How does Ibsen use symbolism to explore his main ideas in the play “A Doll’s

House”?

“A doll’s House” is a modern tragedy and family drama written in 1879 by Henrik Ibsen, which
portrays the life of a married woman, Nora Helmer, in a patriarchal society. A Doll's House
serves a purpose of dramatic criticism of established gender norms in the nineteenth-century
marriage. The target audience are set to be play fanatics or performance enjoyers. This essay
will highlight how Henrik Ibsen exposes symbolism as a technique to construct meaning for
main ideas of objectification of women, manipulation, materialism and self-liberation from love
and duty.

One of the main themes explored through symbolism in the modern tragedy is objectification of
women. Henrik Ibsen investigates the current theme via the christmas tree in the Helmer house
and one of the main characters and antagonist of the play, Torvald Helmer. To further expand, in
Act 1, Nora Helmer decorates a fir tree in the house right before Christmas, which alludes to
Nora herself. The author implies how the Christmas tree is the representation of societal norms
put on women at that time, through highlighting the presence of that object. For instance, it is
implied how the tree is the centerpiece of the house, the focal point of the play that is meant to
serve one purpose: stand still and look pretty, exactly how Torvald perceived Nora. Additionally,
to Torvald it was always crucial to have a beautiful wife that will further enhance his societal
image due to his obsession with reputation, as did the purpose of the Christmas tree. However,
the intention of the “Christmas tree” changes at the end of the play as it is now “in the corner” of
the house. Similarly Nora is no longer the centerpiece of the family; she is starting her new life
after she decides to be independent by leaving Torvald and her three children, being an
“outcast”. The target audience perceive the current symbolism as linkage to the title as it
portrays Nora like a pretty Doll of the Helmer family. Subsequently, to further discuss the theme
of objectification Henrik Ibsen presents Torvald as the mirror of the society towards women in
the 19th century. Helmer perceives Nora as a pretty looking object that is only supposed to stay
at home, look after the house and children. He always took notice of the food she eats and how
good she looks. Moreover, at the end of the tragedy, Nora confronts Torvals stating how she
was always treated as a doll by him. “Doll” is an imagery that the audience can detect since it
points out how females in general were objectified, treated as children and were seen as a
prize. Hence, the performance can conclude that Ibsen relied heavily on symbolism to project
objectification and purpose of women at that time.

Furthermore, highlighting the theme of self-liberation, the Tarantella dance symbolizes Nora’s
rebellion against societal norms and desire for freedom and independence. Ibsen juxtaposes
Nora’s expected role and reality of her life, in the lines “a long multicolored shawl” and “a large
black shawl.” Since Nora's secret is now exposed her desire to hide herself disappeared,
portraying the devastating life she has lived. The visual symbolism of the black and gloomy
dress showcases to the audience her turmoil and liberation from the duties she found herself in.
Accompanied with the powerful tone in her dance sets an uplifted mood, enhancing the sense of
break free from the duty of being a well-mannered housewife. Similarly, the tarantella dance is
an allegory for her marriage, as she has put on a show the whole time by fitting into the social
norms her whole life, first by her father and now her husband. By the dance, Nora is showcasing
to the readers that she isn’t weak and to be played with anymore. The dance is performed right
after she decides to leave her husband and children, demonstrating the dance as a symbol of
her rebellion and rejection of societal norms containing her. Therefore, her performance can be
viewed as a symbol of gaining independence from the expectations placed upon women.

Another thematic aspect brought up in the play is the constant materialism that is specifically
portrayed in the human form, Mrs Linde. She is known to be financially dependent on men
throughout her whole life as seen throughout the tragedy when she left Krogstad, the man she
loved in her earlier years, for a wealthy man that she has no affection for, in order to live her life
comfortably. It is the first instance of how Mrs Linde has shown her true colors to the audience
revealing her main character trait - being materialistic. Further on, after Mrs Linde’s late
husband passed away, his business “went to shambles” and she was “left penniless”, however
she does not waste time to save herself from bankruptcy. Mrs Linde returns to her previous life,
claiming that she still loved Krogstad when she learns that he is now wealthy enough to sustain
her. Moreover, when Mrs Linde came to request a job through Nora from her husband, the
author does not fail to juxtapose their situations. While Nora knew nothing of financial struggles
and constant chase of money in her life, Mrs linde's situation was more desperate; the only
reason she married was for money and security - she could not support herself. Therefore,
through these examples, the audience can get a better understanding of how the issue of
materialism is portrayed in ‘A Doll’s House’.

Lastly, Nora’s Husband, Helmer’s paternalism and sense of self-importance are reinforced by
his distinctive speech, relating to themes of manipulation and control of women in a 19th century
patriarchal society. His language consists of endearments such as “skylark” and “squirrel”, since
Helmer is represented as a mirror of the society that defines his attitude towards Nora. Although
often coming across as insults, such as when he calls her out for overspending, referring to her
as “spendthrift”. Similarly, relating to thematic concerns of objectification and power, the author
employs zoomorphism, “my little songbird”, degrading her humanity to a naive and innocent
animal with no grasp on the true world. Helmer goes even further to maintain complete control
over his wife, forbidding her from sweets, in order to maintain her figure and look pretty. This
reveals his masculine character traits of domination and objectification towards women. The
sweets can also be seen as the symbol of the good things in life that Nora enjoys through
deception of Helmer. She tries to please Helmer as much as she can by constantly obeying him,
as is her duty, but lying seems like the only way to escape the
control and avoid conflict. Accompanied by Helmer’s lecturing and dominating tone establishing
the discriminating views of the society in the minds of the audience, it sets the mood of
humiliation. Hence, the text highlights the themes of objectification and control of women
through nicknames, in order to keep Nora obedient and submissive to his wishes.

To summarize, the author of the modern tragedy, Henrik Ibsen, heavily depended on symbolism
to portray the main thematic issues of the family drama: materialism, objectification of the
female society in the 19th century, manipulation and self-liberation from love and duty. Whether
it was presented in the form of characters, food, nicknames, a dance performance or a
Christmas tree the author achieved to acquaint the audience with the issues cultivated in the
literary text along with the help of literary devices such as zoomorphism, juxtaposition,
endearments, tone and mood.