torvald is not as devoted to me, not quite so happy when
I dance for him, and dress for him, and play with him.

Act 1: Free. To be free, absolutely free. To spend time playing with the children. To have a clean,
beautiful house, the way Torvald likes it.
(after paying off her debt)
Act 2: Something glorious is going to happen.

Act 3: From now on, forget happiness. Now it’s just about saving the remains, the wreckage, the
appearance.

Act 3: I am first and foremost, a human begin.

Act 3: I have been performing tricks for you, Torvald. That’s how I’ve survived. You wanted it like
that. You and Papa have done me a great wrong. It’s because of you I’ve made nothing of my life.
Gc433

Authors use the Portrayal of Characters who are somewhat trapped as a means to criticise
society.

In the play, “A Doll’s House”, Hendrik Ibsen portrays the social entrapment experienced by Nora in
the form of patriarchal laws, as well as, hard-set ideals of womanhood and family-life that are
enforced upon her by society and ingrained into her belief-system from childhood. The dramatist
does this in an attempt to criticise the way in which patriarchy in society unjustly places
obligations and burdens on Women and expects them to sacrifice for the sake of others- sacrifices
which are taken for granted more often than not. Nora, as we see in the play, morphs as she
realises that she is in fact trapped in “a Doll’s house”, by her shallow and misogynistic husband
who values her for the fact that she entertains him by fulfilling his desires and submitting to his
will, similar to how she was treated by her father in her childhood home. It is ultimately this
realisation that inspires her to leave so that she can find true freedom as an individual. The
dramatist effectively uses metaphors, symbols, point of view, and Irony over the course of the
play to reveal the nuances of social entrapment experienced by Nora in the Helmer
Household.

To begin with, Ibsen incorporates metaphors into Helmer’s dialogue to exemplify his (Helmer’s)
narrow and misogynistic view of her. He refers to her as his “skylark, “squirrel” and a spending
bird. At first glance, these metaphors may reflect the innocent and gentle nature of Nora but upon
deeper inspection, they reflect Torvald’s egocentric and possessive nature. The repetition of the
word “my'' indicates the feeling of ownership that Torvald has over Nora- which is perceived and
preached as a sign of love by society. The metaphors also exemplify that she is a pet of his who
can have a limited amount of freedom as long as she obeys, indicating that she's trapped by
his and society’s misogynistic views. Essentially, her desire to please him and gain his approval
despite her own wants, and his expectation of her to act childish and playful, like the trophy wife
that she is in the eyes of society.- trap her: preventing her from gaining independence and
developing as an individual.

Moreover, Ibsen employs the use of point of view and irony to portray the way in which Nora is
trapped by her own beliefs- a product of her development in a sexist and patriarchal society. In
Act 1, she describes the time after New Year’s when she finally pays off her debt to Korgsatd to
be “free, absolutely free.” to Mrs. Linde. She adds, “To spend time playing with the children. To
have a clean, beautiful house, the way Torvald likes it.”. This dialogue reveals that her definition of
freedom is to atone to her husband's wishes and live her life on his terms rather than on her own.
She has essentially made his ideals her own, to ensure that she remains the object of his desires
always. Thus her idea of freedom is ironic given that the audience recognizes that it is these
ideals which are taught and preached in a sexist society, which also trap her.

Additionally, Nora’s debt is a tangible factor that traps her while Patriarchal laws that prevent
women from having the same privileges as men restrict her freedom and rights as an individual.
Nora’s freedom is restricted as Krogstad, the person who lends her money for their trip,
blackmails her using the bond that incriminates her for forgery. She fears that Krogstad will reveal
her secret to Helmer and tarnish her image in society. In such a desperate state of affairs, she
questions the morality of the law which deems it unjust for a wife, a woman, to borrow money for
an undoubtedly just cause. Ibsen uses Nora’s character to question such laws that exist in
society- urging the audience to question their morality as well. Thus, society is criticised for
inhibiting the rights and privileges of well-deserving women in this time period.

Finally, during Act 3 when Nora’s secret is revealed to Helmer, she expects him to comfort her and
righteously take the blame for her actions. In contrast, Helmer belittles her and blames her for
ruining his reputation in society. At the same time, he says “From now on, forget happiness. Now
it’s just about saving the remains, the wreckage, the appearance.”. This dialogue implies that
Helmer only values the “appearance” of a happy family and a trophy wife in society. As a result,
he imposes that she remain with him in the house. This is another instance of social entrapment
that Nora is subjected to- he obliged her to stay to maintain a garb for society and to save their
reputation. Through this part of the plot, Ibsen criticises society for having more regard for an
“appearance” than for the true happiness of people. However, she finally chooses to break free
and leave the “Doll’s house” by the end of the play.

To conclude, the different authorial choices and stylistic techniques employed by Ibsen in the play
portray Nora’s social entrapment and act as a means to criticise society. Thus the literary work
implores the audience to re-examine social norms and their patriarchal nature.