A Doll’s House is a play by Henrik Ibsen about a married woman Nora Helmer. This piece of art tells a story about morality, money, women, and their worth. Like many other plays, this work should not be perceived entirely literally because it is filled with different symbols. The symbols like the Neapolitan costume, Tarantella, Doll, and other names that Nora’s husband Torvald uses to name her are crucial for understanding this story. A Doll’s House symbolism is key for this play to make complete sense.
One of the most undisputed symbols in this story is the Neapolitan costume or dress. Torvald buys this dress for Nora in Capri and makes her wear it to a costume party. This only emphasizes his attitude toward her and his opinion of her. Torvald perceives her as childlike and negligent as a doll. That is why he wants her to wear this dress to a costume party. He dresses her like a toy that he likes but does not treat her like a woman he loves. In the nineteenth century, women did not have many rights in Norway, and Nora was no exception. During her life, Nora was under the control of men, including her father, husband, and other men like Krogstad, that tried to blackmail her. It was impossible for women to conduct a transaction or handle their money in a different way. As a result, she breaks the law to save Torvald from serious illness, forging her father’s signature to borrow money from Krogstad because of that.
The Tarantella is another central symbol in this play that represents her hysteria. Nora is tired of being repressed by men in her life, especially her husband, and dances until her hair comes loose. Torvald stops her and says that “she really has forgotten everything he taught her” (Ibsen 82). She enjoys dancing in freedom without any control or instructions. It is essential to mention that Tarantella was found as a cure in case a tarantula bites a person. While dancing the way she wants to, Nora heals herself from the poison Torvald fed her. She starts to understand her value as an individual and as a woman and the fact that she is wholesome on her own.
Even though the author was not a feminist, he despised a double-standard community. In the masculine world where men make the rules for themselves, even though women’s behavior is motivated by their love for their family, it is vital to respect them and create a better society for everyone. However, Nora is not treated respectfully by anyone, and in her last conversation with Torvald, she states that “she has been his doll wife, just as at home she used to be her papa’s doll child” (Ibsen 114). The doll and other names he called her symbolize the way he and her father treated her. She was a lovely toy for them, a pet that everybody loved but not a woman that is respected just for being alive like all the men.
To conclude, the symbols that are present in this play by Ibsen reveal a deeper meaning to this story. They are vital for a proper understanding of this drama and play a significant role in expressing the author’s feelings. Even though the modern world differs from the one Nora lives in, there are still many issues related to double standards about gender, race, age, and other characteristics.
Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Nick Hern Books, 1879.