Annika Damstedt

Ms. Bucaria

IB Literature HL1 A2

7 March 2022

Doll’s House IO Prep

Passage Field of Global Issue: 3 Authorial Other areas in

Select a passage Inquiry(FI)/UN Specific choices that the text that
of 20-40 lines Sustainability Statement or analyze how the convey this idea.
from your text. Goal (USG) Question about choices the (Give page and
topic FI/USG author conveys text with
Title & Author:
Find as many the GI or authorial
Pages as you can--you meaning of the choices.)
First line: may add rows if work.
Last line: needed.

Pg 68-69 Identity How societal See Analysis See Analysis

Line 1. “It’s Gender roles expectations
shocking…” Religion affect a woman’s
Line 40. “...the Society identity
world or I.” Morality
exactly 40 lines :)
Analysis:

Excerpt

● Contrast between duties as wife and mother -vs- duties to herself

○ Show she is no longer being shaped by societal expectations

● “...make out who is right, the world or I.”

○ Focuses on how her views differ from the world’s views

● Everything she doesn’t know - religion, morals

○ She has been manipulated into believing what society believes, but she has

discovered she doesn’t actually know what she believes

 ○ She is expected to conform to the same religion and morals of her society, but she

chooses to see if it fits with her identity

● “...you talk like a child.”

○ Helmer intends as immature, but could actually represent her newfound sense of

discovery about the world around her. A child doesn’t understand societal

expectations, but is forced to learn them. She is starting over from when she was a

child before she was manipulated by the societal expectations

Rest of Work

● Macaroons

○ Already resisting her husband, finding some form of identity outside of the

expectations

○ “NORA [going to the table on the right]. I should not think of going against your

wishes.” (Ibsen 4)

● Embroidery

○ Helmer says embroidery is more womanly, Nora embroiders, even hobbies

conform to societal expectations

○ “HEL. Do you know, you ought to embroider. MRS. L. Really? Why? HEL. Yes,

it’s far more becoming.” (Ibsen 56)

● Nora’s characterization

○ Seen as foolish and imprudent by those around her, never taken seriously, tries to

defy expectations

○ “NORA. You are just like the others. They all think that I am incapable of

anything really serious…” (Ibsen 10)

Global Issue: How societal expectations affect a woman’s identity

Excerpt: A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. Pages 68-69

1 HEL. It’s shocking. This is how you would neglect your most sacred
2 duties.
3 NORA. What do you consider my most sacred duties?
4 HEL. Do I need to tell you that? Are they not your duties to your
5 husband and your children?
6 NORA. I have other duties just as sacred.
7 HEL. That you have not. What duties could those be?
8 NORA. Duties to myself.
9 HEL. Before all else, you are a wife and a mother.
10 NORA. I don’t believe that any longer. I believe that before all else I am
11 a reasonable human being, just as you are—or, at all events, that I
12 must try and become one. I know quite well, Torvald, that most
13 people would think you right, and that views of that kind are to be
14 found in books; but I can no longer content myself with what most
15 people say, or with what is found in books. I must think over things
16 for myself and get to understand them.
17 HEL. Can you not understand your place in your own home? Have you not a
18 reliable guide in such matters as that?—have you no religion?
19 NORA. I am afraid, Torvald, I do not exactly know what religion is.
20 HEL. What are you saying?
21 NORA. I know nothing but what the clergyman said, when I went to be
22 confirmed. He told us that religion was this, and that, and the other.
23 When I am away from all this, and am alone, I will look into that
24 matter too. I will see if what the clergyman said is true, or at all
25 events if it is true for me.
26 HEL. This is unheard of in a girl of your age! But if religion cannot
27 lead you aright, let me try and awaken your conscience. I suppose
28 you have some moral sense? Or—answer me—am I to think you
29 have none?
30 NORA. I assure you, Torvald, that is not an easy question to answer. I
31 really don’t know. The thing perplexes me altogether. I only know
32 that you and I look at it in quite a different light. I am learning, too,
33 that the law is quite another thing from what I supposed; but I find it
34 impossible to convince myself that the law is right. According to it a
35 woman has no right to spare her old dying father, or to save her
36 husband’s life. I can’t believe that.
37 HEL. You talk like a child. You don’t understand the conditions of the
38 world in which you live.
39 NORA. No, I don’t. But now I am going to try. I am going to see if I can
40 make out who is right, the world or I.
Essay:

A Doll’s House by Henry Ibsen illustrates the gender roles of the Victorian era through its

main characters, Nora and Helmer. Their roles as husband and wife are explored as Nora hides a

secret from Helmer. Ultimately, Nora defies her gender role in order to figure out who she really

is. Through Ibsen’s use of symbolism, word choice, and characterization, A Doll’s House shows

how societal expectations affect identity.

In the excerpt, Nora discusses how she doesn’t truly know herself, but she feels she has a

duty to figure out who she is. This contrasts to the ideas of the time, where women were

expected to serve others. Helmer says as much in Line 5, where he states her most sacred duties

were to her “...husband and children.” Nora opposes this in Line 8 where she says her most

sacred duties are to herself. These contrasting viewpoints are emphasized through the repeated

sentence structure. Helmer expects Nora to follow societal expectations, to put her husband and

children above herself. However, Nora is determined to figure out who she is outside of society’s

expectations, after being influenced by them for so long. In Lines 19-25, Nora admits she does

not actually know if she believes in religion. She had been told to believe in it. Helmer echoes

society when he expects Nora to believe in religion, because he himself has been conditioned to

believe in it. Ibsen included this to show how religion could manipulate people’s identities.

Finally, in Lines 39-40, Nora says, “I am going to see if I can make out who is right, the world or

I.” By using the word right, Nora is saying that societal expectations are not always right for

everyone. This highlights the main idea, that Nora is trying to figure out her identity, after being

manipulated by societal expectations for so long.

Throughout the rest of the book, there are more instances of Nora conforming to societal

expectations, as well as breaking against them. On page 56, Helmer and Mrs. Linde had a
discussion: “HEL. Do you know, you ought to embroider. MRS. L. Really? Why? HEL. Yes, it’s

far more becoming” (Ibsen). During this time, embroidery symbolized femininity, because it was

graceful. As such, it was expected that women would embroider, which Helmer clearly agrees

with. From earlier in the book we learn that Nora embroiders. Through this conversation, Ibsen

shows how Nora’s hobbies are influenced by society. She has been encouraged to embroider

because of societal expectations, to the point where it became a part of who she was.

Additionally, throughout the book Nora is seen by others as foolish and imprudent. These were

characteristics more commonly associated with women than with men. Nora’s characterization

shows how societal expectations influence how others see her. This frustrates Nora. On page 10,

she says, “You are just like the others. They all think that I am incapable of anything really

serious…” (Ibsen). This mischaracterization of Nora’s identity by others shows the contrast

between how society sees Nora and how she sees herself. However, Nora acts in defiance

throughout the book, through macaroons. Helmer has forbidden Nora to eat sweets, but from the

beginning of the play we see Nora eating macaroons. When confronted about it on page 4, she

says, “I should not think of going against your wishes” (Ibsen). The macaroons symbolize Nora’s

deception and disobedience to her husband, and therefore it also represents Nora breaking

societal expectations. A Doll’s House shows the power of societal expectations over Nora’s

identity, but also how she defies these expectations to find her own identity.